Hair loss question?

[irishlady]

Hi everyone,

recently I have been noticing that I lose a lot of hair, especially in the shower, huge clumps of it. And a good few strands when I brush.
I'm not sure if this rate is normal for me, maybe I'm just noticing it more as my hair gets longer.

So far the overall thickness has remained the same, but this evening and last time I washed, I had much more hair than I usually have falling out, double the amount I usually have in the drain after washing it :(

I'm not sure what could have caused this, maybe trying CO for the first time which I did? My scalp hates it and turned into a big oily mess, and my hair looked lank, this is when I noticed the loss.

I have also been extremely stressed lately, lots going on for me, so it's probably that too.

I'll be keeping an eye on it.

Does anyone else freak out over the amount of loss as the hair grows longer? Am I making a big deal about nothing or should I worry?

Thanks in advance.

[girlcat36]

I have a lot of experience with hairloss!
It's a good idea to to count the shed hairs to get an idea of when you are truly have excessive hairloss.
I know that when I lose more than 60-70 hairs when I wash my hair(after combing out before washing), I am in trouble. There have been times that I have lost 300 hairs during a wash.
If I lose 20-50 hairs during a wash, I don't worry too much.
CO makes my hair shed worse in the shower.
I shampoo but I try not to manipulate my scalp too much, It seems like just getting my scalp wet makes my hair want to fall out.
There are many factors contrinuting to hairloss--ferritin levels, thyroid levels, polycystic ovarian disease, fungal infections, stress, surgery, allergies.

[little_cherry]

Normally, we shed around 100-125 hairs a day- more during a seasonal shed (I shed lots in the Spring time). Out with the old, in with the new. As our hair gets longer, it looks like it is a lot more. I don't worry about shedding-- if I start seeing bald spots or the circumference of my pony tail decreases and keeps decreasing, then it's time to worry (check out my diet, Have some rest and relaxation, do a complete analysis on the products I've been using). I've gone up and down an inch or two- it always goes back up because the new hair has to catch up.

[HintOfMint]

CO and sulfate free routines increased my shedding. Just to let you know.

[Henrietta]

I freak out too sometimes, but it's good that you are aware of the fact that you had stressful situations, which may be the cause of your shedding and everything is ok with your hair. Or maybe it's about temperature change? Winter is coming;)
Also, CO may be the cause. I quit after few weeks because of huge shedding. My scalp didn't adjust. Maybe yours will ;)
Even if not, don't worry, there is still "alternation" option. I do CO washes twice a month and there's no shedding then.

[littlenvy]

OK … while looking for ways to regrow my hubby’s hair, I came across this product (which I would not buy) but it had a very good informative article attached to it in regards to hair and shedding.
And in it the doctor was saying that it is not uncommon to go through a big shed when the hair follicles get the signal to start growing because they automatically start shedding the old hair in order to make room for new and healthier growth. This signal can be caused by change in regular routine (ie. chemical content or sudden lack of them) and that the only way you can tell if it is a truly unhealthy shed is if bald spots appear.

So if you do see thinning balding spots appear along with the shedding, that’s not a good news.

[Armelle]

I lost clumps of hair due to a certain medication. Taking anything new?
Now, I hardly shed at all (noticably). I have tried improving my diet and started taking vitamins.
Major hair loss is a horrible thing. HTH. :)

[HannahDelicious]

Yikes, I just recently stopped having hair loss problems (because my scalp decided to go crazy). Here is a good way to know: if areas on your scalp are noticeably thinning, it's a problem. I totally had to go to the doctor.

Anyway, I hope it's nothing that bad. I think stress contributed to my problem, so reducing your stress level may help if you are shedding more than your norm.:)

[CarpeDM]

I had a major hair fall out last year and yes I freaked out. It can be really scary watching your hair fall out A LOT each day. Mine continued for a couple of months but thankfully it stopped and I had a bunch of new hair come in. Not only did I have a lot of new hair come in but it was thicker, so don't despair, it could be just a phase, but definitely try to de-stress yourself as much as you can. Stress is bad!