Is it Normal to Lose Hair While Washing It?

Long, thick hair sheds more than shorter, thinner hair.

Everyone loses some hair when shampooing, or at least it seems that way. Most of the hair loss that seems to occur actually happens at other times. The shed hairs become entangled with the rest of the hair on the head and are not released until the hair is shampooed.

Natural Shedding

Shedding is natural. Individual hairs grow and remain on the head for about two years before they are shed and replaced with new hair. Most people lose or shed between 50 and 60 strands of hair per day.

Short Hair

People with short hair experience less shedding because the hair does not grow on the head very long. Shedding still occurs, but it is not as noticeable as the shedding that occurs in people with long hair.

Long Hair

People with long hair experience the most hair loss during shampooing. Thirty to 50 hairs accumulated in the drain after each shampoo is common and should not cause concern.

Thick Hair

People with thick hair have a greater number of hairs per square inch. Therefore, thick hair sheds at a much greater rate than hair with more moderate densities.

Abnormal Loss

Abnormal loss is determined less by the amount of hair in the drain and more by the appearance of your hair. If your hair is noticeably thinning or if you have hair breakage and bald spots, you may be experiencing abnormal hair loss caused by an underlying medical condition.

References

• Milady's Standard Textbook of Cosmetology; Milady, Diane Carol Bailey, Margrit Attenburg; 2008