Is this too much hair in the drain (pic included)

[Nbvoid97]

Im currently growing my hair long. I wash my hair every 3-4 days (shampoo and conditioner) It's currently shoulder length. It's very thick and wavy (2c-3a).

Recently I have noticed that the hair I find in my drain after a shower has increased. Pic below

http://imgur.com/H8hru0N


I take my time washing my hair. Around 30-40minutes. I spend a good 15minutes washing conditioner out. Is this too long? I'm thinking it could be because I'm tugging my hair a lot so it will fall out more. But I've always done this? This has only started to happen recently. I'm a male (20years old) if that makes any difference.
I don't oil my hair or use any heat products either although I do intend to start oiling it soon.

[lucid]

I would count the hairs, one by one (do not count broken strands). It is normal to shed up to 100 hairs a day in periods. But if this amount of shedding is something that has started recently, and if it doesn't subceed anytime soon, I would suggest visiting a doctor to find the reason for the excess shedding.

[Nbvoid97]

I would count the hairs, one by one (do not count broken strands). It is normal to shed up to 100 hairs a day in periods. But if this amount of shedding is something that has started recently, and if it doesn't subceed anytime soon, I would suggest visiting a doctor to find the reason for the excess shedding.

It has only really happened the last 2-3 washes. My hair doesn't shed a lot unless I wash it. I don't find any strands on pillows/clothes and my hair sheds a "normal" amount when i brush it. It could just be that my hair is getting longer so it would appear that it's shedding more. Not sure.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

Note well this is just my opinion and your mileage may vary.

I believe that is a lot of hair to loose during every wash.
Basically everyone has round about the same scalp size give or take a few centimetres. Spending 15 minutes over-stimulating the scalp in an attempt to clean will result in more hair shed as well as breakage. Which can be avoided. Depending on your hair length and type one would spend more time to condition and detangle.
What is your hair type and length?
Count the strands, as longer hair tends to look like more hair loss due to the extra length.

I have 3b hair and may only loose a maximum of 10 strands in the shower except during my autumn shed which would be more about 35 during the whole process of wash and style.

ETA: I see you have stated your length and hair type.

[BraidFreak]

I personally don't lose that much hair during my shower. If this isn't normal for you then there might be something wrong, have you considered going to the doctors and getting a blood test just to make sure everything is fine? If its stressing you out then you should just go and speak to a professional.

[Arctic]

It looks rather lot to me - but these things are very individual. Since it's recently incresed, keep an eye on it (and measure your ponytail to keep tabs on it). No need to run to the doctor right away, though, at least in my opinion. It could be just a normal spring shed that lasts few weeks, maybe you were sick 3-4 months ago and this shed is a temporary reaction to it, maybe you have, as new LHCer, been a bit more experimential with washing frequency, products, methods and you scalp doesn't like it.

If your scalp is healthy I would wait month or two before going to doctor, but that's just me. Naturally you can go see one right away. If you do, photos like these will be good to show them, and also tell them if your pony measurement has gotten less.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

Hi! I have noticed in another thread, you was enquiring about oils for hair. Sometimes applying oils to your scalp can cause excessive shedding. Have you been applying oil to your scalp?

[Kiiruna]

That does look like a lot of hair to lose in one wash. Have you had stress? Have you not been eating well?
On the other hand thick hair may seem to shed more because of the amount of strands is usually higher. Manipulating scalp might lead into more shedding because it's kind of pulling out hair that would shed pretty soon.
Do you feel well? If not, I'd go to the doctor. Otherwise I would monitor ponytail thickness for a few months.

[lapushka]

To me that's more than normal, meaning my "normal" for a week's worth of shed hair. But I detangle beforehand, and then about half of that amount comes out in the drain catcher thingy. Then after that I shed about half of your amount again detangling after my hair comes out of the towel, before styling. So all in all, for a *week* I lose 3 halves of your amount, and this is long hair, so it looks to be more than it is.

Yes, oiling (if you are oiling the scalp) can cause huge sheds - that means you can't tolerate it at all. I would stop doing that in that case.

Good luck to you. If it's not all that, I'd check with the doctor, if it doesn't ease up.
Mind you it *is* spring and that means some of us shed more!

[Anje]

To me, that looks like a large wad of hair. But I don't know how long your hair is -- longer hair means the same number of hairs makes a bigger blob. Also, your hair looks far coarser than mine, which makes it also look bigger and denser. Additionally, I tended to comb my straight-ish hair multiple times a day, so lots of sheds would be removed between washes; with your curly hair, I imagine that you probably detangle mostly during the wash with conditioner, so you probably get several days' worth of sheds all at once. That would also lead to a bigger wad of shed hair without any increased shedding.

Your washes sound long to me. When my hair was long (it's on hiatus right now), I'd say a shower with a hairwash would be about 15 minutes total, though I don't detangle during the wash. Thickness might make a difference, and I'm certain water pressure does.



I think the most telling thing, though, is that this seems like a lot more shedding to you, and that it's increased only for the last couple of washes. If it's more than normal, it's more than is normal for you.

Have you changed products (or have any of your products changed formulation?) recently? There could be a reaction to something in one of them.

Another possibility -- were you under a great deal of stress a while back, especially about 3 months ago? Many of us have noted that severe stress can trigger shedding, but there seems to be a roughly 3 month delay (which happens to also be the time that telogen is said to last).

Have you started or stopped any medications? Sometimes meds affect shedding. (Hormonal birth control doesn't seem likely to apply to you, but many people shed when they stop that or change brands.)

Finally, it could simply be a seasonal shed. Lots of people shed more than normal for a couple weeks in the spring and/or fall. For the moment, I'd say just to keep an eye on it. If it goes on for more than maybe a month, you might want to seek out a doctor to make sure nothing is wrong.