I haven't washed my hair in a week...

[SheeJee]

... and I just washed it today, and LOTS of my hair fell out :( Since I have 2c/2b hair I don't comb or brush it everyday, I either just fingercomb and leave it out, or tie it up in a bun/ponytail.

This is the first time I have stretched my hair wash so long, usually I wash my hair every 2 or 3 days. Is it normal to have so much hair falling out after not washing your hair for a week? It was over 100 strands that fell out, just in one wash... :(

[clarinette]

You just saw what 7 days of shedding looks like :D It's happened to me too; I think it's pretty normal.

[Kiwiwi]

Aww, don't be sad :-)
Yes, it's normal. You say you don't really brush/comb it much and wear it up often. This means that the hair that normally falls out during one day (100 a day is 'normal') can't get out. So after a week of that there will be a lot of hairs coming loose when you wash. But they have already fallen out each day, they just stay stuck in the rest of your hair :-)
So don't worry, no problem!

[MinderMutsig]

People on average shed about 100 strands a day. You haven't brushed your hair to remove them and your hair has curls so it holds on to most of those strands. During CO washing those hairs get some slip and fall out. That is 7x 100 strands average = 700 strands at once. That's enough to create your own pet if you had Frankenstein talents!

If you are one who sheds more than average and your hair is medium to long and you only wash once a week, you could easily lose a chihuahua sized hairball every wash.

[Diamondbell]

Actually no. I mean, if you do scalp massage every day without fail and also use the BBB you can still wash hair once a week and you won't experience this kind of shedding. This is what I do! It works :D

[clarinette]

Well, diamondbell, not to be argumentative here but if you use the BBB everyday, you shed the same amount of hair except it gets eliminated everyday by the BBB....and you don't see the hair in the shower, that's all!

[Diamondbell]

Well, diamondbell, not to be argumentative here but if you use the BBB everyday, you shed the same amount of hair except it gets eliminated everyday by the BBB....and you don't see the hair in the shower, that's all!

It doesn't necessarily work the same for all. I used to have shedding but now with BBB and scalp massage, shedding is only about 10 strands or so. I do collect all that is shed in shower too. Of course it sheds in the beginning when you do scalp massage but later it stops. Anyway that's my experience. :shrug:

[Sookie]

It happens to me too. Normal :)

[KwaveT]

I know that is normal but that would scare my like crazy if 700 hairs fell out in one wash. Again my hair gets too oily to wait that long between washes.

[slz]

I wash once a week and I get close to no shedding during shampoo : more than 2 or 3 strands of hair occasionnaly happens and it makes me freak out.
However, I do shed and get some breakage each time I comb, and I comb right before shampooing, and after to help drying. The very little handling I do during shampoo seems not enough to cause any shedding nor breakage - and that's how I want it.

[Night_Kitten]

Like others before me said, if you don't comb it or touch it much between washings and wear it up alot, than it's totally normal as most of your sheds get "stuck" in your hair and only come out during the wash.
If the ammount of hair you saw was less than x3 the ammount you usually see during a wash (assuming you usually wash 3 times a week), then you have nothing to worry about :)

[Quetiepi]

I can't go that long between washes. It's like the top of my head is sealed in a plastic bag from the oils. I get hot flashes now, and it is miserable not being able to vent the heat. My hair sheds all the time, every time I comb it. I clog up the vacuum worse than the cat does.

[Red Rapunzel]

You're used to washing your hair every 2 or 3 days, so your hair fallout has been distributed over your twice-to-three-times-per-week wash. Now you saw all your hair loss in just one wash! Yes, that seems normal to me, especially if your hair is long since just it takes fewer long hairs to look like a substantial loss. I only wash my hair once per week and usually there is quite a handful of hair to pick up off the shower floor. But low thyroid levels or stress can also play a role in your hair loss. Are you stressed out? When my stress level drastically improved, my hair loss diminished.

Would someone please tell me what "BBB" is? Thanks!

[MaryRose]

BBB is Boar Bristle Brush

[MrsGuther]

100 hairs for a weeks worth of shedding is perfectly normal from what I have read. Don't fret! :)