Let’s Talk About Hair Shedding (What’s Normal & When to Look Closer)

Let’s talk about something that worries a lot of clients — hair shedding.

First, some reassurance:
Losing 50–150 hairs per day is completely normal — and curlies often notice it more as we wash and brush our hair less. Our hair doesn’t fall as easily throughout the day, so it tends to show up all at once in the shower.

What normal shedding looks like

✔️ No clear gaps or see-through areas on the scalp
✔️ Shedding feels steady, not sudden, the same each week
✔️ Your density still looks and feels the same once styled

This is your natural hair cycle doing its job.

When shedding is often stress-related

Stress doesn’t just affect your mood — it can change how your hair grows. When life gets overwhelming, the body shifts into survival mode. Hair growth becomes less of a priority, and shedding can increase. Chronic stress raises cortisol, which shifts blood flow away from the scalp, shortens hair growth cycles, and pushes more hair into shedding.

Sometimes shedding increases after:
• Illness or surgery
• Major stress or emotional load
• Hormonal shifts or postpartum

This is called telogen effluvium, and it usually shows up 6–12 weeks after the trigger — not during it.

You may notice:

• Short, fragile regrowth
• A scalp that feels tight or sensitive
• Growth seeming slower than usual
• Hair everywhere when washing or brushing
• A ponytail that feels smaller
• Overall coverage feels lighter, but still even

This can feel alarming — but it’s often temporary.

Stress-related hair changes can improve. Supporting your hair means supporting your body:
• Finding ways to manage stress
• Prioritising sleep and stable blood sugar
• Nourishing your body consistently
• Calming scalp inflammation
• Feeling heard and understood

When we address hair loss from this perspective, it’s not about quick fixes — it’s about understanding what your hair is telling you and working with your body to restore balance.

Red flags that need a closer look

🚩 Patchy or uneven hair loss
🚩 Burning, pain, tenderness, or bumps on the scalp
🚩 Sudden visible scalp plus heavy shedding
🚩 Hair loss that feels fast or aggressive

Not all shedding is created equal.

The difference that matters

It’s not just about how much hair you’re losing.
What really matters is how and why it’s happening.

We look at the story behind the shedding, including:
• When it started — often weeks after stress, illness, or hormonal shifts
• How long it’s been going on — short-term or ongoing
• Where and how the hair is thinning — even shedding or uneven loss
• What the scalp looks and feels like — calm and healthy, or irritated and inflamed

Why hair loss often starts inside the body

Hair loss rarely begins at the scalp. It usually reflects internal shifts such as:

Iron status
Low iron doesn’t always show as anaemia. Hair follicles are highly sensitive to iron availability, and hair is often the first place the body reduces support.

Thyroid optimisation
Clients can be “within range” or on thyroid medication and still not be optimised for hair growth. Hair responds to subtle hormonal imbalances long before other symptoms appear.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D isn’t just for bones — it plays a role in:
• Follicle cycling
• Immune regulation
• Inflammatory control

Deficiency can disrupt healthy hair cycles.

Hormones & inflammation
Hair loss isn’t always about “too much DHT.”
It’s about:
• How sensitive the follicle is
• How inflamed the scalp environment is

Inflammation changes how follicles respond to normal hormonal signals.

Why hair loss products “stop working”

When clients say:

“My hair loss products don’t work anymore”

It’s rarely the product.

More often, the scalp environment has changed due to:
• Chronic stress load
• Hormonal shifts
• Inflammation
• Product or mineral build-up
• Nutrient deficiencies

Without addressing the why, products are just guesses.

When you understand how to tell the difference, you stop guessing and start guiding your hair with confidence 🤍

If you’re unsure what you’re experiencing, we’re always here to help you look a little deeper.