How to deal with lots of loose hairs?

**solocricket** · January 13th, 2023, 09:06 AM

Hi, I'm a long-time lurker and (very) occasional poster.

I've never grown my hair out super long, but I do keep attempting it and this is a sensory problem I keep coming up against. When my hair gets sort of long and I wear it down, I go crazy with all the hairs that fall out and stick to my clothes and tickle me when I'm wearing short sleeves! I don't have a hair loss problem (hair thickness has definitely been consistent over the years while I've been bothered by this). How do long hairs wear sweaters?? Is it just something longhairs get used to? Will more brushing help get more hairs out at one time so that this doesn't happen as much? Do I just wear my hair up (which is already my preference lol)?

Thank you for any information on my silly problem

**0xalis** · January 13th, 2023, 09:32 AM

I started having this problem after my daughter was born, I was already very sensory overloaded but then I was also having a postpartum shed! I never really noticed shed hair before that. It was one of the reasons I ultimately gave up and shaved my head.

I recommend: lint rollers, they can catch hair of all lengths and get them off your clothes quickly! The sticky type works best for this but reusable ones also work. It can be harder to clean out the hair from a reusable one though so keep that in mind and maybe carry a small comb with it.

And if you have carpet I highly recommend a silicone carpet sweeper! My partner sheds like mad (she just has a lot of hair, it's super thick) and with my increase in shedding we were constantly dropping hair on the floor. I got SO tired of hair tangling around my feet!! This sweeper made it possible to quickly clean up the floors every day, just one quick sweep and my feet were finally free lol. So much better than trying to pick it up with hands or god forbid the poor vacuum!! I know you didn't say anything about this problem but I figured I would give you the info anyway, just for reference!

But also, yes and yes: brushing helps and so does just keeping your hair up!! Or braided. The fact that you wear your hair up most of the time may also be part of why the number of shed hairs is more dramatic. My partner's hair is almost always in a ponytail, So when she actually takes it down she has to brush and detangle and a giant clump of shed hairs comes out! When they're contained they just stay and wait for their chance to escape lol

**Hellebore** · January 13th, 2023, 09:33 AM

I found that if I comb my hair daily I find less pesky shed hairs everywhere and lose less shed hair in the shower. So if it's not a wash day I will comb with a wide tooth comb, then switch to a fine tooth side to redistribute the oils/remove shed hair. Then my hair goes up in a bun for most of the day.

So my advice would be yes, brush/comb more to remove shed hair, as long as you're not being rough and causing mechanical damage.

**GoatLady** · January 13th, 2023, 09:41 AM

Long, shed hairs are just part of having long hair. You'll find them in the most annoying places. I'm laughing thinking of some of the places they turned up. I don't brush my hair. Wide tooth comb, only, but I don't think brushing would alleviate the problem. We just never know when a hair will decide to let go and fall. Wearing your hair up might help hold those shed hairs in place until you comb, or wash, and free them. Unfortunately, there's no way to prevent the pesky things from falling out.

**lapis_lazuli** · January 13th, 2023, 12:32 PM

Yeah, it's just the reality of long hair. The only time my hair is down is to detangle and put it up and still the sheds that stick to my clothes (especially sweaters) and skin drive me insane. The worst is when I can feel it but can't find it.

When my hair was shorter and I wore it loose, I'd sometimes put it all over one shoulder so that it was limited to that area and not moving around as much. You could run your fingers through your hair every now and again to catch any shed hairs that are about to fall. Just be prepared to do something with them if you find them.

Braids are great too for containing shed when you don't want to wear it up.

**LongLocke** · January 13th, 2023, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

Yeah, it's just the reality of long hair. The only time my hair is down is to detangle and put it up and still the sheds that stick to my clothes (especially sweaters) and skin drive me insane. The worst is when I can feel it but can't find it.

My favorite fleece jacket is a magnet for sheds

**lapushka** · January 13th, 2023, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by solocricket

Hi, I'm a long-time lurker and (very) occasional poster.

I've never grown my hair out super long, but I do keep attempting it and this is a sensory problem I keep coming up against. When my hair gets sort of long and I wear it down, I go crazy with all the hairs that fall out and stick to my clothes and tickle me when I'm wearing short sleeves! I don't have a hair loss problem (hair thickness has definitely been consistent over the years while I've been bothered by this). How do long hairs wear sweaters?? Is it just something longhairs get used to? Will more brushing help get more hairs out at one time so that this doesn't happen as much? Do I just wear my hair up (which is already my preference lol)?

Thank you for any information on my silly problem

Most of us wear it up at beyond BSL, for sure.

**rosenester** · January 13th, 2023, 05:23 PM

I HATE the tickle of a loose hair on my bare arm. It drives me insane and I can do nothing else until I find it and remove it, and sometimes it takes a few seconds longer than I’d like to locate. Mostly, when the weather is warm and I have bare arms, my hair is up. Keeping it contained is the only way, as others have mentioned. Finding hairs on my clothing doesn’t bug me, I just oull them off and toss them. Also, feeling the hem of my hair brush my bare arm is completely different and welcomed.