How Much Hair Is Okay to Lose in the Shower?

You’re not alone if you worry about how much hair you’re losing in the shower. “Patients ask me about this all the time,” says Sarah Allen, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician and the founder and chief medical officer at Skin Clique, a cosmetic dermatology clinic in Pawleys Island, South Carolina.

The good news is that most of what ends up in the drain is completely normal. Here’s how to tell when it isn’t.

Washing itself also plays a role. Shampooing loosens strands that were at the end of their growth cycle, says Dina Strachan, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and the director of Aglow Dermatology, a dermatology practice in New York City. The weight of the water can also cause loose hair to fall out, she says. The result is a concentration of hair that was going to fall out eventually, but does so all at once.

That’s why you’re not necessarily losing more hair in the shower than anywhere else — it’s just more noticeable when it collects in one place. And if you have long hair, your perception of loss will be greater, because each strand seems like more than it is, Dr. Strachan adds.

Hair shedding and hair loss may sound similar, but they’re not the same thing. Simply put, hair shedding occurs when hair naturally falls out and regrows, whereas hair loss means no regrowth, Allen says.

A noticeable increase in shedding is often the first sign something is off — and you’re the best person to judge this, Alford says. “You would have to lose a lot of your hair for someone else to notice it,” she explains. “So if you feel like you’re losing hair and others say you’re not, feel confident that you’re not crazy.”

But don’t count hairs, as this can become a source of anxiety. Instead, Allen suggests looking at reference images online for 100 or 150 strands of hair to see where you fall on the spectrum.

If increased hair shedding lasts four to six weeks and doesn’t improve, seek help from a dermatologist or primary care provider, Alford says. In addition, watch for scalp symptoms like scaling or itching, which aren’t part of normal shedding, she says.

Here are some reasons why you might be shedding (or losing) more hair than normal in the shower.

• You’ve recently experienced childbirth, major surgery, malnutrition, or a severe infection. Increased shedding can occur two to three months after a physical stressor, such as childbirth, major surgery, malnutrition, or a severe infection. This is known as telogen effluvium, and it’s the most common reason people see an increase in hair shedding, Alford says. While telogen effluvium doesn’t cause permanent hair loss — and typically resolves within six to eight months without treatment once the underlying cause is addressed — it’s a good idea to see a physician to rule out other causes.

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• You have a hormonal imbalance. Atypical hair shedding can also be caused by hormonal imbalances in people in perimenopause, Alford says.
• You take medications. Antidepressants and blood thinners can be linked to hair loss in some people, Allen says.
• You’ve experienced significant weight loss. Some people lose hair in addition to weight after bariatric surgery or when taking glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for weight loss.

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• You’re iron deficient. Iron is a mineral that plays an important role in hair growth. If you’re deficient in iron, excessive hair shedding may be an early sign.

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If you have a diagnosis of alopecia areata (a form of nonscarring hair loss where your immune system harms hair follicles) or inflammatory hair loss (where inflammation destroys hair follicles and could lead to scarring) and notice an increase in shedding, don’t wait to see a dermatologist, Alford says. “The sooner we intervene in those situations, the better the chance of improvement,” she explains. “It’s easier to save hair than regrow hair.”

Although hair shedding is normal, you should avoid hair loss and general hair damage. Being careful with your hair after washing it when it’s at its weakest is especially helpful.

1. Know your hair. While shampooing your hair is a great way to keep your scalp healthy, doing it too often will dry it out, especially for people with kinkier hair, Strachan says. For people with all types of hair, overwashing can lead to brittle strands that break more easily.

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2. Be gentle. Wet hair is structurally fragile, and vigorously brushing or detangling can cause hair to break in the middle (also known as mechanical breaking), Allen says. To prevent hair breakage, she suggests brushing your hair at the ends and working your way up to the roots.
3. Use low heat settings. Heat breaks down keratin — a structural protein that gives hair strength, elasticity, and protection — and can lead to dry, brittle hair, Allen says. So, stick to low heat settings when using hair dryers, curlers, straighteners, and other hot tools, she suggests.
4. Be careful with certain hairstyles. Allen recommends that her Black patients in particular watch for traction alopecia — hair loss caused by repeated tension on the follicle from tight braids, scarves, or other styles that pull on the hair over time. She recommends consulting a dermatologist with experience in managing and treating traction alopecia.
5. Consider silk pillowcases. Silk pillowcases can be expensive, but they help reduce overnight friction on hair, Allen says. Silk is especially useful if you sleep with wet hair (when strands are most vulnerable to breakage).

• It’s normal to lose about 100 strands of hair a day; much of this hair is noticeable in the shower.
• Excessive shedding differs from hair loss: With shedding, the hair follicle stays intact and hair regrows on its own, while hair loss occurs when something disrupts the regrowth cycle or there’s permanent hair follicle damage.
• See a dermatologist if increased shedding lasts more than four to six weeks or is accompanied by scalp symptoms like itching or scaling.