So I decided to start growing my hair out :)

[stephy190]

Hey everyonee :) Im new :D Just started my hair growth journey as I decided I wanted lovely long hair.
Problem is that its started to fall out a lot.. the last couple weeks random strands have just been falling out so easy and never noticed this before..
What is going on ?!

Thanks guys xxxx

[breezefaerie]

Have you changed your diet, the way you style your hair, what you wash with - anything that is a change?

[sarahthegemini]

Hey! Is it extreme shedding? Could it be just that you are now aware of your (normal) shedding? Or were you paying attention to how much you shed before, and now it's much more?

[melusine963]

Have you changed your diet, the way you style your hair, what you wash with - anything that is a change?

^^ This. Also, did you go through a particularly stressful time a few months ago? This can cause shedding a few months down the line, and there's nothing much to do apart from take care of yourself and wait for it to stop.

If you have any reason to believe the shed could be health related (ie. you're deficient in something) I would make an appointment with a doctor.

[stephy190]

I was so stressed out due to exams and breaking up with boyfriend about 3 months ago.. like ive never been so stressed out in my life. Maybe thats a possibility! But will this be permanent? I havent noticed any bald patches but I've noticed that the bottom part of my hair (the ends) have thinned a lot more in the last couple of weeks..

[stephy190]

heyy I've always had super thick hair :( like just recently I've noticed the ends have been thinner.. like when I side braid my hair its thinner than it used to be too.x

[stephy190]

yeah Ive changed hair products in the last month, got this organix shampoo and conditioner and organix brand argan oil.. a couple other things too but I honestly thought these were healthy for my hair ? Maybe I should cut out a lot of my products ? x

[stephy190]

^^ This. Also, did you go through a particularly stressful time a few months ago? This can cause shedding a few months down the line, and there's nothing much to do apart from take care of yourself and wait for it to stop.

If you have any reason to believe the shed could be health related (ie. you're deficient in something) I would make an appointment with a doctor.

I was so stressed out due to exams and breaking up with boyfriend about 3 months ago.. like ive never been so stressed out in my life. Maybe thats a possibility! But will this be permanent? I havent noticed any bald patches but I've noticed that the bottom part of my hair (the ends) have thinned a lot more in the last couple of weeks..

[sarahthegemini]

It does sound like stress is the primary factor, if so, it'll calm down and it will not be permanent. Just treat your hair nicely and try to stay relaxed and as stress free as possible. If it doesn't settle and/or you're really worried, see a Doc but I suspect things will ease up now that you're not as stressed. I don't know much about ingredients but could you post the ingredients of your current products? That way, someone who knows their stuff could give you a bit of advice if the ingredients could be problematic.

[melusine963]

I was so stressed out due to exams and breaking up with boyfriend about 3 months ago.. like ive never been so stressed out in my life. Maybe thats a possibility! But will this be permanent? I havent noticed any bald patches but I've noticed that the bottom part of my hair (the ends) have thinned a lot more in the last couple of weeks..

It shouldn't be permanent, not unless there's a string of other issues going on. I've never had a stress related shed myself, but I've heard from other people that they usually don't last longer than a few weeks. After that you should have a ton of new growth appearing.


yeah Ive changed hair products in the last month, got this organix shampoo and conditioner and organix brand argan oil.. a couple other things too but I honestly thought these were healthy for my hair ? Maybe I should cut out a lot of my products ? x

One useful rule that many people on this forum follow is the two week rule - to not make more than one change to your hair routine more than once every two weeks (or even once a month). That way you can tell exactly how your hair reacts to each new product/technique you're using. If something is a disaster you can stop right away, and if something works really well you'll know what to thank. This will save you quite a bit of money in the long run, as you're not wasting money on products that you have no idea if they're even working for you.

[breezefaerie]

One useful rule that many people on this forum follow is the two week rule - to not make more than one change to your hair routine more than once every two weeks (or even once a month). That way you can tell exactly how your hair reacts to each new product/technique you're using. If something is a disaster you can stop right away, and if something works really well you'll know what to thank. This will save you quite a bit of money in the long run, as you're not wasting money on products that you have no idea if they're even working for you.

I totally agree. It sounds like you are shedding due to that stressful time in your life and you should boucne back soon.
The average person shed about 50 - 200 hairs a day depending on their hair. If you are super concerned, maybe count the individual hairs.

[AmyBeth]

Stress is a HUGE factor for me in shedding. If you can relieve your stress your hair will bounce back. Happy growing!

[gthlvrmx]

One useful rule that many people on this forum follow is the two week rule - to not make more than one change to your hair routine more than once every two weeks (or even once a month). That way you can tell exactly how your hair reacts to each new product/technique you're using. If something is a disaster you can stop right away, and if something works really well you'll know what to thank. This will save you quite a bit of money in the long run, as you're not wasting money on products that you have no idea if they're even working for you.
You know what, also know that your scalp will not always like or want what your hair length will want. :P
Or need!
So try gathering some of that shed hair and make use of it! Experiment first with it, after a nice wash, clarify it and all maybe try some club soda too to help get rid of some minerals on it. I would save that shed hair and clean it up and have it ready for some experiments and maybe for later to make like a hair rat, braids, or something nice for yourself to make your buns and stuff bigger or whatever :p
Club soda is great for getting minerals out of your hair if you don't want to chelate since that is really harsh but works really well :P
Maybe try getting a filter too for your shower if you have hard water.
Check this and look online as well for your hair, people have noticed hair fall due to water hardness and what is in the water:
http://www.google.com/search?gs_rn=26&gs_ri=psy-ab&gs_mss=hard+waty&cp=8&gs_id=1e&xhr=t&q=hard+water&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.51495398,d.cGE&biw=1024&bih=643&bs=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=gl4eUoHNFMS0iQLtyIDwDw
Big link! Check on there and see through the maps if you can find your location and see if generally you have hard or soft or in between. Soft water is good for your hair, hard is not. Soft means there are less minerals in the water and it is processed differently. Hard water...just sucks. XD
I live in an area with a ton of hard water it's gross everyone has dry frizzy hair and it's like all falling off due to chemical dyes and bleaching. XD It's awful sometimes.

The filters you can buy at home depot like these, i buy these: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&keyword=shower+filter&Ns=None&Ntpr=1&Ntpc=1&selectedCatgry=SearchAll#/?c=1
It's the GE one. It's cheap for me after installing you only change the filter thing in it and you have to put something in it. XD Sorry, I am no good at changing filter stuff I just I don't know my dad is fine I can do it if someone shows me it it's simple I just go all....woops.

And the club soda is cheap at stores like Walmart, the best clarifying shampoo so far I've heard of is Neautrogena Anti-Residue and I've found it at Walmart it's good and you don't need a lot to work with it it's very strong and nice.

With the shed hairs, collect them is what I would do and clean them up and then start experimenting with the products I got to use on my scalp to see how my hair would react. It's simple you just do it as if you're normally washing your hair and apply the products and see if it doesn't affect it badly. I had too many hair disasters because no one mentioned that everyone's scalp is so different and what may work for your hair may not work for your scalp.

That's something nice I would do it and have fun with that. The shed hair you can collect after and just keep it on the side in a box or something or a baggy and make braids or pieces of larger strands for later just in case you might not have the thicker hair you want in time for later. Really it doesn't take too long maybe a few months to a year and that's fine, by 8 months i had a giant wad of hair and it's good to make a nice hair rat :) Even then, if your hair is thicker again you can still use that hair and apply it to your hair on your head for buns to make it look thicker or dye it and apply it to your buns and hair. It works for me seems like a smart idea.

If the products don't work for your scalp, don't use it. Stop. Products should not cause lots of hair fall. They should not harm your hair a lot as well. I have a sensitive scalp I can't use oils on it, many shampoos and conditioners, and I can't even have my own sebum building up over a long time it causes hair fall on me. Your scalp has it's own thing check for buildup and all, stress try meditating if you'd like and relax more don't block your feelings and allow yourself to feel what you feel. Buildup of stress can cause hair loss though I don't have that issue. Good thing though I've had stress for half of my 20 years of life and so far my hair doesn't fall off too much. Diet is good to check too and go to the doctor as well not everyone knows what to eat and everyone has to eat their own amounts in portions because not everyone needs the amount of vitamins that others need that is recommended on the bottles of vitamins or something. Each person is unique and different so you will need different things for yourself. Same for people who exercise, they need more than others in certain things like more protein more water (of course! Drink plenty of water! It helps your hair if you're not getting enough water. Trust me most people do not drink enough water in the first place as every doctor keeps telling me. The patients lie and probably do not know how much they are supposed to take for themselves). You might even need more biotin for some people who don't eat enough vegetables or who do more work or something else.
Also, check if you're not just noticing your hair shedding now and it seems like a lot. You'll know the difference yourself and on average it's about 25-150 hairs a day that you lose. You can count if you want it's very tedious. Longer hair is a bigger hair ball in the shower so know that as well and just gather your shed hair and make it into a bigger strand to see how much hair you are really losing. Sounds annoying but when you look at it more you can see it for what it is and work with what you gather.