Really concerned about how much I shed

[HollowHannah]

I've been off the forum for a while with uni and was glad to be able to get back but something has really soured it as far as I'm concerned.

I used to use a brush to detangle my hair but I noticed that the hairbrush would have large collection of hair in it( I know this is gross, bear with me).

A few days ago, I decided to go cold turkey and ban the brush so since then I've only finger-combed. The thing is, I still seem to be shedding an awful lot. I heard 80-100 hairs a day was normal but I finger combed my hair tonight and lost over 100 in just one sitting. All I need do is run my hand down the length and few just seems to come out with it. I just wondered if anyone on the forum can tell me what's happening to it and if there is anything I can do to stop it. Thanks.

[Igor]

Not that I want to dismiss your worries so easily, but I have seen between 10 and 200 hairs a day on this forum from people with perfectly healthy heads of hair :shrug:
How long do you feel you have shedded excessively?

[pepperminttea]

It could be health-related, like stress or nutrition (or often post-partum?), or it could just as easily be normal shedding. Some people shed more at certain times of year, or when they switch products, or like you, have switched their routine up a bit. I would've thought that as brushing grabs all the shed hairs and gets them out in one go, that as you transition to finger-combing, you might just be finding shed hairs that before, your brush would've found. So it might seem like you're shedding more when you're just shedding at a different pace. I hope that makes sense, but fingers crossed it's nothing serious.

[TinaDenali]

If you've given up brushing for a few days you could have had a bit of a pile up of sheds. If you're normally brushing, those sheds collect in your brush. If you don't brush, they will take a bit longer to release themselves from your head naturally, getting caught up in the rest of your hair. Once you finger comb you are collecting the days of shed hair when you haven't combed.

I only comb my hair once a day or once every other day, but if I were to right now finger comb my hair, I could collect a dozen shed hairs right now. If I don't run my fingers through my hair, it will fall naturally where it will or just stay in my hair until I brush it again.

I hope that helps.

If you really are concerned, I'd visit your doctor.

[HollowHannah]

Thanks guys, this really has alleviated my fears a lot. My diet's not bad and I don't suffer from stress (well, only my share) so it won't be that. It probably just is the build up that my brush used to collect. I'll keep tabs on it for the next few weeks anyway to see if it really is excessive and if it gets any worse, I'll see the doc. Thanks again, this was really helpful.

[AreWild]

Also keep in mind that you might shed more seasonally. I know I shed more in fall, so even if it looks a little excessive to me right now, it's not something to worry about. It'll slow down when winter really hits.

[ChatoyantLocks]

If you have always had short hair, and then switch to long, when you notice the amount of shed hairs it can look somewhat alarming. Just keep an eye on the volume lost during a combing (you can just ball it up to get some idea - it's not critical to count the number of strands to do this), and the amount of time since you last combed it out, and try not to worry about it unless the hair on your head is getting noticeably thinner.