How Much Hair Loss Is Normal？

Have you ever looked down at your shower drain while taking a shower and seen a clump of lost hair strands? Usually, many people assume that it is an unnormal case and there’s a health problem causing hair loss. But is the thought right? How much hair loss is normal? Keep reading to find out the normal amount of shedding hair each day if you are shedding.

How Much Hair Loss Is Normal？

It’s completely natural to lose hair every day. In fact, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, it’s normal to lose between 50 to 100 strands of hair a day.

And the number of hair shedding also varies from person to person. For instance, if you have longer strands, it’ll appear that more hair has fallen, while shorter locks can appear to shed less. Besides, women tend to lose more hair strands per day than men because of daily heat styling and frequent hair coloring. Women are also more likely than men to experience periods of increased hair shedding due to life events like pregnancy and menopause. Some women even find their hair shed more in the late summer and less in the winter.

Therefore, if you look down at the drain and see a clump of lost hair strands, don't worry. After all, there are 100,000 hair follicles or more on each person’s scalp. Naturally, the loss of 100 or so hair strands a day doesn’t make a big difference in appearance.

What Is The Life Cycle Of Hair?

According to Medical News Today, the reason for this normal shedding in daily life is due to the natural renewal cycle of your hair. In total, there are three different stages your hair can be in:

1. Anagen

Anagen is the growing stage of hair strands, which can last up to six years. 90 percent of our hair is in the cycle at one time. Your hair grows about 1 centimeter per month during the anagen phase. When something stops your hair from growing, it’s called anagen effluvium.

2. Catagen

The catagen phase comes next. Only about 1 to 2 percent of your hairs are in the catagen phase at any given time. This phase lasts two to three weeks. During the catagen phase, the hair strand stops growing.

3. Telogen

The last phase of hair growth is the telogen phase. Hairs in the telogen phase are also called “club hairs”. During this phase, a hair strand will be at rest as it prepares to detach from your scalp. About 8 to 9 percent of your hair is in this phase at any given time.

If more than 10% of your hair is shedding, it means you are suffering from telogen effluvium. Stress, surgery, or even having a fever for a few days can bring on telogen effluvium. Luckily, telogen effluvium is temporary. As long as your system has recovered and you continue to take care of yourself, your hair will probably be back to normal within six months.

What Causes Hair Loss?

Hair loss can be caused by stress, hormonal changes, childbirth, thyroid issues, medications, vitamin deficiencies, excessive weight loss, and some autoimmune disorders.

How Common Is Hair Loss In Women?

Many people think that hair loss only affects men. However, it is estimated that more than 50% of women will experience noticeable hair loss. The most significant cause of hair loss in women is female-pattern hair loss (FPHL), which affects about one-third of susceptible women, which equals out to some 30 million women in the United States.

What Causes Hair Loss In Women? 

There are some common causes of hair loss in women in the following:

Tight Hairstyle: Like tight ponytails, braids, or corn rows will cause traction alopecia. If hair follicles are damaged, the loss can be permanent.

Vitamin deficiency.

Dieting (rapid weight loss).

Restrictive diets.

Over-processed scalp hair (breakage).

How To Tell If You Are Losing Too Much Hair?

Although the average person loses about 50 to 100 strands per day, shedding hair over 150 strands is not normal. It is obviously a hard thing to count on, you can perform a “pull test” on your hair at home to tell if you are losing too much hair.

Start with a small area of clean, dry hair, and run your fingers through it, tugging gently once you get to the ends of your hair strands. If more than two or three hairs are left in your hand after each tug, you may be experiencing telogen or anagen effluvium. Once there are more than 10 hairs per 100 strands being tugged, you’ll need a doctor to determine the cause.

In addition, you can do a combing test to check if your hair fall is normal. Lean over a light-colored bed sheet and comb your hair from the back of your head to the front of your scalp in the forward direction. After a minute of combing, count the hair strands on the bed sheet. If you see more than 10-15 hair strands, then you may have abnormal hair fall.

How To Stop Hair Loss

Since there are a lot of reasons why one might experience hair loss, it’s important to consult with a doctor to find a personal anecdote. Besides, most trichologists recommend people do the below every day to prevent hair loss:

1. Have a well-balanced diet. Try to include these foods in your diet: fresh fruits and vegetables, high-protein foods (eggs, fatty fish), Nuts (almonds, walnuts), enough drinking water, etc, which can make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals in your diet.

2. Take vitamins B, 6, and 12, and vitamin D.

3. Make sure you’re washing your hair regularly at least three times a week (for natural, curly hair, once a week).

4. Make sure you wash your scalp regularly to avoid any build-up of oils, sweat, products, and debris, and keep a healthy environment for the growth of your hair.

5. Don’t wear tight hairstyles like buns, ponytails, and tight braids.

6. Gently brush your hair. Please use a detangler if needed to avoid too much tension while brushing your hair.

7. Find out what your hair type is and invest in high-quality shampoo and conditioner. Or you can also give your hair and scalp treatments with natural oils like lavender, rosemary, jojoba, almond, and avocado oil. Mix together these natural oils and apply the mixture directly onto the scalp and hair, leave on for 20 mins, and wash out thoroughly. Notice that this treatment doesn’t work if you have a naturally oily scalp.

8. Avoid high-heat hair styling tools, such as hair dryers, hair straighteners, curling irons, and so on.

9. Massage your scalp gently 1-2 times a week to help stimulate your scalp and enhance blood flow to the follicles.

10. Try these stress-relieving yoga poses to prevent and slow hair loss: Downward Facing Dog, Forward Bend, Camel Pose, Shoulder Stand, Fish Pose, and Kneeling Pose.

But never the less, it’s important to remember to find out the reason why your hair is falling out in the first place and then take action with the help of the doctor. After all, these at-home remedies might not do the trick.

What Is The Best Treatment For Hair Loss?

If you believe your hair has been shedding more for longer than three months or your hair is falling out more than normal, we specially provided a checklist to consider before calling your doctor.

If you answered yes to any of the above questions or believe that something more serious might be off with your body (i.e. thyroid issues or an autoimmune disorder), it’s important to connect with a medical professional or trichologist to do some blood work and find out the reasons and remedy.