Seasonal shedding anyone?

[Marymary]

What do you do if anything whilst this happens?

[Purple Ink]

If it is due to the arrival of autumn, maybe try taking vitamin D to compensate for the lack of sun? I feel like my autumn sheddings have greatly reduced since starting it. Apart from that, when I notice shedding I try to treat my hair as gently as possible (particularly when brushing) to avoid additionnal shedding and unnecessary breaking.
I don't really have a lot of tips because my shedding is mostly due to stress, but hang in there, if it is seasonal it should stop soon enough!

[floridaorchid]

I agree with Purple Ink. Maybe it's vitamin D related? I don't experience much of a season change, so I've never noticed. But I'm interested in coming back and reading others' experiences.

[timiddrake]

I shed a lot in the summer. I don't really do anything to try and lessen it. It's just how my hair has always been. Once the colder months roll around I hardly shed at all.

[Marymary]

Good reminder about vitamin D thank you. Although it happens every year it always causes anxiety.

[Marymary]

If it is due to the arrival of autumn, maybe try taking vitamin D to compensate for the lack of sun? I feel like my autumn sheddings have greatly reduced since starting it. Apart from that, when I notice shedding I try to treat my hair as gently as possible (particularly when brushing) to avoid additionnal shedding and unnecessary breaking.
I don't really have a lot of tips because my shedding is mostly due to stress, but hang in there, if it is seasonal it should stop soon enough!

That’s really interesting about the vitamin D would you say it reduced the duration or the amount of shedding or both maybe? Would you mind saying how much Vitamin D you take ? Thank you

[Ylva]

That’s really interesting about the vitamin D would you say it reduced the duration or the amount of shedding or both maybe? Would you mind saying how much Vitamin D you take ? Thank you

I'm not Purple Ink, but I've done quite a bit of reading into vitamin D myself, so I'll chime in.

It's safe to say that the "safe" levels of vit. D in the western world are WAY too low. What they instruct you to supplement as your daily maximum is nowhere near enough, especially in the winter. In reality, 10 000 IU (which is something like 10 times the recommended daily maximum...?) is a MAINTENANCE dose when your vitamin D levels are ALREADY stabilised, as in you are no longer deficient. From the Sun, you can get as much as 40 000 IU every day (UVB rays convert cholesterol into vitamin D, which is not actually a vitamin at all but a hormone involved in many processes in the body).

Me? In the sunniest summer months, I might not supplement at all, but in the winter, I take anywhere from 10 000 IU to 30 000 IU of D3 a day. When supplementing with vitamin D, it's important to also take K2, preferably as menaquinone-7 for best bioavailability, to optimise its functioning.

There is also a member here who found a false terminal at tailbone, but was able to grow longer after starting to supplement with vitamin D.

[Nefcerka]

Marymary:
I cannot cite a source, I don´t remember where I read it, but I read that hair grows better/faster in summer, warmer months (or at least stays longer in growing phase during summer) and an increased shedding in autumn/when the temperature lowers is natural - hair goes into telogen phase all of sudden. Not much that can be done about it. Other reason may be that hair is put under greater stress during summer - hot, dry weather, sea salt/chlorine exposure, sun damage, and the shed after summer is caused by the bad state of hair health overall.

Shedding during other months can have many reasons. Stress, nutritional deficiencies, infections, change of hair products, too much hair manipulation, repetitive hairstyles, pulling on roots by said hairstyles or other traction damage - wearing hats, beanies in winter, etc., also environmental factors - humidity, low temperatures, air pollution, etc. Some causes of hairfall may manifest themselves only after 3 or even more months - it is the usual period between e.g. an illness (influenza, covid, etc.) and actual shedding.

It is important to identify the cause of shedding if it bothers you that much and then choose a good remedy for that particular cause.

I would not suggest over-supplementation of anything. If you suspect you might be deficient in anything, be it vitamin D, zinc, selenium, iron, biotin, other vitamins or simply protein, you should consult your doctor, general practitioner first. Taking supplements without knowing if you need them at all and how much you actually need is really dangerous. If you are interested in vitamin D, you need to have your blood taken and levels checked. Then you need to consider where you live - do you get enough sun throughout the year or only in the summer months? (E.g. I live in a place where there is not enough sun rays to make any vitamin D from October to March, even if I went around naked all day...). And do you expose yourself to the sun without a sun protection for sufficient (but safe!) amount of time, according to your skin type?

Over-supplementation of vitamin D is toxic, potentially dangerous to the kidneys and can lead to hypercalcemia, kidney stones or even a life-threatening kidney failure directly (though this happens only in susceptible people or with a prolonged over-supplementation). As someone with a congenital kidney impaired function, I am very careful with the right doses of supplements of vitamin D, calcium and vitamin C.

I believe everyone or nearly everyone here experiences some level of seasonal shedding and it might not be only in autumn, but can happen also at other times of year (I notice it in late winter/early spring, for example). It is normal and not something that needs to be stressed about out (too much).

[Gwendolynn]

I just now started a big shed a week ago or so, I started to worry but then realised it might be an early autumn shed. I have those anually or sometimes even twice a year.
I don't really worry or anything, I just trust that my scalp is still healthy and happy and perhaps check a bit more often.

[Klalab]

When supplementing with vitamin D, it's important to also take K2, preferably as menaquinone-7 for best bioavailability, to optimise its functioning.

There is also a member here who found a false terminal at tailbone, but was able to grow longer after starting to supplement with vitamin D.

Thank you for the great information, do you possibly also know if there is a difference in taking the vitamin D and K2 seperately, or if you can also take a vitamin where both vitamins are inside of one pill? I've seen some from Doppelherz. Also do you take K2 in a liquid or solid form?