Shedding Update and Exhausted

Thank you for all of the sweet and heartfelt comments left in response to yesterday's post. I would like to comment on each one individually, but I'll need to feel better in order to do that, and I'm just not there yet. Please do know though how much they mean to me, and I've read them over a few times.

I am afraid that as much as I really needed a good rest last night, I slept very poorly. I think I fell asleep by 11:30, but I woke up just after 1:00am and was awake for a good 45 minutes. I did fall back to sleep, only to wake up for the day at 3:30a.m. I tried to have a nap this afternoon, but it didn't work out.

So, I honestly don't know how I'm feeling today, aside from completely exhausted. I don't know if I'll manage to stay up until 9:00pm, which is the earliest reasonable time I would ordinarily consider going to bed under these circumstances. However, today I think I'll just turn in when I really start to feel that I'd be able to fall asleep. While I'm so exhausted that I can hardly think or move, I'm not drowsy just yet.


Well, I mentioned on Sunday that I was noticing what may or may not have been an increase in shedding. Since then, I've made sure that I've combed my hair well twice a day when removing it from an updo, and there was not an unusual amount of shed hairs.

I really think that I had been keeping my hair up without combing it enough, and the shed hairs were staying in the updo longer, making several days' worth of shed hair come out at one time. I had also been increasing time between washes, so that likely contributed to the illusion of increased loss.

Anyway, as I've mentioned before, don't ever panic right away if you notice a shed increase. More often than not, there's a logical explanation. On the other hand, if you really are shedding a lot, and it lasts, make sure that you see a doctor.

It would have been nice to have some hairstyle photos to display today, but unsurprisingly, that's just not going to happen. I'm happy that I was even able to make a blog entry today.

So that's it for today. I'm just going to try to find something gentle to do to keep me occupied until I can go to bed.

Thanks again, for the comments.

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

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

Shedding? Don't Panic.

I had this happen to me, and I've seen it dozens of times with other people new to longer hair. I was used to having my hair a certain length, and when it got significantly longer, I seemed to be shedding more.  It seemed as though overnight I was losing massively more amounts of hair than I usually lost.

I decided to actually count the shed hairs after brushing one day.  It looked as though there were 100 hairs in my brush, but I counted only 20. For some reason, when the length of my hair had doubled, it seemed that the quantity of shed hairs had looked as though they were far more than doubled.  I don't know the reason for this phenomenon, but I do know that it's true, and I now know that it happens to others as well.

Fortunately, when I started my long hair journey, I had also measured my nape circumference. I was then able to also pacify myself by realizing that my nape circumference had not gotten smaller.

If your hair is long enough to make a ponytail at the nape, I suggest that you also measure your nape circumference, just for the occasion that you think you're having a major shed. If the back of your hair is long enough to measure, but the sides are not, then measure again when more and more hair can fit into a ponytail.

If you cut bangs or face-framing layers, then do take another new measurement, as your circumference will naturally be smaller without the inclusion of the bangs or face-framing layers.

Almost everyone thinks at some time or another that they're having a major shed, when they're really not. They look in the shower and think there's an awful lot of hair there; more than there used to be, or like me, they see more hair in their brush. In truth, it's just more quantity of hair due to length, not more hairs.

It's really good to have a baseline measurement to be able to go to in order to determine whether or not there is really a problem.

Also remember that on average, we do shed about 50-100 hairs per day.  That is completely normal.

On occasion, people do shed a lot of hair. For example, most women are familiar with the post-partum shed. That is extremely common and it did happen to me, especially after the birth of my second child. However, the hair started growing back almost immediately. Sometimes after a trauma or a really severe stress, people can have a larger than normal shed. Again, this hair grows back right away. While it's frustrating to have temporarily thinner hair, it's nothing to worry about, if you can feel or see new hairs growing in. It is worth checking with the doctor though, just to be on the safe side.

However, if you really are having a big shed for no reason that makes sense, and if your hair's circumference is significantly reduced, please see a doctor, as soon as possible. Problems with thyroid are a common cause of hair loss. Also, there can other hormonal issues at play. Most of these problems can be treated, and this will save your hair, but much more importantly, your health.

Do remember though, that most of the time, as your hair gets longer, you will hit a certain length where your hair seems to be shedding more, but it's just an illusion. So do measure that circumference. It may give you peace of mind.

On another note, I am feeling a bit more chipper and cheerful today, and I hope to post some hairstyle photos and/or a video later in the week. The weather may be ushering in some migraine-free days, which I'm looking forward to very much.

Love to all, my friends. 'Til tomorrow.