How much hair loss each day is normal?

[Martha]

Hi,

I've been reading the forum in order to learn more about how to maximize my hair's condition (and maybe improve its appearance as a result!).

Can you tell me how much hair loss is normal each day? I am trying to be very careful in handling my hair, using a wide-tooth comb, being gentle, etc, but still get some hair loss each day. I have always thought this was normal, but can anyone tell me more about what is "normal" and what is preventable?

Thanks so much!

[thankyousir74]

"Every person loses 40-100 hair per day. When it exceeds 120 it is considered abnormal. Generally, if you find more than 40 hair on your comb or on pillow or in the bathroom, your hair loss is more than normal."

quoted from this link (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080425091516AAqfdRQ)

[Curlsgirl]

Remember too that as your hair gets longer it will LOOK like more than it actually is. (reminds self of that daily) :D

[Euphony]

Remember too that as your hair gets longer it will LOOK like more than it actually is. (reminds self of that daily) :D
Yep! My husband has gotten to where he freaks out a little when he sees my huge plethora of shed hairs, but I'll pull on one, it unravels and took up half the comb :D

[NurseMama]

Isn't it true that the longer that it gets, the fewer hairs that are shed in a day? Gurus?

[Flaxen]

Isn't it true that the longer that it gets, the fewer hairs that are shed in a day? Gurus?
That's one of George Michael's theories, I believe. As naturally heavy shedder, I wish I could say it were true, but so far it isn't for me. :sad

[lawyermom]

Generally, if you find more than 40 hair on your comb or on pillow or in the bathroom, your hair loss is more than normal."
Really? I thought I was a big shedder; I comb my hair over the sink with a wood comb after the shower and I usually find around 10, 15 if it's a bad day. I was getting worried! Maybe I'm worrying needlessly. That'd be a nice surprise!

[Angellen]

I seem to get less hairs now than I did at shorter lengths, but that could be more to do with routine than anything else, really.

My shedding is fairly minimal, 10-15 hairs, 20+ on a bad day.

[Gumball]

I think the most I've found when I really sat down and counted was about 30. I'm sure I've lost more on occasional days, but that was a day I felt I was shedding something fierce. It really is a trip how a few longer hairs seem like a massive wad of "oh no!" I agree where around 100 is a pretty normal average, give or take a bit, but less is always preferred. With the sheer amount of hairs we have on our heads that's nothing much.

[Arctic]

Approximately 100 shed hairs per 24h is avarage. Personally I loose much less, and I have few weeks of the year when I shed more.

Remember to check that the hairs you see actually have bulp/ root in it, otherwise it might be broken hair.

[fowa]

different season has different situation, to me, I found hairs loss about 10~20 per day for summer, 10 even less for winter.

[Samikha]

A hundred is usually quoted as normal shed rate every day, but I think a lot of these must be shorter, or my house would be covered in hair.
40-100 (noticeable ones) sound more reasonable :) though granted I once counted, what was it, forty-five when combing thoroughly once. Freaky. I don't count anymore :eyebrows:

[toodramatik]

When i comb I lose a lot. It looks like a lot. I don't want to count, because if it really is a lot, I don't think I could live with overshedding AND split ends. I think I'd cry ;/

[VikingJarl]

What a relief! I was wondering about this very question yesterday! I feel a lot better now:-) I have counted maybe 25 or so after brushing, but that looks normal after all.

[burns_erin]

I think some of it probably has to do with how many hairs are on your head to start with. People with super thick hair probably shed more than people with super thin hair. I know I shed more on an average day than my sister who is a i.

[girlcat36]

I have thin hair and I shed way too much(even before the cancer). One day I lost 135 hairs in my comb :eek:. It was so depressing.
I have anemia, and some food allergy issues. I guess that has something to do with it.
Lately the shed has been bout 60 a day. Too much for fine thin-haired person.:rolleyes:

[NurseMama]

That's one of George Michael's theories, I believe. As naturally heavy shedder, I wish I could say it were true, but so far it isn't for me. :sad

Thanks for the info, I couldn't remember where I read it. It sounds like through scalp massage and heavy brushing with a BBB he believed that the erector pilli muscles would get stronger. I found an article here about building up those muscles if anyone is interested.

[Lady Godiva]

I have always distrusted and therefore disbelieved the 100-strands-per-day hair fallout average that I've heard all of my life. That amounts to 36,500 strands per year for each person! We'd be bald or have only very short hair if this were the case. I also can't believe that all of us here decided to grow our hair long because somehow inherently we knew our fallout rates were much lower, as if there were a natural connection between success and innate knowledge. I know for myself that I had no idea and believed the opposite for my hair, but what happened is my daily fallout turned out to be much lower than that. Maybe there is something to GM's idea that longer hair has stronger roots and root muscles. Hence, perhaps people who grow their hair long lower their daily fallout rate by growing their hair longer. Perhaps. It's a theory. :)

[girlcat36]

So I combed my hair(gently) with my seamless wide-toothed wooden comb this morning, and I shed 43 hairs in the process.

[Alethia]

I shed loads and always have. I tried counting, but once I hit 40 and there were still some left in my brush, I gave up. I use a BBB and always have. I've tried combing, but I really don't like the sound of hairs breaking when I do it, however careful I am. I sometimes don't comb or brush for a couple of days, but then the shedding is horrendous when I do finally brush and I have to clean my brush right after brushing because the bristles are nearly obscured by hair.

I think that anyone who has a lot of taper (as I do) probably sheds a fair bit whether they notice it or not. I have long hairs from the middle to the back of my scalp, but all the ones round the front and sides have a short life and they shed often. I have a lot of wispies, and they all have tapered virgin ends. I shed a lot but I grow fast - there has to be a pay off.

[Paniscus]

I have always had thick hair and have always been a big shedder, even as a child. Most of my childhood, my hair hovered around waistlength, so for me, GM's theory doesn't wash. I know I shed at least a 100 hairs a day or more. I've counted up to 50 before and stopped. And of course that's not counting all the hairs that went down the drain, or got stuck in my car or clung to my friends as we strolled in the park :frog:

It has always baffled me how I can shed as much as I do each day, and still have hair on my head. It also amazes me how some people say they only shed like 10 hairs a day! Amazing! I just have to keep reminding myself that shedding, for the most part, is a natural process that hair goes through and that for each hair that sheds, a new one takes its place. I think this is why my hair is frizzy: all of the baby hairs at various lengths sticking out.

Hmmm... I wonder, given that there are many variables for smooth hair, if people with smoother hair have less shedding?