Hair often falls out in the shower because you stimulate your scalp when you shampoo or condition your hair. Your hairs that were already destined to fall out get the nudge they need from shampooing, and your hair comes off your head.
With that being said, if you notice that hair falling out in the shower has become excessive, there are a few causes you may want to keep in mind. The Cleveland Clinic shares that possible reasons for chronic hair loss include stress, hormonal changes, weight loss or diet, and medication.
You lose about 100 strands a day, so if you're not detangling but once a week, seeing ~600 strands of hair may be normal. HOWEVER, if you are detangling and have shedding that is not to your liking, then you may need a protein treatment to strengthen snapping strands.
If more than two or three hairs are left in your hand after each tug, you may be experiencing telogen or anagen effluvium. No more than 10 hairs per 100 strands being tugged should be coming out. You'll need a doctor to determine the cause.
Your hair wash routine actually helps release shedding hairs. While losing 100 strands a day in general is normal, you'll see an uptick if you go longer between washes and do little brushing or combing on non-wash days.
While this question truly depends on the nature of your hair and varies from every person, if you have thinning hair, try to wash your hair between 3-4 times a week if necessary; washing thinning hair just 3 to 4 times per week means doing so just about every other day.
At any given time, about 80-90% of your hair is growing and 10-15% is in a resting phase, where it doesn't grow or fall out. Every two or three months, the resting hairs shed, and new hairs grow in their place. So you could be losing between 150 and 200 hairs from your head per day.
It's normal to shed between 50 and 100 hairs a day. When the body sheds significantly more hairs every day, a person has excessive hair shedding. The medical term for this condition is telogen effluvium.
Physical or emotional stress may cause one half to three quarters of scalp hair to shed. This kind of hair loss is called telogen effluvium. Hair tends to come out in handfuls when you shampoo, comb, or run your hands through your hair. You may not notice this for weeks to months after the episode of stress.
If clumps come out when you shower or you notice thinning in just a few weeks or months, you're more likely dealing with another common condition called acute telogen effluvium, Piliang says. This rapid hair loss is basically a short-term ramping up of your hair's normal shedding process.
On average one loses 50-100 strands of hair a day. Losing more than that is not normal and you should consider seeing a hair loss specialist who can help you get to the root of the problem.
Your sudden shedding could be caused by telogen effluvium, a form of hair loss that is typically temporary and happens after a stressful or traumatic event, physical or emotional stress, changes in weight, pregnancy, illness, medication, or dietary changes, explains New York City–based dermatologist Marisa Garshick, ...
You might be able to reverse hair loss, or at least slow it. With some conditions, such as patchy hair loss (alopecia areata), hair may regrow without treatment within a year. Treatments for hair loss include medications and surgery.
"Most people with fine hair need to shampoo fairly often as oil and debris will weigh down the hair and make it look flat and greasy," explains expert trichologist Michelle Blaisure, "so usually every other day you will need to shampoo." Despite what's trending in hair talk, thin hair needs a more frequent cleanse.
Wearing your hair too long will make it look thinner
"Ironically, with thinning hair it's important to make sure you get your hair cut regularly," says Julie Hensman, from Hensmans in Northampton. "Thinning hair can get out of shape more quickly, making it look more obvious".
Looking at the mass of hair in the plughole after a shower or bath may be alarming. It's normal to lose a certain amount of head hairs per day; everyone is different. The number will vary per person depending on how many hairs there were to start with and what is going on in your body.
Telogen effluvium does not generally lead to complete baldness, although you may lose 300 to 500 hairs per day, and hair may appear thin, especially at the crown and temples. A medical event or condition, such as a thyroid imbalance, childbirth, surgery, or a fever, typically triggers this type of hair loss.
There are a wide range of conditions that can bring on hair loss, with some of the most common being pregnancy, thyroid disorders, and anemia. Others include autoimmune diseases, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and skin conditions such as psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis, Rogers says.
What is hair loss? Unlike hair shedding, which is a normal function of the body, hair loss occurs mainly because of external factors. Hair loss occurs when something prevents your hair from growing. The medical term for this is anagen effluvium.
Seasonal shedding often occurs during the fall months, such as September and October, and at some point in the spring, like April and May. This timeline often coincides with the second half of the hair growth cycle, where more hairs are shed.
The normal amount of hair loss is about 100 hairs a day. If you are loosing more than this amount then you may be experiencing shedding instead of thinning. To determine if you are loosing an abnormal amount of hair, collect all the hair you lose in a 24 hour period.
Answer: Losing hair
Losing 15-25 hairs in the shower, and up to 100 hairs per day, is not abnormal... assuming everything else is normal!