Why does natural hair shed so much

When I detangle my hair, I find more shed hair in the front and back and breakage in the middle. I detangle in small sections but my hair is always breaking in the crown area. Generally around this time of year, the hair tends to shed a little more.

If it is shedding so much so, that it appears to be thinning, I would recommend you not only visit a salon for a consultation, but also a physician. It is my experience that excessive shedding hair can be an indirect diagnosis of an internal imbalance: blood pressure, thyroid, diabetes, etc. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Want Juicy Hair? Latest Posts…. Well, that pretty average. When your natural hair sheds it a pretty normal occurrence and not something that you should be worried about unless of course, your hair is falling out in clumps when combing.

If that is the case for you then there is probably a more serious underlying problem going on and I would advise that you consult either your doctor or a hair specialist. When your hair sheds it is part of a cyle system that your hair goes through.

You may even notice it if you look closely enough. You will go through a period of growth and then a period of shedding. This cycle repeats itself over and over forever. The interesting thing is that when a woman becomes pregnant this cycle stops and the pregnant woman only experiences growth until she gives birth and then the woman experiences what seem like extreme postpartum shedding as the shedding cycle catches up.

This is the reason that pregnant women appear to have such luscious hair when pregnant then after birth they experience a lot of shedding. Shedding and breakage may seem similar in some ways but I can assure you that it is not.

The 2 are very different indeed. Hair that has shed will be a full-length long strand of hair and will usually have a bobble on the end of it as it has come away from your scalp. Hair that is broken looks very different and will probably be much shorter in length than your hair which proves that it is a broken hair strand. You may also notice that the hair on your head has areas that are much shorter than the rest.

This is likely to be areas of breakage. The most common places to see breakage are around your edges and the nape of your hair. The is because these are the places where your hair is most delicate and the areas that get tugged on the most.

If you are experiencing what you know to be excessive hair shedding then you must seek out a hair specialist or a doctor.

Even more so if you are seeing bald patches within your hair. If you have been going through a particularly stressful situation that could also be the cause of the additional hair shedding. You must ensure you are using enough product that can dry fairly quickly on its own. Trying to keep hair basically damp all day throws off your protein balance and leaves your hair prone to weakening.

I hope none of you think you can have great hair without proper maintenance. No part of your cleansing process should be rushed, skipped, or neglected. Your scalp itself has to be clean and moisturized to be able to produce new and greater growth.

How often you choose to clean your hair is dependent on you and how fast your hair becomes dirty. Proper shampooing and conditioning refine your hair, allowing for more elasticity and less breakage. A basic wash day routine can consist of a pre-poo, shampoo, deep condition, moisturizing, and styling. Worrying will only cause you to lose more hair! If you begin to become unhappy with the state of your natural hair, then you must take the necessary steps to restore its strength, but also your own.

Usually, the main reasons for excessive shedding stem from stress. To lower your tension levels, engage in positive behaviors. Exercise helps those suffering from anxiety and depression. Endorphins are responses that are created by the brain to aid in body boosts or pleasure.

The more you help yourself feel better, the more you will begin to look better. Clear skin and strong tresses do not appear overnight so that a detailed daily routine can increase your overall health. Being kind to yourself can be more than working out and eating right; you can also eat dark chocolate, laugh, try something spicy, spend time doing something you love, or even have sex.

Your hair color and type will determine how many hairs on your head. What may be reasonable to you, may be a lot or a little to someone else. Usually, for dark-haired, curly cuties , we have about , hairs on our head. If the clumps of hair are relatively the same size each time, then you should be good. Anytime you notice more hair than usual coming from your scalp, evaluate your hair care from that week.

Sometimes unnecessary breakage adds on to your shedding, which is why it is best always to take your time while handling natural hair. Think about the past six months of your life. Did you experience anything life-changing? Change up your diet? Have you been trying out new hair products?

Any lifestyle or physical changes might have caused you to start losing more hair than usual, and you can do more to bring your hair back to its peak. Taking hair vitamins with loads of calcium and iron, and undergoing protein treatments are also ways women who shed can lessen their problem.

Shedding is part of the hair growth cycle because even as you shed, new hairs begin to grow in place. With hair loss, after hairs fall out, there is no regrowth. This could be hereditary, due to unhealthy habits, or because of constant tension-based hairstyles and products.

Whatever the cause is, with the help of a dermatologist, it can remain regulated. They specialize in skin, hair, and nails, so if you notice any thinning or balding over time, consult one. This makes it easier for the follicle to push the shaft up an out of the scalp. This stage usually lasts around 2 to 4 months before the anagen phase begins producing hair again.

During this stage we lose around hairs per day. In certain situations hair can shed at rates higher than normal. These situations include stress, illness, malnutrition and some women experience it after childbirth. Breakage raises more concern than shedding. It happens when hair breaks at the shaft. This differs with shedding in that aspect. If you remember from earlier, shedding is a result of new hair pushes dormant hair out of the follicle.

There are many things that can cause breakage, but usually, they fall under one of three categories. Mechanical breakage occurs when the stress of manipulating the hair is too great and the hair fails. The main culprit of this stress is over-styling. This can include twisting, braiding, pulling, brushing, combing and many more. Some styling practices are more riskier than others. Also, some hair types are more susceptible to mechanical breakage.

The hair type that experiences the most risk is 4c hair. The chemicals we add to our hair can also cause breakage. One the most common chemicals are straighteners. Also, adding color can weaken your hair. The effects can be drastic and over time will cause you hair to break completely. Finally the last major cause of breakage is heat.

Whenever you use a flat-iron, blow dryer, pressing comb or etc. In real life, I try not to go over F. Another thing I learned is different hair types respond differently to heat , with 4c hair being the most fragile. As a natural, add moisture is one the best thing you can do for your hair.

When heat is applied, it can shock your hair, causing to get brittle and dry and ultimately break. Download my free 4c hair growth cheat sheet. By now you should know why breakage and shedding occurs and the best ways to prevent it. Gavazzoni Dias, Maria Fernanda Reis.