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Periwinkle
July 14th, 2008, 02:07 PM
When I braid my hair, some of it gets tangled round my fingers. When I reach the end of the braid and pull my hand away, it feels like a huge wad of hair is coming out with it.

Could this just be ordinary shed hair? I only go through my hair with a wide comb or my fingers and I wash it twice a week at the most, and it's up or braided all day every day, so are these most likely normal shed hairs that just aren't leaving my head?

Or is my hair falling out in clumps?! :disgust:

dorothea-brooke
July 14th, 2008, 02:40 PM
I sure hope it's normal shedding, cause it sounds exactly like what happens to me! :lol:

One of the hardest things I've had to come to accept about my new hair-care routines -- i.e., much less washing and brushing than in the past -- is that when I do wash and brush I get big clumps of hair coming out. I'm quite sure that it's just the normal "daily" shed that would have, in the past, come out with daily poo-ing. But because it's only every few days (and the hairs are themselves a lot longer) it can feel like a lot.

That said, if you notice any thinning or are really concerned about it, do check with your doc, as per standard LHC advice!

yours in weird clumps of hair in her hands,
dorothea

lady_hero
July 14th, 2008, 02:42 PM
I'm sure it is. My hair sheds way more in the summer. This too shall pass... :)

MsBubbles
July 14th, 2008, 04:42 PM
Same thing happens to me, which has scared me away from braiding my hair unless it's already in a pony tail: the theory behind that one being that when I tug on it, it shouldn't get tugged out of my head :).

MissHair
July 14th, 2008, 05:01 PM
Ive been shedding clumps lately.. Lots of it and big too.. My shower drain is like black from all the hair.. Its as pig as my palm when I lift the clumps up.. Ive wondered about this.. I havent changed my routines.. I feel like Ive lost half of my hair in the matter of 3 weeks.. Maybe its summer.. I have no idea.. One thing Ive noticed is that I shed ALOT after I take out a braid, or bomb through uneven hair thats been in a updo or braid.

heidi w.
July 14th, 2008, 05:10 PM
I detangle my hair thoroughly before braiding and I braid nearly daily. I also use the comb on my length as I proceed in braiding to organize the 3 strands. You see, it's pretty normal for hairs to criss-cross in the braiding process, but rather constantly picking up the comb and kinda sorting it out a bit as you proceed is helpful.

It's normal to maybe have a hair or so fall out, but clumps? If it's truly chunks and clumps, time to visit the doctor and at least check for thyroid.

How many years have you been growing? It could also be a bigger shed is going on in prep for a rest phase, followed by a big new hair growth spurt!

After a fresh hair wash, I may have a few more hairs than my daily few strands, though.

When I braid I begin blind on the backside, and then draw the length around in front of me after several weaves, and this makes it easier to comb through to keep things organized as I proceed.

One more idea:
Do not braid tightly, neither pulling on the scalp itself nor braiding the weave overly tight. These can contribute to some increase in shedding if done on a regular basis. This includes that you might be doing ok on the pulling tightness of the hair at the scalp or even weaving, but once you stick it in an updo (if you coil the braid into an updo), now we have pulling. Just something to think about.

heidi w.

heidi w.
July 14th, 2008, 05:12 PM
Ive been shedding clumps lately.. Lots of it and big too.. My shower drain is like black from all the hair.. Its as pig as my palm when I lift the clumps up.. Ive wondered about this.. I havent changed my routines.. I feel like Ive lost half of my hair in the matter of 3 weeks.. Maybe its summer.. I have no idea.. One thing Ive noticed is that I shed ALOT after I take out a braid, or bomb through uneven hair thats been in a updo or braid.

Go see a doctor and have a blood screen for the two types of thyroid. Palm full of hair in 3 weeks, and this sudden change is a possible sign of thyroid issues.

I have no idea what you mean by "bomb through" uneven hair that's.... what does bomb through mean?

heidi w.

mommy2one05
July 14th, 2008, 05:29 PM
Go see a doctor and have a blood screen for the two types of thyroid. Palm full of hair in 3 weeks, and this sudden change is a possible sign of thyroid issues.

I have no idea what you mean by "bomb through" uneven hair that's.... what does bomb through mean?

heidi w.



I am guessing she meant comb through .... not bomb through....probably a typo.
You braid every day? I have been braiding more often now that it is so hot and my hair is waist length and I was worried it would keep my hair from growing longer , but seeing someone with LONG hair say they braid nearly every day encourages me.

Cinnamon.locks
July 14th, 2008, 05:40 PM
Same thing happens to me when ever i brush before bed and braid, i also hope it's normal shedding, but since i do bruh every morning and night before braiding i'm not sure it's only that, maybe i'm breaking some hair while i brush? but i usually pull any lose hairs from the ends before braiding just to make sure no tangles will happen.

socks
July 14th, 2008, 08:10 PM
It's completely normal to find some loose hairs while braiding, especially if you comb or fingercomb rather than brush your hair. These are just the few hairs that have come loose since the last time you brushed, washed, or braided your hair and you find them because you're moving your hair around. I am so used to finding loose hairs when I braid that when I come to the end of the braid, I automatically pull out the loose hairs that protrude beyond the end of the tassel. Be careful if you start getting into this habit, too, though, because I sometimes accidentally pull out a hair or two that is longer than the rest of my hair rather than just loose when I get rid of the loose hairs. :doh:

aprilmay
July 14th, 2008, 08:56 PM
hot summer! I am appreciating any type of relief available. My hair falls out/sheds year round and I still seem to have gobs of it.

Rzilynt
July 15th, 2008, 01:57 PM
I understand that normal shedding could be 100 hairs per day. I have not had any shedding that I was contious of until I did a fad diet and now I can't get it to slow down. I could be near the end of one of my hair growth cycles and that could be why too?

Another member advised me to get my health checked to make certain there were not any external issues as well. Some have reported of having good results of taming the shedding by taking garlic and by using a product that has Garlic in it. One that was recommended was Alter Ego...I am going to give it a whirl to see if I can taper this. The products do not have a garlic scent...so no stinky hair...:twocents:

RZ~

thankyousir74
July 15th, 2008, 02:07 PM
I was wondering, if we shed so many hairs each day(normally 100), how does the majority of our hair maintain its length and certain ones stay in our follicles for several years? and how does one keep all hairs that length? Is it just the sheer amount of hair follicles we have on our hair?

I don't mean to take this thread in another direction, its just that all this reading about shedding piqued my curiosity.

Honey39
July 15th, 2008, 02:15 PM
I was wondering, if we shed so many hairs each day(normally 100), how does the majority of our hair maintain its length and certain ones stay in our follicles for several years? and how does one keep all hairs that length? Is it just the sheer amount of hair follicles we have on our hair?

I don't mean to take this thread in another direction, its just that all this reading about shedding piqued my curiosity.

I've wondered that too - I think it's the sheer number of hairs that we have. Also, I am learning to embrace my FRIZZ, because actually it's all the new growth.

I had a massive shed about two years ago (when I was 36), and it freaked me out. Apparently though, it's common to have a shed at that age (read that here!). But i thought it would never ever stop and I would go bald. But now my hair is thicker than ever, just with loads and loads of new growth.

Anyway, we are meant to shed hair, so I try never to fret. The thing that helped me in my three month massive shed was to never ever tug at it (because I kept pulling my hands through my hair to see how much hair came out!). And also to ignore it, that really helped too.

But when it stopped, yeah, now I can see it was a massive shed. For the last few years, I lose just a few hairs each day. But I think your hair can lose a lot without thinning, because I was losing handfuls each day every day for three months, and my hair only thinned to about 3/4 of its normal amount. We have a lot more hair than we think!!!!