Normal Daily Hair Loss Occurs In Shower?
Dear Dr. Rassman,
Thanks for taking the time to run this blog. It has been very helpful to me in understanding hair loss.
I’ve looked through the archives but have been unable to find any answers to a particular question I have. I know that it’s normal to lose between 100 to 150 hairs per day. Of course, the most obvious times for discovering this hair loss is when taking a shower (looking at your hands after putting shampoo in hair, seeing the hairs on the shower floor) or when waking up from a night’s sleep and seeing hairs on the pillow. By counting these hairs, I suppose it gives some indication of how many hairs one is losing, but hair must be falling out throughout the day as well. My question is what percentage, on average, of normal daily hair loss falls out during hair washing? It seems like I expend about 50% of my daily allowance of normal hair loss in the shower. What a amount of hair loss is normal when washing hair, in your estimation? I think knowledge of this might help alleviate some anxiety about whether the amount of hair loss I’m experiencing is normal. Since it’s difficult to know how much hair is falling out during other parts of the day, it would at least be helpful to know how much is normal during those times when hair loss is easier to guage.
Also, I know that you recommend a miniturization study to truly determine whether atypical hair loss is occurring, but, to my knowledge, I don’t have access to anyone who can do such a study anywhere near where I live. So, I’m hoping your response to this question will give me some indication about the normality of my hair loss.
Thanks for your time and efforts.
Hair shedding is uniform, but clearly when you massage the hair (in the shower) or abrade it on your pillow, the loose hair that is about to fall out, will fall out a few hours ahead of your genetic schedule. That is why we suggest that you do not really rub hard in the shower and use a wide-tonged hair brush for combing, as it does not pull on the hair. I am sure that if you paid attention to what comes off in the comb or on your fingers in the shower, you are seeing more for that period of time when compared to never washing your hair.
Thanks for asking this question. I’m in the same position as you. I lose a whack of hair in the shower and it ALWAYS freaks me out.
I only wish I knew what was “normal”. I go through periods where I convince myself I MUST be losing my hair – only for nothing to happen months down the road. At 30, I can only hope I’m going to hold on to what I have for a good while longer and that the hair I’m seeing in the shower is just what happens to fall out during washing.
hi, DR
I was dignosed to have SD since a year. Ever i used the medicated shampoo its caused my shedding around 100 strands than normal. infact, i tried many med. products. I have stop using it since 9 months and change to mild shampoo. my shedding was reduced. from daily 20 – 30 strands. but still noticed flakes and dead skin out from my scalp occassionally. My hair seems weak and itch sometimes. my afraid is all hair that shedded last time are not growing back. as the scalp condition not resolve… guess needs to find a long term solution to solve the problems. can pls help me… !!! currently, i am taking sumpplements. thanks
hiii,
i want to pose that i have gresy dandruff i have consulted many doctors for cure but all is futile, due to this i have hair loss but i make sure normally i dont loss even 30 hair where normal hair fall is 100 to 150 even then i m getting bald from the center of the skull, my scalp exposes hair loss as it was not before i had bushy hair plz do inform me.