The Best Protein Powder For Hair Growth (2025)

Looking for the best protein powder for hair growth? Discover how to support hair health and growth with protein powder.

Can protein powder help with hair growth?

Men and women with hair loss often wonder whether protein supplements can help restore hair growth or prevent further hair loss.

The truth is that although hair itself is made of a protein called keratin and hair follicles are among the most metabolically active cells in the body, the link between protein intake and hair growth is complex.

Most of what is known about protein intake and hair loss is based on studies about people with a nutrient deficiency.

The research shows that having a protein deficiency can impact your structure and growth. It also shows that protein supplementation can promote hair growth in individuals who are protein deficient.

Little is known about the effects of protein supplementation in individuals without a nutrient deficiency, however.

One study did find that protein supplementation promotes hair growth in women suffering from thinning hair, but it is still hard to say to what extent, if any, protein affects hair growth in the average person.

Increasing your protein intake, if you do not need that extra protein, thus may or may not help with hair growth.

If you are protein deficient, or if you struggle to regularly meet your daily protein needs, however, then adding protein powder to your diet might be a great idea.

Protein powder can be added to smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes, or simply mixed with milk or water to make a protein shake.

This versatility and convenience can be hard to beat, and can help you fill in the nutritional gaps that might be causing or contributing to your hair loss.

That said, not all protein powders are created equal.

What is the best protein powder for hair growth?

Any type of protein powder (egg white, pea, whey, etc.) can help you meet your daily protein needs.

In other words, as long as you are eating a balanced diet, there is no advantage to using one type of protein powder over another. Ingredients do matter, however.

Most protein powders are made with ingredients that can cause long term health problems linked to hair loss.

Avoid food additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can alter the composition of your gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms living in your gut.

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which is not only a leading driver of inflammation, but also linked to nutrient malabsorption.

Although there is a lot of conflicting evidence on the subject, it is possible that nutrient deficiencies cause or at least contribute to hair loss.

So, regularly eating a protein powder that can impair your ability to break down and absorb the food you eat is not only counter productive, but also potentially bad for hair growth.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

Avoid protein concentrates and isolates

Most protein powders are made from protein concentrates and isolates, which have been mechanically and or chemically stripped of everything but the protein, including the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help you break them down.

As a result, they can cause digestive issues and possibly even disruptions to the composition of the gut microbiome, which, again, is something you should avoid at all costs!

Drink Wholesome is the best protein powder for hair growth.

Finding a protein powder free from food additives and protein concentrates and isolates is hard.

In fact, 99% of protein supplements contain one or more of these problematic ingredients, which is why we created Drink Wholesome.

We make the best protein powder for hair growth because we use a short list of simple ingredients.

Note that instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we use whole food protein sources like collagen, egg whites, and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

It follows that our customersexperience fewer digestive issues with our protein powder than with any other type of protein supplement. Order samples to see for yourself.