When it comes to either hair loss or shedding, it’s very stressful regardless of what you’re going through. It’s super important to assess what it is that’s causing it and learn what you can do to address the problem. Hair shedding is a normal process where some hairs fall out while others grow. You usually shed 50 to 100 hairs per day, but if you see more than that, you could be “excessively shedding.” Hairloss, on the other hand, happens when that natural balance is interrupted, like when hair falls out much faster than it grows back in. Here are the different types of hair loss:

Seasonal shedding

Just like our skin, our hair can be affected by the season. This can start in the spring or summer, reach its peak in the fall, and remain throughout the wintertime. Cold, dry weather makes your scalp itchy and irritation which could cause breakage, leading to more hair loss. This correlates with the hair growth cycle. During seasonal shedding, try to use hydrating hair care products.

Stress-induced shedding

Another reason for shedding hair is during times of stress or trauma. Significant stress pushes large numbers of hair follicles into a resting phase. Within a few months, affected hairs might fall out suddenly when simply combing or washing your hair. This type is called Telogen Effluvium (pronounced: Tee-luh-gen Uh-Floo-Vee-Um). Pregnancy, medications, and illness can cause this type of hair shedding, but many people have found that they’re losing hair after being sick with Covid. Some people that have experienced, like they say, ‘long covid’ after recovering are experiencing hair shedding, loss, and breakage for a period of up to 3-6 months. So, if you are going through this right now, know that it will pass, but it just needs to run its course.

Hair thinning and loss

So, there are a few different reasons you may experience more significant hair loss. And it can be permanent or temporary. Medications and illness are big reasons for hair loss. One more reason is genetics. So, Tracy, like men are prone to male pattern baldness because of genetics, some women are. Shedding causes a global change all over the head, and hair loss for women targets certain spots on the head. Most women tend to thin right in the front, behind the bangs and all along the hairline, which creates that problem where you feel you’re very flat just on top of your head.   Another cause is your hairstyles. Excessive hairstyling or styles that pull your hair, such as tight ponytails or braids, can cause a type of hair loss called Traction Alopecia. If it’s gone on long enough, it may cause permanent hair loss.