hair shedding 101

[pdy2kn6]

i wasn't really too sure on what shedding is, although many people speak about going through periods of shedding in their lives, so i thought we could put some facts about shedding on this page? has any one been through it? does everyone experience it some time in their life? specific causes for it? what actually happens? feel free to ask more questions on the issue.

[SimplyLonghair]

Well speaking for myself I have gone through several sheds.

Reasons for sheds are many and varied mine were because of:


Pregnancy, when it was over I shed like a dog!
Age, there are regular times in a persons life that sheds occur, my first was at 21, then another at 29, but that could have also been stress.
Health stress, I was iron deprived several times due to celiac disease.
Just plain stress. Life can be stressful.
Diet stress, enough said.Now there are other reasons for hair shedding.

Hormone imbalance.
Chemical contamination.
Chemo therapy.
Allergies, to food, to products and many other things.I know there are more reasons someone else needs to chime in.:rolleyes:

[Anje]

Drug side-effects are a big possible cause. Particularly worth mentioning is hormonal birth control, which attempts to tell the body it's already pregnant to prevent ovulation and/or implantation. Going off birth control causes some people to have something analogous to a post-pregnancy shed.

[pineapple pea]

Using the wrong products for your hair/scalp can cause shedding. Washing too harshly can cause shedding.

[Samikha]

Thyroid problems is a big one for shedding. It should also be noted that some experience excessive shedding if they get conditioner on the scalp (doing CO washes, for instance) while others are sensitive to sulfates and others again get extra shedding from oiliing the scalp.

[SimplyLonghair]

Okay another one that I thought of: Going to a different routine can cause massive shedding. Such as if you are trying to stretch out your washes and go longer and your scalp gets oily, you can shed more. Some folks cannot get past that. They just have more oily scalp and it doesn't get less.

[jera]

An underactive thyroid will cause a major shed and so will post pregnancy. :( For me personally the worst sheds have come from stress and that's bad cuz it's a vicious circle. The more you see your hair fall out, the more stressed you get and the more hair you lose. Arghhhhhhhhh :confused:

Great thread BTW.

[Aditi]

I think sometimes the weather also is responsible for shedding like over here women complain extreme shedding problem in winter season. Mine always sheds when my hairs are dirty for a long time.

[Heavenly Locks]

How can you tell it's a 'shed' rather than a typical day/whatever's worth of hair loss?

Some days I have 20 shed hairs that fall out and some days there are a hundred...hmmm

[Aditi]

How can you tell it's a 'shed' rather than a typical day/whatever's worth of hair loss?

Some days I have 20 shed hairs that fall out and some days there are a hundred...hmmm
When you get chunks of hair stuck in your comb or whenever you start to see your scalp that's when you can say that you are shedding. For the best of my knowledge.

[Heidi_234]

When you pull out tennis size hair balls each shower, and you can barely compress them into ping pong balls :(

[enfys]

Do you shed more if you stop/change supplements?

I read MSM holds the hair root longer so do they then fall out suddenly when you stop taking it? Or can it be avoided if you reduce doses, then stop.

This is quite a scary thought for those of us who haven't shed yet...but turn 21 this year and keep haering that's when the first shed was for most people. Ack.

[pdy2kn6]

This is quite a scary thought for those of us who haven't shed yet...but turn 21 this year and keep haering that's when the first shed was for most people. Ack.

i agree, i am a male who is turning 21 not this may but next may, uh oh!!!! i also do conditioner only, it looks like the signs are against me!!!:confused:

[Samitra]

I've never heard of it, that one would go through a shed when 21. Why would that happen?

I'm around that age, and the only reason for shedding I can see is the stress that comes with full time university studies and combining them with thousands of other things, and no longer eating as healthy as I did when I lived at home. And that doesn't apply to everyone.

When 21, there are no more big hormonal changes that I know of. Or is it?

[Elenna]

Sometimes it takes detective work to find the culprits. Keep a diary and try everything you can think of. Sometimes the answers can really surprise you. Mine were: a vitamin B deficiency
vegetarian diet, shampoo ingredient allergy to sls, etc., and a zinc deficiency. I switched to castille shampoo, soap bars, and soapnuts. I try to eat eggs now.

[SimplyLonghair]

The 21 thing isn't set in stone it is an approximate date. I first heard others talk of it from George Micheal. I am not sure I buy into a lot he had to say but he had some good thoughts on hair care.
Since I have experienced some of the sheds that he talked about, I do think that they occur. Our bodies have cycles and this is just part of the cycle. I think that longer haired people will see more in the sheds that shorter haired people. But then we are paying attention to our hair. :twocents:

[LittleOrca]

Tell me that a large amount of shedding is normal after your hair has been in a French braid for 4 days. :)

[DMARTINEZ]

Tell me that a large amount of shedding is normal after your hair has been in a French braid for 4 days. :)

LOL, I would say so!
I shed all the time. Always have, but the bad part with long hair,is all the new growth. It makes for a messy look. I dont like that. When it was shorter, you wouldnt notice all the new growth.
I dont think I will go past waist long,because I have the urge to cut it to bring the length up to the newer hairs.....silly I know,but there you have it ;)


Deb

[helen2806]

I had a pretty major shed when I had just turned 18.

My hairbrush would be full of hair after brushing, I'd clog the shower drain every time and the carpet in my room seemed to be permanently covered in a layer of my hair - not pleasant!

I had no idea what was going on so went to the doctor (I had a few other weird symptoms like bruising more easily and sleeping way more). She sent me for blood tests, nerve tests, diabetes check, thyroid check etc etc but never found anything wrong. Then pretty suddenly about 3 or 4 months later everything went right back to normal and I was fine so I think it it must have just been subconscious stress of moving away from home :o

[Sashay]

I just turned 24 and I've never heard of the big shedding around 21 thing. I don't think I've gone through it yet. Doesn't sound fun though. For my purposes, I'm going to assume it's a combination of hormones, diet, and stress. I'm going to keep trying to improve my diet and not try not to worry about it ;)

Can anyone give me a good idea of how many hairs are shed on average per day? What's a low number? What's high? I feel like I shed a lot, but it's hard to tell without a reference.