Is Hair Loss Normal?

Let’s talk about the elephant in the… brush or shower

Hair loss is completely normal. But how much is too much? What are causes, and how can you combat hair loss? The above photo is my personal haul of hair from my shower. I want to give you some perspective as we dive in to this.

What is normal, anyway?

The average person sheds 50-100 hair strands per day. I’m sure you’re not sitting and counting each individual strand that falls out of your head. If you are, please stop before you drive yourself mad.

To understand this, let’s dive into the basics of hair. Consider this your biology 101 course.

Your hair grows from a root, or follicle, under your skin. It is fed by blood vessels. This nourishes the root and allows the hair to grow.

Every hair goes through four distinct phases. It is important to note that each hair on your head can be at a different point, in a different stage. This is why you are constantly shedding!

PHASE ONE: ANAGEN

This is the growth phase. It will determine how long your hair gets. Typical hair growth ranges from 1/4 to 1/2 inch per month. The Anagen phase lasts anywhere from 2-7 years. As we age, this phase can become shorter, which can cause thinner or more brittle hair. It becomes even more important to have a great intake of vitamins and nutrients to “feed” your hair.

PHASE TWO: CATAGEN

The Catagen or transition phase, lasts for approximately 10 days. During this phase, the hair follicle is shrinking, preparing to push out the old hair, or shed.

PHASE THREE: TELOGEN

The resting phase serves an important purpose. During the Telogen phase, which lasts about 3 months, your new hair is growing (Anagen), preparing to replace the old. At any given moment, 10-15% of your hair is in this phase.

PHASE FOUR: EXOGEN

Hello new hair. The Exogen phase welcomes in your new growth and the cycle begins again.

Break it down

Why does it look like I’m losing so much hair? Here are a few factors to consider, before you panic.

Are you brushing your hair every day? Personally, I am not always brushing my hair, especially if I’m trying to get an extra day or two out of a style. Are you going days between washes? Are you wearing your hair up in a bun or ponytail a lot? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you could see a build up of hair when you finally do brush or wash it. Remember that 50-100 hairs a day fact? Now apply that to maybe two or three days worth of “build up”. You’re now looking at 100-300 strands of hair that you could potentially be seeing. That can seem alarming if you don’t understand the basic biology of how your hair works.

Other key contributors

There are some reasonable explanations for hair loss.

Stress, first and foremost, is a massive contributor to thinning or loss of hair. I always ask my clients if they are experiencing major stress factors, when they bring up hair loss concerns. Usually this will right itself once your stress levels are under control.

Illness can also contribute to hair loss. During times of illness, your body is working hard to heal you. Naturally, nutrient intake may be lower than normal, which means your hair follicle food source isn’t as high. In this way, I’d like you to think of your hair as a plant that needs proper water, sun, and love in order to grow. Or in this case, nutrient rich blood to feed the follicle.

Medication is probably the biggest factor in somewhat sudden hair loss. I’m using the term somewhat sudden, because the symptom of hair loss from medication typically takes 2-4 months to manifest. So while you may not consider this as a “new” medication anymore, it could be a side effect that is newly forming.

The most common medication contributors are chemotherapy and radiation treatments, cholesterol lowering medications, anticoagulant medications, blood pressure medications, psoriasis treatments, anti-arrhythmia and anti-convulsion medications, certain antacid, gout, acne and antifungal medications. Always discuss side effects with a medical professional.

Other contributors are rapid weight loss, thyroid conditions, hormonal changes, pregnancy and the postpartum phase.

And lastly, in case I didn’t cover everything yet, certain hair styles and treatments can cause hair loss. If you are pulling your hair back in a tight ponytail or bun everyday, think of the stress that causes on your hair. Over time you are causing permanent damage to the hair follicle.

Now for the scary part

Oh, wait, there’s more? Once the blood source to your hair follicle dries up, that follicle can no longer grow hair. It is, for lack of a better term, dead. RIP hair follicle.

BUT! yes, this isn’t all doom and gloom, there is a but. If you see baby hairs, fuzzy hairs, or any sign of hair or hair growth, the follicle is not dead and there is still hope! Phew!

Stimulation

If I had a dollar for every time I explain this, I’d be one rich lady. So many people who are concerned that their hair is falling out, begin to treat it with kid gloves. This is the complete opposite of what you should be doing! When you brush or comb your hair, you are stimulating blood flow to your scalp. Aaaaaand, what have we learned today? Blood flow to the hair follicle is nourishing food for it! You want to stimulate your scalp as much as possible. Those old wives tales about brushing your hair 100 times each day and night had a massive benefit. Your grandmother was on to something.

Scalp Secret

There is one more thing I really want to cover in this, and it is actually a request from a client.

So many times we separate how we treat our skin, and our scalp. This is so wrong! Your scalp is absolutely part of your skin. Many of the conditions that plague our skin, are also found on our scalp and vice versa. Most important to note, PH levels, and making sure it is in balance, but I will dive into that in another post.

The realization I want you to have has more to do with the way you think of your scalp in the aging process. If we bring it way, way back to when I explained the four phases your hair goes through, I gave you a nugget of aging gold. As we age, the Anagen phase becomes shorter, leading to thinning hair and eventually the inevitable death of the follicle. Now, think of things that cause your skin to age. Sun, free, radicals, exposure. Have you noticed your hair is thinning around your face? Temples? Or maybe you see so much more gray hair at your part and it drives you nuts. Now lets really think about this. Could your hair follicle be aging because the skin is aging more in these areas? Yes, of course heredity is always a factor, but you could be accidentally contributing to premature aging of your skin or scalp by not protecting it!

Help me!

If you have truly analyzed this massive heap of information I have thrown at you, (and I’m going to admit that I dove way deeper than I intended), and none of these things are “you”, then please, seek out a medical professional.

Here are some additional products to keep your hair healthy and your scalp happy

L’Anza’s Nourishing Hair Treatment is one of the magic products I swear by. It keeps the hair in the Anagen or growth cycle. I have been recommending this product to my postpartum clients for years. You can spray this treatment twice a day, on your scalp. It will work as long as you are using it. Please understand that no product is going to be a permanent fix. But, with that being said, this absolutely works. Grab your bottle here.

To accompany the treatment above, you can also purchase the L’Anza’s shampoo and conditioner that are part of the same line. It will give your scalp that extra bit of support. You can expect this to feel a tad bit tingly when using. Get your shampoo here.

Get the Conditioner here

Most products these days will protect your hair from the sun, but I am partial to FabME for it’s mega healing properties, which include sun and free radicals protection. It will also work as a detangler, leave-in conditioner, and will coat your hair’s outer layer and making it stronger and shinier. Get yours here.

Lastly, I can not post an article about thinning hair, without talking about my favorite volumizing product. This tiny bottle packs a powerful punch. When using PuffME, remember that a little goes a long way. I recommend spraying around your part for an insane amount of volume. Get your bottle here.

Okay friends, we have covered a ton of information in this post. And it is a lot to digest. I always recommend bringing up any concerns with your stylist, as well as a medical professional.

As always, if there is anything that I did not cover, or you have a topic specific question, please comment below.

Love yourself at every stage, and be your own kind of beautiful.