I often hear from people who ask all sorts of questions about normal daily hair loss.
Some examples are: "How many hairs do or should you lose per day?" Or, "how many hairs can I lose each day before it's too much or it's no longer at normal levels?" I think that what most people really want to know is if the hair loss they are seeing is cause for concern or worry.
So, in the following article, I'll discuss the number of hairs that are typically considered to be normal in terms of daily loss.
It's Typically Considered Normal To Have 10 - 15% Percent Of Your Total Strands In The Shedding Phase At One Time: I'm sure that if you've found this article, you've probably read somewhere that it can be perfectly normal to lose as many as 50 - 100 hairs per day.
Believe it or not, this isn't just an arbitrary number that someone pulled out of a hat or a number that is used because it's just a nice even number.
There's a bit of scientific calculation behind this figure and that's why it's just a general guideline.
While 100 hairs per day may be normal for some, it can be above those limits for others.
Here's why.
That 100 figure is based on those same hairs being a percentage of what's already on your head.
Depending on age, hair and scalp health, hair color, and genetics, the actual number can vary quite dramatically.
It's considered normal for a person to have ten to fifteen percent of their strands in the "resting" or shedding phase at any one time.
However, this "normal" or "typical" range is going to be less for someone who already has less stands.
But, it will be more for someone who has an abnormally thick hair.
If you've ever lived in a college dorm, you've likely known someone who shed like an animal but who yet still maintained a very thick head of hair.
This is likely due to a few reasons.
First, that person already started with a high number of strands on their head.
So, they're ten percent range might be higher than 50 - 100 strands.
Second, they are still very young and are able to regrow hair that is the same texture of the hair that they lost.
This leads me to my next point.
Sometimes, The Worry Is Not How Many Strands You're Losing.
It's The Number And Quality Of Hairs You're Regrowing: I sometimes have people who contact me and say things like "my hair is thinning, but I'm not shedding more than what is usual.
I'm pretty sure I lose less than 100 hairs per day, so I'm not sure why this is happening.
" The answer to this usually lies more in regrowth than in what's being shed out.
When we're young and our scalp is healthy and hasn't yet been affected by hormones or androgens, the hair that we grow back is as thick as what we lost.
We're always replacing at a fast and efficient rate so we never notice any changes in texture of volume.
But, if we're dealing with androgenic hair loss or changes that come with age or genetics, even normal hair loss can cause changes in our hair's appearance.
The reason for this is due to a process called miniaturization.
The hair that sheds out is no longer replaced by hair that is of the same quality.
The hair that grows back in is more thin and more fine.
Therefore, we can no longer afford to lose the same amounts, especially without any treatment.
And, as we lose more and more hair, that "normal" range or that percentage gets smaller over time.
So while we could lose more than 100 strands when we were young without any effects, this is sometimes no longer the case when we are older.
The point that I'm trying to make is that "normal" ranges of hair loss can vary greatly due to the hair that you start out with and the hair that you're actively regrowing.