Hair shedding

[Cayenne0622]

I don't understand why OUR hair sheds like this and we keeping hearing that its supposed to be normal. I don't think so. And I wonder why hair would shed from the root just because we are stretching a relaxer? I could understand breakage where the new growth and relaxed hair meet but why would hair shed from beneath the scalp (bulb and all) just because we got a relaxer 8 weeks ago instead of 4 weeks ago? I know my scalp isn't craving a relaxer so what would make it fall out? Plus, when I talk to people of other races, they don't seem to shed this excessively unless something is medically wrong. I asked a latina girl that sits next to me if her hair sheds and she said yes. I sighed with relief but then she said sometimes I'll find a strand of hair on my shirt. She couldn't even fathom the hundreds of strands that I've lost over the past few months.
Wuz up with that? Could there be some truth to the relaxer being damaging to areas under the scalp that we can't see? But then again, aren't natural ladies shedding like crazy too?

 

[chocolatesis]

I too have had a lot of shedding over the past 2-3 months. I kept going back and forth between thinking the cause was overprocessed hair, or because I had stopped taking my vitamins. I used several damage remedies (motions CPR, ION, Aphogee, Essations) but my shedding continued. I finally started taking my vitamins again (iron, GNC HSN) and she shedding has slowed down significantly. If you can't seem to get to bottom of your shedding problem, I would suggest looking at whether you have changed your eating habits or stopped taking any supplements. I know a lot of us on this forum are taking supplements, and I'm thinking maybe we have to be careful if we decide to stop taking them (as I did), maybe we have to wean ourselves off them? erplexed

 

[Sweetcoco82]

My hair has been shedding something terrible. I know it may be from my birthcontrol also i have been very stressed out and that doesn't help either. But i am glad the breakage has slow down to very little. I dont think any conditioner, treatment or moisturizer will stop your hair from shedding, it will help keep your hair from drying out and breaking but thats it. I need to keep taking my prenatals since i am still breastfeeding but i stink at taking pills.erplexed

 

[LadyJay114]

i know i'm shedding b/c, admittedly, my diet has fallen off.

my hair isn't shedding from under the scalp, but its shedding from the new growth and further down the shaft (i have both long hairs and short hairs). its not alot of hair, but definately noticeable. i've been conditioning and moisturizing to no avail.

i'm not sure if I need more protein or should I just relax (I'm 7 weeks post)

 

[MrsHouston]

i know i'm shedding b/c, admittedly, my diet has fallen off.

my hair isn't shedding from under the scalp, but its shedding from the new growth and further down the shaft (i have both long hairs and short hairs). its not alot of hair, but definately noticeable. i've been conditioning and moisturizing to no avail.

i'm not sure if I need more protein or should I just relax (I'm 7 weeks post)

After I got a relaxer (and got a protein treatment by Ashtae) mine stop.

Prior to that, I had given myself 3 protein treatments: 2 by DCR28 and 1 by Essations. So I'm thinking it was my relaxer. Even days after the relaxer no hair shedding what so ever. I was 8 weeks post relaxer. My hair was shedding between weeks 6 to 8.

 

[Doll]

I too have had a lot of shedding over the past 2-3 months. I kept going back and forth between thinking the cause was overprocessed hair, or because I had stopped taking my vitamins. I used several damage remedies (motions CPR, ION, Aphogee, Essations) but my shedding continued. I finally started taking my vitamins again (iron, GNC HSN) and she shedding has slowed down significantly. If you can't seem to get to bottom of your shedding problem, I would suggest looking at whether you have changed your eating habits or stopped taking any supplements. I know a lot of us on this forum are taking supplements, and I'm thinking maybe we have to be careful if we decide to stop taking them (as I did), maybe we have to wean ourselves off them? erplexed

I think you have a point. I have come to the same conclusion. My hair started shedding around the same time that I stopped taking my supplements (biotin, MSM, flaxseed, multi-vit, and evening primrose). I stopped due to problems with my cycle which started to come every 14 days.

My theory is that I was fine until I increased my supplement dosage too much (biotin 5000mcg from 1000mcg) after a few weeks which produced adverse effects. I am going to take lower dosages of biotin along with a mild multi-vit to see what happens with my hair. I have also started my MTG regime again.

 

[Tee]

Thanks for responding so quickly. I'm hoping this will help my shedding, I'll be back to post after I've used it. *keeping fingers crossed*

You gotta let me know your thoughts.

 

[PinkAngel]

You gotta let me know your thoughts.

I think I've found a winner! I used this 3 nights ago & I've shampooed twice since then to make sure I wasn't fooling myself. My shedding is not completely gone, but it is 80% less than what it has been. I think I'll use it every 2 weeks for a couple of months or until my shedding is back to minimal (whichever comes first)

Thanks Michelle for recommending this product (it was Michelle wasn't it?)

 

[la flaca]

 

[curlyj]

13 pages....And I thought I was the only one having an issue with this. i dont remember this happening last summer. But I use a cheapy garlic conditioner and it works....That and I've gone back to castor oil. Shedding is better than breakage. Just make sure the peices are long, not short peices of hair.

i've had a crazy growth spurt so maybe it is just the hair's natural cycle.

 

[br0wney3z]

Okay so its not just me. I washed my hair yesterday and I was shedding so much I got scared. It was just so much hair. It makes me feel better to know that it may be normal.

 

[seymone]

That's the funny thing, my length has taken off even though I'm shedding. Also I thought I would have major thinning but actually my hair seems to be thicker.

Add me to the list as well. I notice my shedding started last month and it is increasing, however my hair looks thicker and it is getting longer.. Also I got an inch of new growth this month.. crazy huh

 

[joyous]

Add me to the list as well. I notice my shedding started last month and it is increasing, however my hair looks thicker and it is getting longer.. Also I got an inch of new growth this month.. crazy huh

It was really crazy that it happened that way. My shedding has now stopped due to Nexxus Ensure (miracle worker, girl). Every since I started using it I've had no problems and I'm still retaining good growth during this especially humid summer.

 

[la flaca]

Written by Dr. Kevin McElwee & HLT

Shedding is Normal


What exactly is Shedding?

In all cases, treatments or no treatments, shedding is not actually "losing hair". This is one of the most common misconceptions in the world of hair loss. Shedding is in fact just the transition of follicles from growth phase to resting phase. They don't fall out and die, never to return. They in fact "go to sleep", to return several months later. Hair follicles work in cycles as part of their normal processes. Even the person not losing his or her hair goes through the same cycles. The hair will grow for awhile, and it will rest for awhile. In the case of someone *not* using any treatments, but experiencing Androgenetic Alopecia (Male or Female pattern baldness), shedding is typically the continued cyclical process, combined with miniaturization. What does this mean? It means each time those hairs go dormant and come back, they come back weaker, thinner, and less pigmented, ultimately resulting in the perception of less hair and more scalp skin showing. There are theories out there as to why hair seems to go "all at once" for those losing hair, but they are still just theories. The most common one is the theory that those with androgenetic alopecia see more of a synchronization of dormancy. Meaning - more hairs go dormant at the same time, ejecting the existing hair and shutting down temporarily. Either way, the moral of the story is the same: Shedding is not losing hair. Its dormancy. And it is up to you as to whether those hairs cycle back in thicker and stronger, or thinner and weaker. That's where using a DHT inhibiting, or growth stimulating treatment comes into play.

Shedding *because* of my Treatment?!?

Its possible, and as mentioned above, rather common. Surprised? Its actually the most common reason why people think hair loss treatments don't work! If you start a new treatment like Rogaine or Propecia, you probably will shed, but the amount of hair shed varies from person to person. It has long been suspected that there is an increase in shedding in the first 3 months or so. Recently, some studies using a digital phototrichogram (Trichoscan, Marburg, Germany) proved that there was indeed a quantifiable increase in shedding and a corresponding loss of hair density in the first 3 months of minoxidil use. However, by the 6 month stage the subjects were shown to have regrown the lost hair and had increased hair density compared to that recorded at the start of treatment. By 12 months after starting minoxidil use their hair density was much improved and the diameter of the hair fibers was thicker than at the start of treatment and as compared to controls who did not receive treatment. This small study proves what has long been suspected and frequently discussed on hair loss forums, that there is an initial shed phase when first starting minoxidil use.

How long will it last?

Shedding is temporary. If the individual continues their treatment consistently, despite the seeming despair and loss of hope, shedding will end and the lost hair should be replaced.

Why does it happen?



Although we do not know exactly why the shedding occurs, the most likely explanation is due to how the hair follicle “organ” operates. Hair follicles are relatively inflexible in their anagen, "hair producing" state. In response to additional stimuli the growing hairs may be able to increase their growth rate or increase the diameter of the hair fiber produced a little, but it is not possible for a hair follicle to undergo big changes in size while producing hair fiber. What ends up happening, is that when that follicle gets hit with a growth stimulant like Minoxidil, it is given a very strong signal to change size (expand) and increase activity. The rule of the follicle is that it must then stop, and start over. The existing hair is ejected, the follicle goes into dormancy, and begins to restructure its processes to produce a thicker, stronger hair that can produce a bigger (thicker) hair fiber.

Shedding is a sign that the Treatment is Working

Howso??? When Rogaine is applied to stimulate hair follicles, the follicles must regress, shed the old fiber, rearrange themselves into a bigger hair follicle, and start making a new, improved fiber. This would inevitably lead to a temporary shed phase. You're seeing your hairs respond. Its unfortunate that the first sign of new hair growth is seeming hair LOSS, but that's the way it works, quite often.

There is a belief among some dermatologists that an initial shed phase when first starting to use a treatment for hair loss is inevitable regardless of the treatment used. Because of the hair follicle’s inflexibility in changing the nature of hair growth mid stream, for any drug to promote hair growth it must involve hair follicles entering telogen to rearrange themselves into a larger follicle under the influence of the drug. However, certainly, the shed phase with minoxidil use can be very apparent in some people.

But "BOB" on xxxx.com told me that the shedding will NEVER STOP!

There are a few who claim that using treatments like Propecia and Minoxidil can cause a persistent shedding that lasts longer than the first three months. While there is no hard research evidence to support these claims, it is always possible that an individual may have an adverse reaction to a drug. We are each unique because of our different genetic make up and the different environments in which we live. This means that there are somewhat different responses to the same drug when used by different people. It is almost inevitable that a very few people will have a bad reaction to a drug. It may be that for a few minoxidil does more harm than good and follicle growth cycles are adversely affected. If this is the case, stopping use of the drug should allow the body to recover. However, it is most likely that many of the claims for persistent shedding actually come from those who are experiencing the expected shedding in the first 3 months, have not been consistent with their dosages, or have been continually adding or taking away from their treatment regimen.

But *I* think I have Telogen Effluvium!



Many hair loss sufferers with traditional male or female pattern baldness want to believe they have Telogen Effluvium (TE), because it provides a glimmer of hope that the whole ordeal is just temporary. Unfortunately, TE by definition is a condition that occurs in response to serious traumatic shock to the system as a whole. It is not a something that will happen without any abnormalities going on in your life. Things like sudden shock, chronic debilitating stress, extreme malnutrition, certain medications, and chronic serious illness are the most common causes. There is no way to know for sure how long shedding will last with telogen effluvium. Increased shedding occurs in response to a trigger factor. If exposure to the trigger is brief and there are no other contributing factors then the shedding may last for around 3 months and then recover so that 6 months later the hair is pretty much back to normal. However, if the trigger factor hangs around, like chronic stress or illness, then the shedding may persist. The hair follicles can get into a habit of short, truncated growth cycles, producing short hair that falls out after a few months. This results in a high shed rate – although the hair loss on the scalp need not progress much.

In Conclusion - Don't Count Hairs

In terms of understanding hair loss, the nature of shed hair and the rate of shedding is not very important, although it may be disturbing to see. Shedding is natural, everyone sheds hair daily whether affected by hair loss or not. You can shed up to 100 scalp hairs a day without having any scalp hair loss. A few people may shed more than this but still not develop baldness. To understand the development of hair loss the main factor to consider is the rate of hair growth and replacement, not so much the rate of shedding. Some people have a high rate of shedding but also a high rate of hair growth. The result is no net loss of hair on the scalp. Some people have a low rate of hair shedding and a low hair regrowth rate. The result is similarly no alopecia development. The problem comes when someone sheds hair at a faster rate than it is replaced. This is the scenario where baldness develops. You can have a normal or even a low shed rate and still develop baldness. If the hair is being shed faster than it regrows then alopecia will develop. So the amount hair shed each day/week/month is a poor diagnostic indicator of hair loss. To define alopecia you must look at what is left on the scalp. That is where it counts.

 

[30something]

glad i read this
bump for others

 

[bella_boucles]

i have the same thing happen every year, winter growth stunt, spring/summer growth spurt and summer shedding. ive found its just a cylce with my hair and have just accepted it now so it doesnt freak me out like it used too.

 

[Hysi]

o my goodness i'm not the only one! i just did a post about this the other day posting pics of shedded balls of hair. it has me almost feeling ill. I have added more protein to my reggie tho and cut down on so much moisture. i think i will do a hard protein and maybe add garlic. also i'm going to take an iron supp. maybe it's in the season why so many of us are experiencing this. i sure hope it stops soon!

BTW: i'm natural so it's not just relaxed hair

 

[Myjourney2009]

I am so glad I read this, I started shedding out of the blue back in June after my TU. I thought it had affected my scalp, but I did not burn.

The shedding was scary, I thought I was going balderplexed. After awhile I thought this has to be normal because I hardly shedded during this past winter, maybe 5 strands a day and during washing maybe 10. It finally has finally slowed down because for the past 2 weeks I did black tea rinses. Before it was 20+ strands a day now it is down to about 10 a day.

When I hit 7 weeks I am going to do a black tea rinse every other week except for right before my TU.