Is this normal hair shedding? Pic attached

[Suuuugar]

Hi,

Long story short, I've lost a lot of hair over the past decade thanks to iron deficiency, not actually brought to my attention by my GP and classed as within "normal range". Not sure how a deficiency can be seen as normal, but anyway.....

Really upped my iron intake and have recently added a heme based supplement and my nails are growing super fast! I think my day to day shedding is a bit less, but when I wash I still lose bloody loads! I used to just let it go down the drain, because I couldn't bear to see it, but now I'm catching it all so I can see if it's actually improving.

So below is the amount I lost today. It's fairly standard. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

Is this a normal amount of hair shedding in the shower?.....

Here.

And here.

I can’t see your pic but I lose a LOT of hair (especially when I wash and brush it) and I don’t have an iron deficiency, as far as I know. I can’t get round the whole house with the hoover without having to stop and unblock various parts of the hoover (some of it is the dog’s to be fair, but a lot of it is mine!) I still have more than enough on my head so I don’t worry about it. I have always just assumed I have a quick turnover, if that makes sense, as my hair isn’t actually thinning at all.

Sorry, I can your pics now. I lose a lot more than that, if that brings you any comfort.

I suppose it depends on whether your hair is actually thinning? Does it look like there is less on your head now?

I lose that amount and more, don't believe I have any deficiency or anything.
I do have very thick hair, though, so I don't worry about it.

I lose loads more than that everyday, I've been using L'Oréal full resist shampoo and conditioner in the hope it helps somewhat and also taking biotin.

I don't have any deficiency that I know of, and I don't have thick hair either, I have started to wash it it less in the hope that it helps.

I definitely lose more than that when I wash mine (I use a wet brush and pull all the loose hair out of it when I'm finished, so I get a pretty good idea).

My hair is almost waist length though, and I think that makes it look like a lot even if it's only a dozen or so actual hairs - how long is yours? I wash mine every four days or up to a week if it hasn't got dirty, so any hair that has come loose in that time and not fallen off by itself is all gathered up at once in a way that it wouldn't with washing more often, so that would affect the amount you see.

Looks normal to me.

I lose about 4 times that in one wash

My daughter is in her early 30's with hair below her shoulders and she loses a lot more hair than this every time she washes her hair.

I have long, thick hair and I moult twice a year. During this time, I always freak out that I’m losing my hair as it comes out in fistfuls, but it lasts only for 2 weeks.

the amount in your pics seems minimal.

I wash my hair once a week and loose five times as much as that

I lose easily as much as in your photos and have done for yeras.

In my case I put it down to the peri-menopause/menopause

I would say that's a fairly normal amount to lose each day.

I guess it depends how much hair you have to start with - does it look like it's thinning?

It depends how long your hair is but mine’s shoulder length and I lose WAY more than that and always have.

I lose a lot more when I wash mine however I don’t wash or brush it very often (wavy verging on curly), maybe twice a week washing and once a week brushing (when wet).
So the amount of hair I lose seems absolutely tonnes however if I were washing and brushing more regularly it would probably be less!

That's less than normal for me! Try to brush your hair gently once a day, it should remove what needs to be removed rather than losing it in the shower

Thanks for all your replies.

My hair always used to be very thick. I would say it's maybe a third of the thickness it was 5 - 10 years a go. I don't mind that to an extent, as it's actually slightly easier to manage, but it's much thinner at the top and around the temples. I'm worried all the hair is coming from there! It's also worse on one side.

Not sure if it's worth trying a spray or serum and just concentrating in that area.

Tbh, the amount of hair does look less in the pictures than it does in reality. It comes out just after shampooing in a sort of stringy motion. It feels like a lot as it's coming out. I always lost a lot, but I never actually saw it come out. It would just clog up the vacuum cleaner and drain, but I didn't used to actually see it as I washed my hair.

I actually meant a third less thick!

I'm losing more than that daily but you can't compare to other people. If it is an increased amount for you go and speak to your gp. It might be worth having having some hormone checks.

How old are you and are you taking any hormonal contraception?

I can run my fingers through my hair and come away with twenty or so strands. Hair washing always leaves a big clump (I finger comb it and stick it to the tiles so it doesn't go down the drain). Dying or using henna makes it even worse.

I think I lose an excessive amount but at the same time I don't appear to have thinning so I don't worry about it too much.

I've started wearing it down when I am in the house to see if this puts less pressure on the roots (sensory thing, I cannot stand the feel of hair on my face and frequently think about shaving it all off!!)

I lose pretty much the same as you (age 43) and have definitely noticed it thinning over the last year or so - when I tie my hair up, there is definitely less to grab hold of.

I have full bloods done regularly as I have an under active thyroid and according to the GP everything is in order. I find it quite upsetting though as I think if it carries on I won’t have much left! I’d love to know if anybody has found a solution, whether supplements or products?

I wonder if it’s the peri-menopause so will bring it up with the gynaecologist when I see her - hopefully she will be more sympathetic than the GP!

I lose about twice that washing my hair, and then more throughout the day.
However, I have Crohn's disease and my hair is thinning quite noticeably now as a result of malnutrition a few months ago I believe. I'm hoping it will grow back as it's very upsetting and I don't know if it will soon become noticeable.
If anyone does find anything that genuinely helps please do let us know!!

I found Starpowa gummies for hair and nails helped me. However they are expensive (I get mine from Holland and Barretts) and I can't be sure it was just coincidence. I was going through a period of grief and losing loads of hair. I read about these supplements and started using them. My hair got so much better but, like I say, that may have just been coincidence. My hair follicles weren't damaged so it was the cycle of hair fall that was the problem. As my hair started growing back it seemed to be thicker than before but perhaps that would have happened anyway. I still use this supplement, so couldn't say what my hair would be like without them.