can sebum cause hair loss?

[brushxD]

Ok so, i used to wash every other day but i am trying to stretch my washes to 2 in a week because my hair got longer and a little dryer. i am on my 3rd day of not washing with anything. no water, conditioner or anything. just natural sebum. my question is, can sebum really cause hair follicles to get clogged? will not washing for one week do damage to my hair follicles? thanks for any help

[misspixie]

I am currently experiencing the same thing and I think the answer is yes. I've noticed that whenever I go a few days without washing my hair, I lose 3 times as much hair in the shower compared to whenever I was washing everyday. Maybe for some people it causes hair loss (like myself) and others it doesn't affect at all.

[brushxD]

also if it makes any difference the top of my scalp is hurting when i move my hair

[dulce]

It causes more shedding for me so I wash daily.

[melusine963]

It hasn't increased the rate at which I shed, but I find that by stretching to washing only once a week I lose all the hair in one go that I previously lost over the couse of several washes. So I'm happy with my new routine.

[HintOfMint]

also if it makes any difference the top of my scalp is hurting when i move my hair

If that's the case, then I would suggest at least rinsing more often if not outright washing. Your scalp is clearly not having a good reaction to the excess sebum and possibly more bacteria than your scalp is used to.

[pepperminttea]

Stretch your washes slowly, your scalp needs time to adjust. If you wash your hair every second day, try doing it every third day. When your scalp's adjusted, go every fourth day, wait for it to adjust again, and so on. Don't hurry it. :)

[Allychan]

Can sebum cause hair loss? Yes. Bacteria, fungas and blocked follicles are all a result of excess sebum. Brushing, massage and a good cleanse with favourite herbal rinse if you don't use shampoo can all help.

[Buffy]

I've noticed this too! I think there is some truth to it! It makes sense if you think about it! If youleave your face unwashed for 3-4 days won't your pores be clogged? I think it's the same principle! That's why many girls wash with water and massage their scalp between washes.

I used to wash my hair every other day(4 times a week). Then i tried to stretch it , but i noticed a lot of shedding! Still, by slowly stretching the time between washes, i've managed to make it to 2 times a week, 3 tops. If i leave it unwashed longer than that, i shed like crazy and my scarp feels more sensitive and itchy! I guess that if you are patient your scalp will adjust somehow, but i don't wanna lose half of my hair in the process! 2-3 times a week is perfectly fine

[Avital88]

If that's the case, then I would suggest at least rinsing more often if not outright washing. Your scalp is clearly not having a good reaction to the excess sebum and possibly more bacteria than your scalp is used to.

Oh thanks a lot for this, today im on my 6th day and im experiencing this 'pain',so i really should wash my hair, i also noticed some loose hairs in my braidtassle.
No more dirty hair for me, i also noticed if i wash my hair twice a week instead of every 5 or more days i dont have an itchy scalp or get pimples on my scalp/hairline ..

[Chetanlaiho]

Well the thing is, if you only wash your hair every three days, the hairs that would normally come out during your other two washes, are now all combined in the one shower, making it look like a lot more.

I'm experiencing the opposite, my shedding seems less but since I'm washing twice a week now, it's probably the same if not more :/

[Mina17]

I've noticed this too! I think there is some truth to it! It makes sense if you think about it! If youleave your face unwashed for 3-4 days won't your pores be clogged? I think it's the same principle! That's why many girls wash with water and massage their scalp between washes.

I used to wash my hair every other day(4 times a week). Then i tried to stretch it , but i noticed a lot of shedding! Still, by slowly stretching the time between washes, i've managed to make it to 2 times a week, 3 tops. If i leave it unwashed longer than that, i shed like crazy and my scarp feels more sensitive and itchy! I guess that if you are patient your scalp will adjust somehow, but i don't wanna lose half of my hair in the process! 2-3 times a week is perfectly fine

Exactly! Well put!

[roundforest]

"If youleave your face unwashed for 3-4 days won't your pores be clogged?"

I think this is a thing that varies from person to person. It took me a long time to realise it, but my skin demands to be left totally alone. Even now at the age of 42, spots spring up if I start using soap, moisturiser or cleansers on my face.

I don't seem to shed any extra even if I leave my hair unwashed for a week, but I never have washed daily, even in my youth.

[bumblebums]

You shed a lot of hair when you shampoo. I am not saying shampooing causes shedding--but it encourages hairs that are ready to fall out to do so. They disappear in the drain, and you may not even notice how much of your hair is falling out when you shampoo.

When you skip a few days, the hair stays on your head, especially if you wear it up. So you simply notice the shed hairs when otherwise you might not have.

As far as the achey scalp goes, there are a few threads about that--it could be a mild infection, or it could be something else. I wouldn't worry about it unless it persists even after washing.

And I agree with the others about giving your scalp time to adjust. If you just stop washing cold-turkey, neither your scalp nor your friends and relatives are going to love it.

[Madora]

I've never had any hair loss because of sebum. My hair is brushed daily (100 strokes) with my bbb.

It's important that the hair follicles be exercised regularly and the scalp kept clean (shampooing when the hair needs it).

I shampoo once a month and my hair loss is minimal. Some of the hair loss can be attributed to the way you manipulate your fingers through your tresses during the entire shampooing/conditioning procedures.

[ktani]

Not necessarily, according to this 2006 study.
http://www.mendeley.com/research/female-pattern-hair-loss-sebum-excretion-endorgan-response-androgens/
"CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that sebum excretion is not elevated in women with female pattern hair loss. This may indicate that different androgen-response pathways operate in controlling hair growth and sebum excretion. The alternative explanation is that nonandrogenic mechanisms are involved in mediating hair loss in some women."

[Amber_Maiden]

I don't think so. I don't think it would cause hair loss- it's good for your hair!

[Amber_Maiden]

Not necessarily, according to this 2006 study.
http://www.mendeley.com/research/female-pattern-hair-loss-sebum-excretion-endorgan-response-androgens/
"CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that sebum excretion is not elevated in women with female pattern hair loss. This may indicate that different androgen-response pathways operate in controlling hair growth and sebum excretion. The alternative explanation is that nonandrogenic mechanisms are involved in mediating hair loss in some women."

Good link ktani!

[ktani]

Good link ktani!

Thanks.

Sebum may clog pores for some people. However, it is easily removed with shampoo. As for more hair loss in 3 days versus every day I agree, it is hair that would have shed earlier added up.

Any time you manipulate the scalp, you loosen hairs about to shed, so, they shed. And it is no coincidence that at the 3 day mark, there was 3 x more hair shed. That sounds right to me.

Brushing can loosen more hair about to shed than a comb. It is healthy to shed hair. It means healthy hair is going through its natural cycle.
If hair did not shed, I would be just as concerned as if too much hair was shed.

It is considered "normal" to shed anywhere from 75 to 150 hairs per day. I understand people here are very concerened with hair growth and shedding. Shedding is necessary for new growth and a healthy scalp.

[Bedhead]

Coming from someone who when using water only (without then with filtered water) washed every ten days to two weeks, and as of tomorrow have not washed for 4 four weeks, I'd say no. Yesterday, I lost a total of around 10 hairs. When I was washing with shampoo every other day, I was loosing upward toward 250 hairs a day (one of the reasons I'm on this journey) and water only released on averge 25 to 30 hairs a day. All situations warranted me to massage and manipulate my scalp. The only difference was the use of the crappy water that comes out of my tap, and I noticed some shampoos were worse for hair loss as well (I tried them all).

As for the ouchies on your head, a good massage will take care of that and you'll be good to go the next day.

When stretching out your washes, don't just decide to do it. Increase by a day at a time, and each time you do it, make sure your hair isn't excessively oily by the last day between your washes (your scalp needs time to realise the sebum isn't being stripped as often anymore). And for the days you don't wash, scritch (lightly scratch the scalp with either a comb or your nails), massage your head, and brush your hair with a good quality brush like a bbb or a wooden comb. Do all this and you'll be good.

[ktani]

International Society Of Hair Restoration Surgery
http://www.ishrs.org/articles/temporary-hair-loss.htm

Read 2nd paragraph.

[nobeltonya]

I find that my hair looks and feels much better if I wash every day. I have to oil every night so I can wash in the morning. And I use conditioner and leave-in, as well. If I don't wash, even for a day, my scalp [and face] get REALLY oily and gross, I have dandruff [don't generally], my hair actually feels drier, looks limp and dull, and I can't comb it at all.. it tangles more. But my hair seems to be on the coarse side, so it withstands my washing with hotter water, combing wet, wearing it down for most of the day, putting it up into various 'dos through the day, etc. It's not colored, processed or anything. Just good genes, I guess. :)

[Annalouise]

I lose more hair when I don't wash my hair often. Washing my scalp daily is how I stopped my hair from falling out.

[heidi w.]

Hopefully people will not mind my input.

One can lose more hair the longer they go between hair washing, whether scalp washing or full hair washing.

Here's why. It's NOT that sebum itself is clogging the pores and causing an increase in loss. It has to do with what we call the "acid mantle" which is essentially the basic health of the skin itself, a combination of sweat and sebum that create a slightly acidic barrier film protecting against bacteria.

Sebum is produced to coat the skin for protection and health. All of our skin has sebum on it. Arms, legs, head, face. The sebum is there to capture dirt and some of the sloughed dead skin cells. This is there to prevent dirt from getting in to pores.

I'm going to keep this fairly simple so that everyone can walk away with a fairly clear understanding.

Skin itself has bacteria on it, some of it actually good for us. When the sebum becomes too built up, it doesn't clog the pores per se. It's the ramp up in bacteria that causes a bit of a problem. The bacteria goes into action essentially kind of gobbling up sebum, and it's the bacteria that can get into a hair follicle and release earlier than supposed to an otherwise perfectly healthy hair strand. So if you're trying to push the timeline of hair washes, one can notice and experience an increase in shedding as sebum really builds up. This is a very simplified explanation.

I used to go great lengths of time between hair washing, and I noticed the increase in hair shedding. I need to wash at least around once a week. I happen to have an overproduction of sebum known as Seborrheic Dermatitus (S.D.). I have to use certain shampoos to help the problem. S.D. is somewhat related to dandruff, and is apparently a very nasty form of Dandruff.

I have to wash my hair on a fairly regular schedule. In the winter I can go longer between hair washes, up to a week give or take. In humid summer, I can't go so long.

Sebum is a necessary part of skin health.

http://www.doctorgoodskin.com/skincare/acidmantle/what.php

I recommend reading this well all the way through because you'll learn that stripping the skin of the acid mantle is not the best idea. Shampoos and conditioners can do this. It's just stuff to know when it comes to hair care.

I hope this helps. There's lots of info on the internet regarding the Acid Mantle. It's also the reason we become interested in pH.

heidi w.

[Darkhorse1]

No, you aren't shedding more, you are just noticing it more because your hair won't shed as much if you aren't washing. I read this in an article somewhere when a hair dresser was confronted with this and said if you stretch washings, you will notice more hair than if you wash daily. I have noticed this too for myself.

We shed up to 100 hairs daily, so if you actually took the hairs you shed and counted them, I bet it would be far less than what you would think. When I did this and suspected I'd shed 100 hairs, it was in fact, 20. :D

[lapushka]

It hasn't increased the rate at which I shed, but I find that by stretching to washing only once a week I lose all the hair in one go that I previously lost over the couse of several washes. So I'm happy with my new routine.


Well the thing is, if you only wash your hair every three days, the hairs that would normally come out during your other two washes, are now all combined in the one shower, making it look like a lot more.

I'm experiencing the opposite, my shedding seems less but since I'm washing twice a week now, it's probably the same if not more :/

This. ^^

I went 2 weeks without having my hair washed at one particular time, for a prolonged amount of time, while my normal washing schedule was twice every week. Yuck describes it best. Just... yuck. I didn't notice any increased shed. The only thing that came alive was a bout of SD.

[Ann Marie]

I am confused...

I don't understand why it is good to "stretch" the washings.
I understand people have different scalps etc. And climate also plays a role.
But why not wash every day? Or every other day?:confused:

I had waist length hair in high school and I used to bleach it...so it was damaged on the ends.
But I would wait 3 days and it was horrible! Scalp was itchy...and probably stinky also!:( ends were still dry...

How can you keep your scalp clean after 5 days?

Not trying to be negative...just seems like there is quite a bit of "suffering" with these stretches! :)

[Hollyfire3]

Also remeber. when you don't wash your hair for days, you loose all the hair you would have lost during daily washing at once, this makes it look like so much more hair is being lost when in reality it is the same amount you would loose if you wash every day. I learned this from experience, it still does freak me out to see so much hair sometimes. This thread has got me thinking, maybe i am wrong, maybe sebum does cause hair loss?

[ktani]

I am confused...

I don't understand why it is good to "stretch" the washings.
I understand people have different scalps etc. And climate also plays a role.
But why not wash every day? Or every other day?:confused:

I had waist length hair in high school and I used to bleach it...so it was damaged on the ends.
But I would wait 3 days and it was horrible! Scalp was itchy...and probably stinky also!:( ends were still dry...

How can you keep your scalp clean after 5 days?

Not trying to be negative...just seems like there is quite a bit of "suffering" with these stretches! :)

For some people that is enough. I have read that to keep the scalp healthy it needs to be washed twice a week minimum.

That has not proved to be true for many. Many people overwash their hair and scalp. The scalp does not need to be washed daily for most people.

However, for some people whose scalp produces a lot of oil, that is necessary for appearance sake, and comfort.

[dwell_in_safety]

That's interesting. I would say that I shed significantly less since stretching washes to twice a week, only once a week if with anything other than water.

[Madora]

I am confused...

I don't understand why it is good to "stretch" the washings.
I understand people have different scalps etc. And climate also plays a role.
But why not wash every day? Or every other day?:confused:

I had waist length hair in high school and I used to bleach it...so it was damaged on the ends.
But I would wait 3 days and it was horrible! Scalp was itchy...and probably stinky also!:( ends were still dry...

How can you keep your scalp clean after 5 days?

Not trying to be negative...just seems like there is quite a bit of "suffering" with these stretches! :)

Frequent washing, over time, will strip your hair of it's natural oil, leaving the hair dry and lifeless, like straw (unless you put something on it to restore what was lost with the washing).

Stretching your washes can be helped by using a fresh, clean brush every day.

Stretching washes doesn't need to be difficult...you just have to be patient and see how your scalp responds to it. Washing your hair once a week is fine. People with oily hair would probably need to wash more frequently..not to mention folks who live in dirty or dusty areas or where the pollution is bad.

[serin blackwood]

I am confused...

I don't understand why it is good to "stretch" the washings.
I understand people have different scalps etc. And climate also plays a role.
But why not wash every day? Or every other day?:confused:

I had waist length hair in high school and I used to bleach it...so it was damaged on the ends.
But I would wait 3 days and it was horrible! Scalp was itchy...and probably stinky also!:( ends were still dry...

How can you keep your scalp clean after 5 days?

Not trying to be negative...just seems like there is quite a bit of "suffering" with these stretches! :)

Some other reasons people want to stretch washes are to train their scalp to produce less oil so that they are not "locked" into such frequent washes, where the hair is unbearably greasy by the second day, third day etc.
There was a recent thread where some were bemoaning how bad their hair looked by the same evening after a morning wash!!! Personally, I would do anything to try to get out of that syndrome...
Some people's hair takes a very long time to dry, as well, so for these reasons as well as what Madora stated, are why people are willing to go through transition phases to stretch washes.

[bedazzlecat]

I have an oily scalp, and any more than two or three days between washes causes itching, irritation, blisters, and dandruff. I do notice additional shedding even when brushing oily hair. But water washing between shampoos (conditioning the ends) helps a lot. Water also helps my hair behave, because even with oiling or sebum, I live in a dry climate and oils can only do so much.

[Darkhorse1]

My scalp is naturally oily and prone to dandruff, so I wash every other day. I also work with horses, so I wear a lot of hats and am in dirty environments. Stretching washes past 2 days just isn't a possibility for me due to the smell ;) And my scalp gets wayyy too itchy and irritated.

[brushxD]

Well i actually like the appearence of oily hair on me. it looks better and feels better for some reason, so i am not too bothered by excess oils. thanks for all of the information everyone. :)