Experiencing any type of hair thinning or even losing hair when in the shower or brushing can absolutely be concerning and frustrating for any one of us, especially if you’re noticing sudden and excessive hair shedding or loss. At the end of the day, if you want thick, healthy hair, we must care for our hair and reduce as much breakage and loss as possible. But something that many of us forget is that hair shedding is a very normal and necessary part of our overall growth cycle.
Even though you may understand that temporary hair shedding is normal, you might be wondering how you can know if what you’re experiencing is just your hair follicles falling to allow for new hair growth, or if you’re seeing abnormal hair loss, thinning or hair breakage. Well, we’re sharing with you exactly what you need to look for to determine your type of hair loss, how to avoid thin, damaged hair and how to address excessive hair shedding.
How to know if you’re experiencing normal hair shedding
Our hair growth cycle is known to be made up of four stages, where the hair follicle grows, transitions, rests then falls to allow for new hairs to grow and start the cycle again. Our hair goes through very specific processes in each of these stages and must eventually fall in order to allow for new hair growth. This means a small amount of hair shedding is very normal when you wash your hair, as well as brush or style your hair. Although it is normal to lose anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs every single day, it is common for us to experience an increased amount of loss on the days we wash, especially if we haven’t washed or brushed our hair for multiple days, because often those hairs haven’t been able or encouraged to fall until our scalp is stimulated and massaged when brushing or washing.
Knowing and understanding if the hair you see falling is normal shedding or if it is actually hair breakage is all about looking at your individual hair strands. Hairs lost as part of normal shedding in our growth cycle fall from your scalp and will have a small white bulb on the end of the strand. Whereas, hair breakage and damage will not have this small bulb as the hair has been broken off prior to the root. This means that if you’re concerned about or maybe just interested in your hair loss patterns and causes, you need to take a couple of minutes to examine the hair in your brush to see if you can find that small bulb on the end of each strand. If you cannot find the bulb on most hairs, you will immediately know that you’re most likely seeing hair breakage, which means you must work on strengthening your hair and reducing as much damage as possible.
Causes of hair breakage
We all understand that our scalp and hair are exposed to such a wide range of different factors that can cause damage and hair breakage. Our hair habits and daily choices play the most significant role in causing damage to our hair. For example, exposure to heated styling tools, hair colouring, tight hairstyles, elastic hair ties and aggressive brushing or simply not using the right hairbrush for your hair type can all contribute to brittle, damaged hair and, therefore, hair breakage. Our physical health, illnesses and poor diet can also cause poor hair health, which can then make you more susceptible to breakage.
Best hair breakage treatments
Ensuring that you care for your scalp and hair by always being gentle in your haircare routine, as well as reducing heat and UV exposure are all essential to preventing damage. But investing in natural hair products and treatments that are formulated to nourish, hydrate and strengthen, is also vital to repairing your hair and stopping severe hair breakage and thinning.
Of course, the shampoo and conditioner you use multiple times every week must be designed to help repair and enhance your overall scalp and hair health. But by implementing an all-natural hair mask treatment into your haircare routine, you can give your hair an extra boost of intense nourishment to help strengthen your hair strands. A natural hair treatment like our Sozo Hair Health Mask has been formulated without any silicones or harsh chemicals and can be used at least once a week in place of conditioner for as little as three to five minutes to instantly enhance your hair health. Of course, our hair mask can be applied and left in for 30 minutes as a longer and more intense treatment if your hair is in desperate need. But if you’re short for time, using a hair mask in the shower for just a couple of minutes every week will help to restore and strengthen your hair to reduce breakage.
Another type of haircare product that you can use for hair strengthening is a hair oil treatment. Our Scalp & Hair Health Serum, although it has been created as a lightweight hair oil to provide heat protection and reduce frizz when styling, can also be applied as a pre-wash scalp and hair oil treatment to nourish, hydrate, soften, condition and strengthen your hair strands. To experience the benefit of a hair product like this, simply apply our hair oil to both your scalp and hair at least 30 minutes before washing once a week to support healthier, shinier hair. Using a scalp and hair oil in your routine can also enhance the health of your scalp and help to promote healthy hair growth.
Other hair loss causes and conditions
Of course, outside of normal shedding and severe hair breakage, there are many other hair loss conditions that can cause excessive thinning. Telogen effluvium is one of the most common types of hair loss that many of us can experience because it occurs when we’ve faced some type of stress, trauma or illness that then causes an increased amount of shedding. Even though conditions like telogen effluvium can cause excessive hair shedding, often leaving you with very thin, limp and spiny hair, it can grow back with time once you have addressed the stress, situation or illness that was the driving factor of your thinning.
Breakage and hair loss can be worrying, but by taking the time to monitor your hair shedding closely, you can quickly understand if what you’re experiencing is normal or if you need to make some adjustments in your haircare routine to support your healthiest scalp and hair. If you’re seeing significant hair loss, don’t forget to look for the small bulb on the end of each strand which indicates to you that new hair will be growing out. Without intentional hair habits and choices, it is very easy for our hair to experience damage and, therefore, breakage. So always ensure you’re caring for your hair by using regular hair mask and oil treatments. With some small changes and high quality, all-natural haircare products, you can watch and feel your scalp and hair health transform.
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