is this normal?

[darkrose]

every day i have to pull out the lose hairs on my brushes, im losing way more than a 100 hairs a day. this all started when i was about 13 or 14 years old, so its been going on for about 2 years? i just took a shower, and i gently tugged my hair to get out excess water ( very gently) and loads came out! :( my shower also needs to be unblocked every month or so. i keep my hair up during the day, braids at night, oil twice daily, and only use boar brushes and tangle teezers. what am i doing wrong? a year ago mum was so upset by it she took me to the doctors who gave me and anti fungus shampoo, but my scalps clean now and the hairs still come out. its this normal? if not how can i stop this? and will this also affect how long/fast my hair will grow? also, a year before this started happening i pulled most of my hair out.... could that be the cause of it?
thanks for any advice.

[Elysium]

Seeing as you say you keep your hair up or braided all the time, it might seem like you're losing a lot more than you are. If your hair is braided, the hairs that would naturally fall out and fall on the floor or whatever, without you even noticing, will stay caught in the braid. Then when you undo the braid and brush it, it might seem like you're losing far more because it all comes loose at once. Just an idea, you don't seem to be doing anything that should cause shedding.
Hope it gets better :blossom:

[spidermom]

I know that it's normal to lose up to 100 hairs a day.

[Copasetic]

Does your hair look thinner than normal? If not, you shouldn't worry. I pull giant dreadlocks of hair out of my shower every few weeks. I don't worry about it because I still have a head of thick hair.

[IanB]

Yes, it's said that loosing round 100 hairs a day is normal, and when your hair is long, this can look like much more.

[Anje]

Are you losing thickness -- that is, is your circumference shrinking?

We tend to say up to 100 hairs/day is pretty normal. My personal thoughts (not to be construed as scientific fact) is that people with many hairs can expect to lose more than people with fewer hairs on their heads, with no overall impact on thickness.

I think a lot of people have thickness changes around puberty, but if you're definitely losing thickness, you should probably see a doctor to determine whether there's anything internally or nutritionally wrong with you. Anemia and thyroid problems are really classic ways to lose thickness, or it could be that you're either lacking a nutrient in your diet or not absorbing it properly.

[santie]

How often do you wash your hair? It may just seem that you're losing a ton of hair in the shower, but really, it may be a build up of shed hairs that accumulated from your last shower/hair brushing.

When you went to the doctor, did you get a blood test done to see if you're deficient in anything (i.e. your iron levels)?

[JuliaDancer]

A year before this started, you pulled your hair out? Do you mean you plucked your head? If so, you could have damaged the skin where the follicle comes out. I agree with the comments about hair that's up all day seeming like more. Also, try brushing your hair before going into the shower. I have to use a rubber filter thing over my drain that I clear the hair out of every time I shower to prevent my hair from clogging my drain, because mine would also clog the shower at least once a month. My hair is pretty thick and long, so it seems like I'm losing a lot of hair when it's just long thick strands.

[JellyBene]

Do you still have a lot of hair on your head or is it slowly thinning with all the hair that comes out? My little sister is the same way, when she removes the hair from her brush it looks like a hamburger patty from McDonalds, thats a lot of hair! But she also has plenty left on her head as she has a ton of hair..

[darkrose]

How often do you wash your hair? It may just seem that you're losing a ton of hair in the shower, but really, it may be a build up of shed hairs that accumulated from your last shower/hair brushing.

When you went to the doctor, did you get a blood test done to see if you're deficient in anything (i.e. your iron levels)?


i am deficient in iron, could that be causing it?

[Anje]

i am deficient in iron, could that be causing it?
Absolutely could be causing it. It's pretty standard for iron deficiencies to cause shedding, and a number of LHCers have struggled with it. I don't recall the level, but you need to get your ferritin levels up and keep them up.

What are you doing to correct that deficiency? (I don't recommend just randomly taking iron supplements. Iron's one of those things that really can be toxic if you do it wrong. Get a doctor to help monitor your levels and make recommendations.)

ETA: Ask Madora whether iron deficiency affects hair....

[Arianoor]

It could definitely be the iron.

My sister had a really big issue growing hair and keeping it for many years. Her problem was twofold. First, she naturally needs more protein than the "norm" so she had to work hard to get more into her diet against her taste. Secondly, the root of her hair was hook shaped instead of ball shaped, so with very little pulling her hair would fall out. She ended up with a team of specialists because it was such an unusual problem.

[santie]

i am deficient in iron, could that be causing it?

As mentioned above, it definitely could be the cause. When I was a child, my mother was concerned about my sudden hair loss, so I visited my doctor who confirmed that my iron levels were low. I was then prescribed supplements to get my iron levels back to par. I would recommend you visit your doctor for advice on supplements to take!

[AnnaJamila]

Loads of hair comes out of my head on a daily basis. You can try uping your iron, but if the only symptom you're noticing is the hair loss and not a difference in thickness I'd just look the other way so you don't worry too much about it! :)

ETA: If you're stressed I highly advise taking up walking, yoga, meditation or a combo of the three. That dramatically cut down on my stress levels, along with drinking only water, hot tea, 100% juice, and milk. Mostly plain old thirst quenching water! :)

[tinywife]

If you were stressed enough to want to pull your hair out, that could be making it fall out on its own.

[happybear]

This same thing happened to me around the same age, 13-14, after my first period. I had a huge massive shed that lasts for months and lost a good deal of thickness. I went to my doctor, and he laughed at me and said your body changes when you grow up and that my hormones must be out of whack but they would likely even out.

I never grew back that hair. And I still resent that doctor not taking it seriously. My hair has been stable since then, but it is painfully thin.

I don't know anyone else who's hair volume lessened during puberty like mine did, usually it is the opposite, it gets thicker or courser because childrens hair is usually naturally fine and thinner.

Go to your doctor and get yourself checked, monitor your iron, check your hormones. Don't let a doctor dismiss you.

[Madora]

Speaking from experience..of a very serious nature, by all means, get your blood checked for anemia..and your thyroid too, just to be on the safe side.

Long story short...Back in 2005 I was experiencing lots of hair loss. I thought it was old age. It was NOT. It was a very, very severe case of anemia. I didn't know I had anemia. Everything in my blood was very low and required an emergency overnight hospitalization and several transfusions.

I never, ever, got back the thickness I had before the anemia...and I had quite a thick head of hair! I now can see daylight between some of the strands of hair on my right side, plus I have 2 small bare patches up near my crown..all souvenirs of the anemia!

Please, get see your physician and be tested for anemia. It is nothing to fool around with!

[Madora]

Also, do NOT self-prescribe with Iron Supplements!! Seek advice from a qualified medical doctor!! You MIGHT need a certain amount of iron..PLUS perhaps Vit. D.

Overdoses of Iron can be harmful! Don't self medicate!

[terralerra]

I think u should treat ur hair nicely as much as u can ,no pulling severly or tighten it up harshly
becareful of your nutration