Im sure my hair loss is too much

Have you been washing with hot water since it's winter? That could be it. Also, long hair always feels a bit thinner since there is more weight and less volume. You might just be going through a shedding phase. How long has it been?

It won't all fall out during a shedding phase. It's probably nothing to worry about but I understand why you're worried

It's pretty hard to find styles that don't put even the slightest wave in your hair.

Maybe try this: Start with a loose ponytail and thenmake a separation just above your bobble/hairtie and pull your ponytail through it. Looks pretty and complicated even though it's one of the easiest things to do!

Hi MrsMNK,

Your overall health may be a concern.  Diet (including supplementation), exercise, rest, and stress are all things that can affect your (and your hair's) health.

One thing to keep in mind is that when you wear your hair up (which is, as you say, almost all the time), is that when you let it down, that's when all the strands that have fallen from your head will fall from your hair.  (Did that make sense to you?)  And as your hair gets longer, the same number of strands will appear to be more hair.

Hi all,

Dave is right...there are many factors that impact hair and how it reacts.

Doctors consider 150 lost hairs a day as "normal".  It may not feel normal but that is what statistics show is the normal amount of hair that can be lost every day without major concern.

Some people will actually collect hair that is lost on a daily basis and put it in plastic baggies marked for the date the hair was lost.  Then they will count the hairs.  Obviously you can't catch all hairs that might fall but you can get the majority of them.  You might be surprised to see that if you keep actual track of your hair on a daily basis that you are not losing as much as you think.

I only shampoo my hair once a week and when I do, I see more lost hair BUT when I count them, it is only about 20 hairs.  When I brush i see lost hair and that is also not that much in comparison.  So sometimes it just seems like we are losing a lot of hair, when we really aren't.

With that said...there are tons of reasons why hair will start falling out...besides the normal shedding cycles.

It is impossible to zone in on the actual cause with one glance.  It usually takes some time to figure out what is going on.

Some of the big causes of sudden hair loss include:

Keep in mind there are exceptions to every rule.

1.  Drastic change of diet.  There is a real hair loss condition connected to severe dieting.  People who have gastric bypass will often loss a lot of hair in the months that follow as a result of major diet change and weight loss. 

2.  Change of seasons.  Hair grows fuller and faster during the Summer and tends to shed and be more dormant in the winter. 

3.  Hormones.  Pregnancy, menopause, birth control pills.  Even men are influenced by hormones.

4.  Aging.  The diameter of each strands anrrows as hair ages and sometimes aging will trigger periods of hair loss.  This can be tied to hormones, genetics, environment, diet.

5.  Nutritional deficiencies.  I have done a lot of research on vitamins, minerals, herbs, glandulars, oils.  The average human today, even if they eat perfectly, does not get the necessary vitamins, minerals and other nutritional needs met through their food.  Not only is the food of 2005 not as nutritionally robust as it should be (additives, chemicals, articifical coloring) but even people that are strict vegans or vegetarians may not have their nutritional needs met. Also, the soil used to grow our food supplies has over time become exhausted of necessary nutrients. 

A recent study found that many people in 2005 still suffer from some forms of scurvy (although it is often masked as other symptoms) because they are deficient in daily Vitamin C.

When the body is not getting its required nutrients, the hair, skin, teeth, nails, will show the signs.  Hair loss can often be an indicator of major nutritional deficiencies. Especially Vitamin B, C and some amino acids.

6.  Lack of sleep, excessive stress, illness (detected or otherwise) can trigger hair loss.  In January I had pneumonia and a serious virus that went into bronchitis.  I started losing more hair than normal as a result. 

7.  Lack of exercise, lack of circulation to the scalp.

8.   Not enough water.  Many people are dehydrated and don't even know it.  Not enough water (forget soda, coffee, tea) will have an impact on your body's ability to grow and sustain hair volume.

9.  Grief.  Yes...hair can fall out when there is a major loss.  The loss can be a person, job, relationship (divorce) or even home. 

I have received emails from people that lost their homes in the hurricanes and their hair had started falling out.

10.  Thyroid or other related issues.  Many people have borderline thyroid function that will not show up on standard tests.  An underactive or overactive thyroid...even just a tiny bit...can trigger hair loss.  There are definite symptoms to watch for.  If you suspect thyroid then get tested.  If the tests come back normal....go to a specialist if you still think there is a problem.

Whether you believe in taking vitamins or not.  They work.  So do minerals, oils (EFAs), amino acids and herbs.  So does scalp massage. I personally take Hairtopia for several months when my hair is acting up.  2005 was a horrible year for me and I had three very traumatic experiences that caused me to lose hair..besides the pneumonia I was recently on crutches for 2 months.  As a result I started taking Hairtopia (vitamins, amino acids, herbals) religiously back in April AND in addition to the HT I am taking extra Vitamin B, Vitamin C (which helps, IMO, repair the body and strengthen hair roots) Vitamin E, zinc, EFA and silica.  I also take cell salts as well and drink lots and lots of water.  I do bi-weekly scalp massage with various oils.  My hair is recovering nicely and I only lost a small amount, considering what happened this year.  I did retain all the length but I can feel that it is not as thick as it was a year ago.

Growing and keeping hair is a lifelong process.  In my experience there are good cycles where your hair is growing nicely, is strong and healthy.  There are down cycles that will happen when your life goes through changes or trials. 

Bottom line, be open to the possibilities of what may be causing the sudden loss and be willing to investigate all the reasons and possibilities causing the loss and then do what works for you to reverse the situaton.

Good luck to you.