Nickel and Hair: Allergy, Diet & Hair Analysis

Nickel isn't a hair nutrient. The reasons people ask about nickel and hair are practical: nickel is the most common cause of contact allergy, it's in many foods, and it turns up in hair mineral analysis. We found no study showing nickel helps or harms hair growth.

Here's what the research says about nickel allergy, dietary nickel and what a hair nickel test can and can't tell you.

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Key Takeaways

• Nickel is the most frequent cause of contact allergy worldwide. In European adults, prevalence is about 8% to 19%, with a strong female predominance.
• Jewellery and metal in clothing are still the main causes of nickel allergy and dermatitis.
• Cocoa and chocolate, soybeans, oatmeal, nuts and legumes are very high in nickel. Danish dietary intake was estimated at 150 μg a day on average.
• Hair nickel levels reflect lifestyle, eating habits and environmental exposure, not diet alone.

What Is Nickel?

Nickel is a metal found in jewellery, metal items, food and the environment. For most people, it matters for skin allergy rather than for hair.

Does Nickel Affect Hair?

We found no study of nickel as a treatment for hair growth, and none showing normal exposure causes hair loss. If you suspect a nickel allergy, see a dermatologist.

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What To Do If You're Concerned

• See a dermatologist if you suspect a nickel allergy. Patch testing can confirm it.
• Check metal items that touch your skin, such as jewellery and clips.
• Don't treat a hair test as a diagnosis. See our guide to hair mineral analysis.

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What The Research Shows

Nickel Allergy

A clinical review describes nickel as the most frequent cause of contact allergy worldwide. A European nickel regulation reduced prevalence, but allergy still affects approximately 8% to 19% of adults and 8% to 10% of children and adolescents, with a strong female predominance. Jewellery and metal in clothing remain the main causes (Ahlström et al., 2019).

Nickel In Food

Nickel intake from the Danish diet was estimated at 150 micrograms per person per day. Roots, vegetables, grain and bread supply much of it, while cocoa and chocolate, soya beans, oatmeal, nuts, almonds and legumes have very high nickel content. Large amounts of these foods can raise intake to 900 micrograms or more a day. Whether dietary nickel can flare hand eczema in nickel-allergic people was an open question that needs provocation studies (Flyvholm et al., 1984).

Nickel In Hair

In 265 young adults (87 males and 178 females), researchers analyzed hair minerals and linked them with questionnaires. They concluded that nickel exposure can come from lifestyle, eating habits and environmental sources (Michalak et al., 2012).

See also: DMDM Hydantoin and Hair Loss: What the Research Shows · Boron for Hair: What the Research Actually Shows

Frequently Asked Questions

Does nickel cause hair loss?

We found no study showing that it does.

Is nickel good for hair?

We found no study showing a benefit. Nickel's main health relevance in the research is allergy.

What foods are high in nickel?

Cocoa and chocolate, soya beans, oatmeal, nuts and almonds, and fresh and dried legumes have very high nickel contents.

References

1. Ahlström MG, Thyssen JP, Wennervaldt M, et al. Nickel allergy and allergic contact dermatitis: A clinical review of immunology, epidemiology, exposure, and treatment. Contact Dermatitis. 2019. PubMed
2. Flyvholm MA, Nielsen GD, Andersen A. Nickel content of food and estimation of dietary intake. Z Lebensm Unters Forsch. 1984. PubMed
3. Michalak I, Mikulewicz M, Chojnacka K, et al. Exposure to nickel by hair mineral analysis. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2012. PubMed