Understanding Normal Hair Shedding
Hair shedding is a natural part of the hair growth cycle – not a sign that something is “wrong.” Each follicle on your scalp follows its own timeline, moving through phases of active growth (anagen), rest (telogen), and release (exogen, or the late telogen phase). When a hair enters the telogen phase, it loosens from the follicle and is eventually pushed out by a new strand growing beneath it.
How to Recognize Telogen Hairs
If you look closely, many shed hairs have a tiny white bulb at the root. This bulb is not the follicle itself, but a keratin structure from the lining of the follicle, indicating that the hair has completed its growth cycle. Telogen hairs are the ones that typically fall out of the scalp, accumulate in our brushes and combs, and flow down the sink and shower drains. This process is expected and reflects the natural turnover of your follicles.
How Much Shedding Is Normal?
On average, most people shed 30 to 70 telogen hairs a day as old strands finish their cycle. On wash days, that number can climb to 100 hairs or more, simply because manual washing helps loosen strands that were already ready to fall out. If you go several days without washing, the hairs collect and then sheds all at once when you shampoo, making it look like you’re losing more than you actually are.
Key point: Frequent washing does not cause hair loss – it only spreads out normal shedding, so it looks less dramatic.
When Shedding Becomes a Concern
Normal shedding doesn’t change the overall thickness of your hair or show visible thinning. But if you notice clumps of hair, widening part lines, or more hair than usual in your brush or shower drain, it could point to a hair loss condition such as telogen effluvium, androgenetic alopecia, or other scalp/hair disorders. In those cases, evaluation by a hair loss specialist is key.
The Takeaway
Think of normal hair shedding like autumn leaves falling from a tree – old leaves drop, but the tree keeps growing. In the same way, your follicles naturally release old hairs to make way for new growth. Shedding becomes a concern when the balance tips and more hair falls out than grows back.
