Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 1/10/2011

Question
Hi I`ve been taking vitamins supplements for the past 3 months and have noticed that my hair has become alot darker especially my eyebrows. I use to have light brown hair now almost a dark brown and i had a few blonde hairs on my eyebrows now there nearly dark brown. The vitamins I have been taking are vitamin b complex,biotin,vitamin A and E. I have also been taking copper to. My question is I could my hair be dark brown and just lacked the vitamins? I read up that a lack of vitamins affected your hair color. Also my dad had dark brown hair.


Thank you

Answer
Dear John,

I don't think these vitamin supplements are known to be related to changing your hair color.  But sometimes nutrients can affect pigmentation, especially if there was a deficiency before.

Remember that it's winter now.  Humans, like other mammals, tend to shed hair in the fall and spring, and the winter hair tends to be darker, since it hasn't yet been exposed to sunlight and bleached.  So it might just be a seasonal shift.

Human hair also tends to darken as the human ages. You don't say how old you are, but if you are leaving your teens or early twenties, this is another reason your hair could be coming in darker.

Hope this helps.

Dana