Sniff sniff---hair dresser noticed my shed :(

[Darkhorse1]

Well, I have to admit, I haven't been paying as much attention to my hair as I'd like given how my life has become rather crazy and busy. The heat and humidity is not my friend.

I noticed I was shedding more than usual, but just chalked it up to a big shed in the spring. Well, my hair dresser was brushing out my hair to trim today and said 'you've been shedding hair haven't you?" and I said 'how can you tell?" and she said 'it's thinner than last time" (I had a color in June)

Now, here's the thing---my hair, when it gets to about tailbone, gets thinner. I have no idea why. She trimmed an inch, and it's now feeling thicker/fuller. I have natural body to my hair, so I'm not sure if that's giving the illusion of thickness, but I'm usually about a 4 inch circumfrence and I'm about 3.75 now--about normal for me after a major shed.

So, my question to you all--do you know what can cause a shed to become more obvious? I have no balding and I am NOT complaining--I'm lucky to have as much hair as I do--it just made me heart sort of pound in worry.

I have been working out daily, but I'm not losing weight too fast, and am trying to eat healthier foods. Outside of that, I'm just wondering if this is just 'one of those things' that happens to hair that I can't really prevent.

While busy, I can't say I'm that stressed, but I was a bit worried at how much hair I was seeing after washing. I'd been using Head and Shoulders for dandruff and my dandruff/itchy scalp has been pretty good. So, I switched back to a clarifying shampoo and noticed a reduction in shedding, but I can't think H&S can cause shedding because i've been using it for awhile.

Thanks for listening! :)

[headtrip_honey]

Not entirely sure what you're asking - do you mean what makes it obvious to other people, or what worsens the shed?

I've been dealing with a constant hair shed for a little over a year - instigated by a medication, perpetuated by poor health and stress. No one in my family or any of my friends would have known anything was up if I didn't say anything. (And even then they say my hair looks normal)

Like you, I don't look like I'm balding; my part hasn't widened. I'm just shedding a lot. I also suspect I have seborrheic dermatitis, which doesn't help things.

My ponytail circumference is around 2.75", but I have no idea what it was pre-shed. I have very fine hair, and it's always been of normal to slightly thin thickness. I know my ponytail has gotten smaller, though, just based on how many times I need to wrap the hair tie around (4 times versus 3). Also, a barette I used to use and struggle to get my hair into now goes in without a fight. I also feel like, when wet, you can see a little more scalp than you used to.

My hairdresser was the only one to confirm my suspicion of the shed - when I got a cut in October or November last she confirmed that I was shedding massively. When I last saw her in June, she said it wasn't nearly as bad.

My hair issues stress me out constantly - to the point of panic attacks...which clearly doesn't help the situation. Since I found LHC a couple of weeks ago, I've been trying to treat my hair better - no more blowdrying, more gentle de-tangling when wet. I'm trying not to think about it, and just focusing on how lovely a lot of the ladies with i thickness hair look. It's helped a lot, surprisingly.

I do think hair sheds go in cycles. I had very little hair shed last week (about 5 every day in the shower, and some more when de-tangling/finger brushing it out). However, this week my hair is shedding a lot. More like 10 in the shower, and BUNCHES when de-tangling. I know it still doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm sensitive to any change now!

I'm just focusing on eating well, treating my hair gently, taking my multi-vitamins and supplements, and trying not to stress.

It's really all you can do. Hope that helps! I know what a crap situation this is to be in.

[Busybee]

Well, I have to admit, I haven't been paying as much attention to my hair as I'd like given how my life has become rather crazy and busy. The heat and humidity is not my friend.

I noticed I was shedding more than usual, but just chalked it up to a big shed in the spring. Well, my hair dresser was brushing out my hair to trim today and said 'you've been shedding hair haven't you?" and I said 'how can you tell?" and she said 'it's thinner than last time" (I had a color in June)

Now, here's the thing---my hair, when it gets to about tailbone, gets thinner. I have no idea why. She trimmed an inch, and it's now feeling thicker/fuller. I have natural body to my hair, so I'm not sure if that's giving the illusion of thickness, but I'm usually about a 4 inch circumfrence and I'm about 3.75 now--about normal for me after a major shed.

So, my question to you all--do you know what can cause a shed to become more obvious? I have no balding and I am NOT complaining--I'm lucky to have as much hair as I do--it just made me heart sort of pound in worry.

I have been working out daily, but I'm not losing weight too fast, and am trying to eat healthier foods. Outside of that, I'm just wondering if this is just 'one of those things' that happens to hair that I can't really prevent.

While busy, I can't say I'm that stressed, but I was a bit worried at how much hair I was seeing after washing. I'd been using Head and Shoulders for dandruff and my dandruff/itchy scalp has been pretty good. So, I switched back to a clarifying shampoo and noticed a reduction in shedding, but I can't think H&S can cause shedding because i've been using it for awhile.

Thanks for listening! :)

Can't answer why your particular shed is happening but to answer the question "what causes a shed to be more obvious" - IMO is the ability to see through your hair to your neck/shirt/or other layers that are slightly different in color - and the lack of volume....lankiness, for lack of a better word.

Other than the gobs that came out in the shower, it took seeing how many times MORE I was wrapping around my ponytail holder, than before, to notice the thinning.....that and when I did a French braid - the braid started to look more like a wimpy rat tail than a BRAID.

[Darkhorse1]

Thanks ladies--I guess I was surprised my hair dresser noticed because it's not that obvious. I have lost a ton of hair due to stress many years ago and even then, it was not apparent to the naked eye.

Perhaps it's just bringing up those old fears of losing your hair. Like I said, I am very grateful for what I have, but to have my hair dresser notice and I noticed when I was making a braid, that it looked rather ratty at the ends, but now it's trimmed an inch it looks much better.

I guess my question is what causes a shed to drop more hair than just a regular amount? That is what baffles me. Can it be weather induced? I was sick last week and noticed it actually slowed down my shed rate---so I'm wondering if my big shed was my body fighting the illness and the shed was leading up to that. Now that i've been sick, my shed hairs are few and far between

Thanks for listening!!!

[headtrip_honey]

I wouldn't be surprised to have a heavy shed after a sickness, but I've never heard of one before, although I suppose anything is possible. Like I said in my post, I was constantly sick (for about six months - I couldn't catch a break!) and my hair would not stop shedding even though I'd been off the offending medication that started it all for months.

[Darkhorse1]

headtrip---I'm so sorry about your illness! Are you better now? I've been on medication since I was 15, and often wondered if that was the culprit as I've changed meds throughout my life. However, I just got some new hair clips in the mail just now, and they don't seem to be holding a lot of hair, so I just wonder if my hair was appearing thin because I needed a trim.

Thank you ladies for lending me eyes to rest on :D

[headtrip_honey]

I'm better, thanks for asking.

Basically, the med I was on took a huge toll on my body, and for six months after I was off it, I got cold, cold, cold, pneumonia, cold, cold, stomach virus. It was never ending sick! Add to that the stress of planning a wedding (for this coming October), and no wonder my hair reacted badly.

My health is better, although I still get fatigue/run down. I'm trying to treat myself better and listen to my body.

When it comes to issues like this, unless you can pinpoint a specific trigger for hair loss (which you often can't), the only remedy is to take care of yourself, including your hair. Be gentle, eat good things, rest often. I'm not so good at that last bit. :)

[Cowgirl16]

I am sorry to hear you are shedding again my friend :grouphug: Could be all the things mentioned; the heat, humidity, stress, and medicatons? Have you been eating well? I'm like you though; how would a hairdresser be able to notice??

[Brianna]

Thanks ladies--I guess I was surprised my hair dresser noticed because it's not that obvious. I have lost a ton of hair due to stress many years ago and even then, it was not apparent to the naked eye.

I had a pretty massive shed back in 2004/05 when I moved to England. It lasted about a year before it finally went back to normal, but as I don't remember how thick my hair was before, I don't know how my circumference has changed since then.

In any case, when I got back to Norway and eventually made my way to a hairdresser, she immediately picked up on the fact that I'd been shedding a lot, too. She said she noticed because I had a lot of new growth. :)

[Cowgirl16]

She said she noticed because I had a lot of new growth. :)

That was positive! Thank heaven for new growth :cheese:

[spidermom]

I believe I'm on a cycle where more than the average number of hairs are shed at once. I assume it's natural that a number of my follicles would be on the same shed and regrow schedule. I'll go along for years with my usual amount of shedding, and then for no particular reason that I can put my finger on, suddenly there will be a pile of hair on the floor where I'm combing out my hair. A month later, I'll have a halo of new hairs.

[renarok]

I recently lost quite a bit of hair to a major shed and was so unhappy with the appearance of my ends I cut 5 inches off. I regret having such a drastic cut now because in retrospect I erased the natural taper that would have occurred which results in pretty fairy tale ends. I am now back to hip length, which on me is an awkward length. Oh well. I am a little concerned that I am not having as much new growth as normal. I know it is hormonal changes, as I have had this in the past. Damn old body.

[Darkhorse1]

renarock--I think you just made me realize that it may very well be hormonal---I'm in a mild peri-menopausal switch, and I know my hormones are doing some interesting things.

spidermom--I was wondering the same thing---it was more than my average shed, but the weird thing is, for my hair dresser to notice, I'd already been going through a major shed when I got my hair colored a few months ago, and she didn't notice--I always can tell my hair looks and feels thinner if I don't get it trimmed regularily--not sure why. After she took off an inch, I can totally see a difference in the thickness of my braid and the fullness of my hair. Weird.