Oh my Gosh, I'm scared...

[Little_Bird]

I washed my hair today... I just combed.

This is what came off today:

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa221/Cheeseistheword/P9270776.jpg

Please, honestly, is this normal? Is it normal for an autumn shed? My mom says it is. I am so scared. I have been noticing increasing shedding over the last weeks. I do know I use to shed more in certain months but all this?

Help :cry:

[brok3nwings]

Little bird I dont think you should worry if this is one time thing. I know you have a lot of hair so do you usually shed what? half than that? Also if you dont wash your hair that often your hair could just loose more when you do and it just comes out all at the same time (but this is just a thought)... did you change your shampoo or something?

[lilalong]

I don't know. Your hair is much longer than mine. The same number of your hairs will make a much bigger hair ball than mine.
Maybe other member with longer hair will weight in.

You could maybe count them once? Just to put your mind at ease.

[<She>]

It looks like a lot of hair that way, but have you counted how many strands are there?
If your hair is long and M or C it may just look like a lot of hair, but not actually be that much.

I have a massive shed going on too, and it's constant. Everytime I pull my hand through my hair there must be at least 4-5 strands coming off. Also in the shower, after shower, everytime I comb...

I think (and hope) it's the normal autumnal shedding we all experience.

[Gumball]

Good points here so far. Remember the average of 50-100 shed hairs a day. Couple that with thickness of the hair strands and the length of them and you can find yourself in possession of a really big wad. There is the possibility of a seasonal shed, too, which you might be in the middle of. I wouldn't worry at the moment.

[tina1025]

are you going through stress at all? Did you change your shampoo? changes in hormones? Just see what happens within next few days and if the shedding doesnt stop then i'd go to the doc and get the blood test done.....

[Little_Bird]

I know I used to shed 100-150 hairs in wash days, maybe more. Sometimes even 200. I only wash my hair once a week. I always shed a lot in washing days, but this looks so much to me...

I haen't seen a hair ball for a while because I save my hairs but today I was not in the mood so I didn't align them and left them like this. It felt so huge to me. My mom swears it's normal...

I'm gonna measure my circumference on the next time I measure. But this is really scary. I knoe there must be like 300 hairs in there at least, maybe more.

My God.. anyone else experiencing this??

(Thank's for your hints, lilalong and brok3nwings...)

[mira-chan]

I'm in the middle of my autumn shed right now and combing out clumps that look exactly like the one in your hand. It lasts about a month for me then stops.

Since your hair is longer than it was last year, the clump is bigger than that due to the length and not more hair being lost. :flower:

[Little_Bird]

Well, adding to the autumn thing, I have been trough stress, close to depression I guess...

I am using the same brand of shampoo, just a diferent line. Gosh... I guess I will see if this goes away. If I notice any... ANY diference in my circumference then I will be very mad and depressed and sad...

I'm gonna follow the advice of not stressing more for now. Life sicks at the moment and my hair is one of the few things that are making me happy. I can't loose that, at all...

Thank you all so much :flower:

[Gumball]

I think your count has the possibility of being off. 300 hairs is quite a lot. Sometimes when I think I've shed a lot I may assume there are tons of hairs there, but once counted turn out to be much less than I had imagined. This could be just a little bout of shed induced hair anxiety since it's such an important part of who you are. It's doubtful your circumference would have been detrimentally changed. Enjoy your day as much as you can. :)

[1nuitblanche]

I wouldn't worry about this one time deal for you; I would start worrying if you saw drastic changes that stick around.

I always shed that much whenever I brush my hair. (Combing, I can't tell because the teeth are wide enough that the hair never accumulates on it.) All through the year, I shed 3 or 4 hairs each time I run my hands through my hair.

[Samikha]

It does look like a lot, but that happens sometimes. The less often you brush/comb and wash your hair, the more is going to come out every time. If it's the same the next time, watch it. Should it continue having a general health check might ease your mind. I'm sure it'll pass!

[Aries_jb]

I don't think there's 300 hairs in that ball, there, so please don't stress out about it. I just think it looks big because it's balled up like that.

[EdG]

Shed rates can vary a lot depending on the time of the year. The worst shedding occurs just after washing.

I wouldn't worry. My experience is that real changes in thickness occur only over very long time periods (a decade).
Ed

[Finoriel]

Don´t worry about it too much. I´m also in my autumn shed, my hair clump looks very similar to yours and I know I´m not at it´s peak yet. For me it gradually increases, stays a little and then gradually decreases again. During about two months. Nothing to worry about, it´s just the annual shedding cycle some of us go through. :flower:

And just that your hairball does not need to feel all lonely :wink: mine can keep company with it.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=21635&albumid=637&dl=1222085872&thumb=1 (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=637&pictureid=21635%5Bimg%5Dhttp://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=21635&albumid=637&dl=1222085872&thumb=1%5B/img%5D)

[harpgal]

Little Bird, I am shedding a lot right now, also. Do not stress yourself over it. It is completely normal. I shed even more on wash days. I think you are in good company. :)

[Little_Bird]

Well, thank you all so much.

I am feeling a little better. I have been so tired, and stressing... I just shouldn't automatically stress so much about things all that fast. I almost cried when I looked at all that hair.

I'm gonna trust you guys. I'm off to see a movie while I rest, cosy in my bed :o

Thank you so much :flower: Stay well!...

[GlennaGirl]

LittleBird, it's okay. For your length hair, that is NOT a lot. I expect a few "big" sheds a year and my hair is nowhere near as thick as yours and not half as long. You're fine, don't worry!

[GlennaGirl]

ETA: Oh, I see you posted! Good for you, have a nice, relaxing time and some great rest and all will be well in the morning. :)

[Jeni]

I feel like I'm shedding a lot too. Every time I wash my hair I see tons of hair go down the drain (I wont pick it up, once it hits the shower floor its toxic waste!) and have a mini freak out. I try to tell myself that my hair is longer and darker then last year so the same amount of hair looks like more. It is a little freaky that every time I run my fingers through my hair my hand gets covered in hair.

Try counting your shed hairs, I doubt there are 300 in that pile.

[HazelnutDelight]

I am shedding a lot recently and it kinda scared me at first until I noticed posts about seasonal shedding. It has been maybe a couple of weeks and my hairballs are about half or more the size of yours, but I have thin hair, same length. Looking at your signature it doesn't look so bad since you have thick hair. I need all the hair I can get.

[blue_nant]

It looks like a lot of hair that way, but have you counted how many strands are there?
If your hair is long and M or C it may just look like a lot of hair, but not actually be that much.

I have a massive shed going on too, and it's constant. Everytime I pull my hand through my hair there must be at least 4-5 strands coming off. Also in the shower, after shower, everytime I comb...

I think (and hope) it's the normal autumnal shedding we all experience.

Count! I was shocked at how few strands my wad of hair actually was.

... Normal autumnal shedding? Am I this old and I never noticed it???? Dang!

[Forever_Sophie]

I am so glad I came across this thread! I've been shedding a lot lately when I wash, not unlike your amount, Little Bird. I've been attributing it to the length and wondering about seasonal shedding - just got my answer! So glad to see I'm not alone.

For me, it doesn't come out so much when I comb it dry, but as I rinse (conditioner esp.) and then comb it out - oy vey! something awful. My hair's very close if not waist length, so separating and counting what's in my drain-holder-catcher thing is beyond me....

[manderly]

I just washed the other day and came away with 2 massive handfuls of hair. I wouldn't worry!

I always muse: how could I possibly lose this kind of hair on a regular basis and not be bald?!

The answer must be that it is normal shedding, otherwise I'd be bald!

[saoriiroas]

I comb and brush everday usually, but if I wear it up for a few days, I get a larger ammount of hair when I do brush out if I take a longer than 3 days to wash. I would say that there is very little shed in your picture if you wash once a week. I also noticed an increase in my autumn shed, it is probably the weather.

[gdimoonbeam]

A thyroid imbalance is a common and often missed reason for thinning hair in women. It is nothing to panic about. If you continue to shed more than you are comfortable with a simple blood test would tell. My family is prone to thyroid imbalance that is how I learned about it.

[Slug Yoga]

Don´t worry about it too much. I´m also in my autumn shed, my hair clump looks very similar to yours and I know I´m not at it´s peak yet. For me it gradually increases, stays a little and then gradually decreases again. During about two months. Nothing to worry about, it´s just the annual shedding cycle some of us go through. :flower:

And just that your hairball does not need to feel all lonely :wink: mine can keep company with it.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=21635&albumid=637&dl=1222085872&thumb=1 (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=637&pictureid=21635%5Bimg%5Dhttp://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?pictureid=21635&albumid=637&dl=1222085872&thumb=1%5B/img%5D)

LOL! We should make a "post your tribble...I mean hairball" thread. I think it would be funny, plus it would actually give members a good visual idea of what a normal range of shedding is for people with various lengths of hair.

[Vivien']

Seeing how big are your "hairballs", I think I mustn't worry about mine. :)

Anyway, don't stress, Littlebird ;) I am convinced too that it's a one-day-shed.

[manyhorsesmane]

I pulled that much out of the drain a couple weeks ago. DH and I both longhairs, we have to watch that religiously. I noticed we both shed more around this time of year.....I wouldn't worry so much~just pay attention to your body and mind and if you aren't sure, check in for a physical at least. best of luck, Little Bird! :flower:

[Ranee]

I shed about the same amount now. I don't worry about it. Same thing happend last year and it passed after a couple of months. It scared the sh*t out of me last year though (since I started paying attention to my hair.)

[Celtica]

I don't think you need to fret, as others have said, it probably just looks more because your hair is long. My hair sheds at least that much whenever I comb -always has-, and I'm not bald yet:D. I suppose if this amount of shedding is new -as in you've NEVER had anything like it before- wait and see if it slows down (bet it will) before freaking out about it. Long hair always looks as if it's shedding more than it actually is because of the length.

[Shanarana]

I would be concerned maybe if someone is i hair type, but for you......no way. You just have way to much hair and it's very thick (looks thicker than ii/iii) and very long. Add the fact that your M/C and it does not appear to be that much hair at all.

[Amoretti]

I've been shedding that and more lately. Don't worry, it's normal in autumn, plus your hair is longer than ever so it just looks like more.