Shedding short hairs:(

[Nice1]

Hi. I'm new to the site and just wanted to ask people some questions about what has been going on with my hair lately. Last May I noticed that I had been shedding more hair than normal and it kinda of freaked me out, I was shedding probably close to 150 to 180. I had decided to leave it be until July when I noticed in my shed there were short hairs about an inch long that I had never noticed before and there were quite a few of them. I made the mistake of googling it and almost everything online said that my hair was thinning and those short hairs were from dying follicles. For the last six months I have not gone a day without worrying about my hair constantly. Finally in December my shedding went back to normal, there were still short hairs but I noticed that most of them were getting longer. They went to maybe being an average of 3 inches with some hairs still a little shorter. I'm 23 and I have been pretty stressed out lately and I have put on some weight really fast from poor eating habits and I'm figuring all of that contributed to the initial shed but I can't figure out those dumb short hairs:( I don't want to believe its from genetic thinning, my part has not gotten wider at all and my hair is still the same thickness from what I can tell. Sorry for the long post, I guess all I really want to know is if anyone has been though this and if their hair is still okay? I'm so freaked out. I'm hoping my bad hairs are just cycling out and making room for new good ones but I'm just not sure.:confused:

[amantha]

I don't have any advice, but I'm keeping an eye on this thread because I started one on the exact same subject a few days ago and I'm still confused about it. :confused:

[ClassicalBlonde]

Hello and welcome :)

I have a similar problem but I've had it for as long as I can remember. I lose little hairs all over and they're between 1 to 4 inches long. I have reasonably thick hair and I've never noticed any thinning so it isn't so bad. It is normal to shed if your diet is not up to scratch or if you are stressed out. I had a shed when I first started university.

I don't know why it is the little hairs that fall out as much as the long hairs. I've just assumed that those follicles have a shorter cycle than the rest of them. It can be really irritating though because the cycle is always repeating so I get little hairs poking out down the entire length of my hair. I know they are just baby hairs and they're healthy but they make my hair look damaged :mad: I feel your pain! Keep us posted!

[MonaLisa]

Are you SURE it is not breakage?
How do you style your hair? do you brush it? How do you dry it? Which products you use?

[SilverDoe]

I had the same issue when I wasn't eating right & lost a dramatic amount of weight quickly,
or in periods of stress & hormonal imbalances that also go with dramatic weight gain/loss.
I really doubt it's the follicle dying, don't worry about that right now.

It could also be breakage from how you are treating your hair, or reduced strength from your diet.

My advice is to basically start eating right, take hair supplements & do what you can to reduce your stress levels.
If you still have this issue a couple months from now, you might want to get checked out for thyroid issues & such.
Almost all of us go through this at some point.

[kitten1986]

I lost 14kg quickly over afew months, went through some immense stress and got telogen effluvium as a result last year. I was losing SOOOO much hair and I noticed heaps of shorter ones in there with a definite root and tip so it was definitely not breakage.

Now it has all settled down I still lose short hairs but I have figure it out! they are the baby hairs from the nape of my neck and around the edges of my face and they never get past a few inches anyway. So maybe this is the case for you too?

[Gothchiq]

If you can afford it/have insurance, I would go to the doctor and have a physical examination with blood workup, and I would mention the hair loss. Anemia, hypothyroidism, and other conditions like that can make you lose hair.

[curlytiff27]

I agree...go to the docs and get some blood work. Take it from me...I know. I was always in denial because I FELT fine that I had anythign wrong. I had a baby in August 2010, shed from that, then it straightened out. Then last summer I had some very stressful issues come up, issues with a co-worker, my dad was DX'd with leukemia (he's young still!) and the stress over all of it I figured was the cause of my shedding. Ha, I wish. I finally went in Nov for bloodwork. Found out I have hypothyroidism, low ferritin/iron, and low vitamin D. ALL of which can cause hair loss. After I started meds, it did get better, but then I stupidly stopped taking my MSM and slacked back on some of the meds, which made me a bit hypo again, and I have been shedding about 100/day for the last 2 weeks. Hoping it slows up soon. But please, do go and get blood work...just in case.

[Madora]

@Nice1...do you comb or brush your hair every day? If not, then maybe those shed hairs are just an accumulation of shed hairs that have been trapped in with the unshed strands.

If you do brush or comb your hair thoroughly every day, then I'm with the others who have suggested visiting your physician for a complete blood panel workup and a thyroid test. Anemia can do a real number on your hair.

Eating a healthy diet is vital for beautiful hair.

Hope you find a lasting solution for your shedding! Good luck!

[Nice1]

Thank you guys so much for your replies! It's so nice to have people respond and it not be all negative. I posted on a hair loss site and they were all quick to assume I was doomed and it really freaked me out! I do brush through my hair with my fingers everyday but I'm pretty sure it's not breakage because it has the tapered end to it. I know I haven't been as gentle as I should be with my hair though so I'm going to work on that. Also I'm trying to totally redo my diet so hopefully that will help, i never realized how important diet is for hair until now. I know I need to go get checked out at the doctor, it's just so expensive and I'm a broke from school but I'll try and go soon. I do have a family history of thyroid disorders though so that might make sense. I'll keep you guys posted on any progress, hopefully it is normal and I just never noticed it before my shed:) I really appreciate your posts, it's the first time in months I feel better about it.