Sunday, October 31, 2010

Shedding A Bit More Than Usual

I've noticed in the last couple of weeks that my hair seems to be shedding a little more than it ordinarily does.

I'm not pressing the panic button, but I am going to try to figure out if I really am losing more hair than usual, or if it's just that I've been wearing my hair up for longer periods of time, and combing it less lately, thereby having more hairs come out in a comb or brush at one time than usual.

Also, I've discussed before the phenomenon of shed hair looking like exponentially more than it really is due to increased length. That has happened to me before at this length, and it turned out that my shed count was well within the normal range at that time. It may be true now too.

Given all of that, I'm going to make an effort to comb my hair more regularly for a week or two, in order to keep an approximate count of the hairs that I shed. I'm also going to give it a good brushing before a wash so that my hairs have more likelihood of coming out in the brush and less likelihood of literally going down the drain.

One thing I do know is that my hair isn't breaking, because there is a root on every shed hair, so that's a good thing.

If I really am losing a bit more hair than usual, it's likely just a normal part of the hair growth/release cycle. So for now, I'll just keep my eye on it, see if this is actually occurring, and if so, how long it lasts.

Clearly, if it really turns out to be a problem, I'll have to see a doctor and check on my hormone levels and thyroid, etc., but it's far too early to be thinking in those terms right now. As I said, I'm really not too concerned right now, as I have a few reasons why I might be noticing this at the moment.


I hope that everyone who celebrates Halloween, whether with your friends or with your little ones, or who is at the door giving out treats, has had a good time. It can be so much fun!

Our neighbourhood is going through a cycle of less children trick-or-treating right now, as happens in many neighbourhoods. We moved into this house when the development was first built, and many of the folks here, including us, had young children. All of those children are grown now, and although some new young families have moved in, we only have about 1/4 of the number of children coming to the door than we did 13 years ago, our first year in this home.

As for me, I am very tired right now. I had a poor sleep last night, but I did have a nap, so I'm feeling far more tired than I think I normally ought to be right now. I think it's the pre-menopause, but I'm not sure. What I do know for sure is that I need to get out and walk more than I do. That can only be a help, and I've not been doing it. Maybe just writing that here will give me more incentive to do it.

For tonight though, it is soon to bed for me.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.
xo

6 comments:

  1. If you are really shedding a little more than usual, it could be seasonal. In the autumn I too shed more, and other girls I know complain about the same.
    Yes, it can be scary to look at the brush/comb and see all that hair, I've been there. But it's comforting to know that the real quantity of shed hair is far less than we would estimate by just looking at the comb!

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  2. I agree with you, Ohtawen. I'm certainly not going to panic; I've been through this before, but it's still nice to be reminded about the seasonal shed as well as the other factors I mentioned. And yes, the amount in the comb or brush often fools us with even an inch or two of increased length! Thank you.

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  3. We had a grand total of 15 little trick or treaters last night. Of course this means that I'm left with quite a few of those "oh so cute" little chocolate bars! I'm having the most adorable, little Aero Bar with my coffee as I type, LOL!! Is shedding something that is more frequent with longer hair?? Other than a few strands in the shower, I have never had an actual "shed." I wear my hair up almost daily, and still not a significant amount of shed hairs. I still have much to learn when it comes to growing my hair long.

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  4. Actually we ended up having only about 40 kids at the door, once I did the count of the leftovers. We had 200 when we first moved in here. Of course my kids were little trick-or-treaters back then too, and I used to dress up to give out the candy. :)

    Everyone sheds, because at any given time a certain percentage of our hair is in the rest phase, in which it falls out and a new hair grows in. However, sometimes hormonal situations like pregnancy cause the hairs to stay in the dormant phase, in which it ceases to grow, but isn't ready to shed.

    On average, we lose 50-100 hairs a day. Now, I have a lot of hairs per square inch on my head, and although my hair is fine, it's quite thick, relatively speaking. So it wouldn't be unusual for me to lose 100 hairs a day.

    If I wear it in an updo for a few days, only removing it to reposition it, without a thorough combing, almost all of the shed hairs remain in the updo, and will only come out when I comb it and/or wash it.

    It definitely does become more apparent when my hair is longer, simply because the amount of hair in the comb or brush has so much more mass. But when I actually count the hairs it may only be 20 when it looks like 50!

    So, I don't think it's more frequent with longer hair; we just notice it more with longer hair. And of course sometimes more hairs go into the resting phase at one time than at other times, so eventually you will likely experience what you perceive as a shed, but it will likely be perfectly normal, and not affect your overall circumference.

    Hope your enjoyed that darling little Aero! As for me, I need to stay away from chocolate right now, with this pre-menopause thing. Grrr! :D

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  5. I hope you're not having a problem with your hair. I don't know if we had any kids trick or treating because we were at church Saturday and Sunday night. Saturday night we had a carnival type of thing for the kids to go to and Sunday night was normal.

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  6. I had a problem before using your hair colour, But now i am feeling good. Nice hair color.

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