Losing hair in the shower is a common problem faced by most people. They often worry that hair falling out in the shower could be due to a health issue that they are facing. Do not panic because this is completely normal.
An average person will lose about 50 to 100 hair strands every day due to the hair growth cycle. Therefore it is completely normal to see around 5 to 30 hair strands falling out in your shower. However if you are losing excessive hair than normal, then it could be due to an underlying health condition.
In this article I will give a brief summary of the hair growth cycle and then explain what I have learned on why hair falls out in the shower, so that you can understand why it happens and take necessary actions if needed.
Hair growth cycle
There are basically three stages of hair growth. Every hair strand has its own growth cycle which has its own life span. The below data was obtained from a research study, so that it represents the expert knowledge on hair growth cycle.
Anagen phase : This is also known as the growth phase and about 85-90% of a person’s hair will be at this stage
Catagen phase : This is also known as the transitional phase between anagen and telogen where the hair strand detaches from the follicle thereby cutting off the blood supply. This stage will last for a short period of time and less than 10% of the hair will be in this stage at any given time.
Telogen phase : This phase is also known as the resting phase where the hair follicle will remain dormant and prepare itself for a new hair strand to grow within it. Roughly about 5-10% of the hair will be on this stage. At the end of this stage hair will fall off giving its place for a new hair strand.
So how can hair growth cycle relate to hair falling out in the shower?
Research data indicates that due to the hair growth cycle an average person would lose roughly about 100 hair strands a day [1]. This hair fall can occur when the hair is met with an external force like showering, combing etc. which makes them vulnerable.
How much hair loss in the shower is normal
An average person loses between 50 to 100 hair strands a day. Therefore a person can expect to lose roughly around 5 to 30 hair strands in your shower per day. This is because not all your loose hair falls out in the shower.
At the end of the telogen phase, the hair will fall out giving its place to a new hair strand. This falling out occurs when our hair is met with an external force which makes them more vulnerable.
This is the reason why you see more hair falling out when you comb, on your pillowcase when you wake up, on your towel after drying your head from a shower, on the inside of your cap etc.
Therefore you have to keep in mind that not all the hair (50 – 100 hair strands) which is supposed to fall out in a single day, falls out in a single scenario mentioned above. Therefore roughly around 5 to 30 hair strands could be expected to fall out in your shower.
Does reducing showering frequency minimize the hair fall in the shower
Now you might be wondering if hair falls out in the shower, then reducing the number of days which you shower could reduce the total hair fall.
No. Avoiding showers will not prevent natural hair fall. If you keep avoiding showers, then more of the hair will fall in your next shower totalling all which was supposed to fall on those days. Therefore more hair fall than usual could be seen in such scenarios.
Showering every day will not affect natural hair fall or shedding, therefore avoiding them would not make much of a difference. However make sure that the hair falling out in the shower is due to the hair growth cycle.
Various showering mistakes we make, can do significant damage to our hair which can lead to increased hair fall. One such mistake is showering hot water every day, or shampooing your hair every day.
They can make your hair dry and weak leading to increased hair fall. But this has nothing to do with natural hair fall.
How to know whether you lose more hair than normal in the shower
The easiest way to know whether you lose more hair than usual is to observe whether your head has visible hair thinning and bald spots when your hair is dry. If there are bald spots and visible hair thinning then you could be suffering from another health condition which cause hair loss.
The hair fall in the shower or natural hair shedding is not significant enough to make the hair bald and thin. Natural hair shedding occurs in every person and when the hair falls a new one takes its place. Therefore there cannot be any hair thinning or bald spots.
Hair loss can occur due to various reasons which could lead to excess hair shedding and bald spots. There are two tests which you can do at home to find out whether you are losing more hair than usual. If you want to learn them in detail then go to the end of this link, where I have described the below tests.
Hair pull test : This is where you grab some of your hair by hand and then gently pull. Then you have to observe how much hair comes off into your hand. Note that it should be roughly around 1-5 hair strands. When doing this make sure not to pull your hair too hard which could break the hair and damage hair roots.
Hair combing test : This is where you comb off your hair onto a white or light coloured surface so that you can see how much hair comes off. There should roughly be around 1-10 hair strands.
Do these tests early in the morning before showering to get the more accurate results.
Conclusion
Hair falling out in the shower is normal and you should not panic. The hair which comes off during the shower are the hair strands which have ended their life cycle and it is completely normal to see around 50-100 hair strands falling out every day.
Make sure that your head does not have bald spots or thinned areas, which could indicate that you are losing more hair than usual.
Check out the below video which gives precise information about natural hair shedding which occurs due to hair cycle.
I have cropped it to the part which they discuss about hair shedding, but you can go to this link to watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah8KHmpmZkM&t=812s