Excessive hair loss?

[ICriedAllTheWayToTheChipShop]

I seem to be losing quite a lot of hair every time I wash it these days, and I'm not sure whether this is a normal thing that comes with age or if I should be going to my GP about it.

For context, I have very thick curly hair which is about bra band length. Because it's so dry, I only tend to do a "proper" wash (rather than just wetting it and putting some product on) once a week. I am also 45 and have been perimenopausal for a couple of years now, and on top of that I take medication that has hair loss as a side effect.

The picture shows what comes out after one wash (I have normal sized hands, btw!). It's quite a big clump, but is it because I only do it weekly and the dead stuff builds up over time?

I had this, until i started taking Collagen and within 2 weeks it stopped ... just like that!

Thyroid issues, low iron, low B12, low vitamin D can all cause hair loss. If you’re concerned do speak to a dr & request blood tests. I ignored my hair loss for too long and it was hypothyroidism. I was very, very unwell by the time I started treatment.

I get this , bigger than that sometimes and I've got OA thyroid

Yes it is probably because you are washing only weekly.
Washing that infrequently can actually be bad for your scalp and cause hair loss.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/not-washing-your-hair-for-days-can-lead-to-hair-loss-scalp-infection#How-hair-training-can-lead-to-hair-loss

And this 2021 study found the optimum hair washing frequency was 5-6x per week:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8138261/

Really? I think my hair would be like straw if I washed it more than even twice a week - I think it's fairly standard for dry or curly hair. I'll read your link and see what it says though!

I don't think I have an OA thyroid because I am also fat...

Under active thyroid causes weight gain

That second link was only testing on Asian hair so that's a bit 🤔

You must be joking.

It’s testing washing frequency on scalp health and hair conditions like hair loss that arise from an infected or inflamed or dirty scalp.

Asians have human scalps like everyone else. Hair type is irrelevant.

Yes but scalps are skin and unless everyone has the same kind of skin I'm still sceptical

Yes all humans have the same type of skin. Colour of skin doesn’t denote a different type of skin or nonhuman skin. This is why there is no scientific or biological basis for race. We are all biologically the same.

Dry skin, oily skin, skin that can't take perfumed products etc. you're not telling me that they have no bearing on hair washing

No, biology is telling you that those minute differences do not matter when it comes to optimum frequency of washing your hair & scalp to prevent scalp and hair conditions- including hair loss the condition the OP is experiencing.

This isn’t a beauty thread on which hair or skin product works best if you have dry or oily or sensitive.

This is a thread on health and what could be causing hair loss. Poor hygiene is definitely a factor for ALL humans, not just Asians FFS.

Why are you trying to make out I'm being racist to Asians? I was pointing out that skin types handle water and different soaps differently so stop with the bullshit please

Your comments are clearly racist, likely from ignorance. You said you are skeptical of a scientific study on the optimum washing frequency of the human scalp to prevent scalp and hair conditions because it was done by “Asians” on “Asian hair”

This has nothing to do with different soaps or shampoos for straight vs curly vs dry vs oily hair AT ALL.

Oh FFS 🙄 what I meant was that it was only on one group of people instead of across the board. So calling me racist is just because I don't agree with you and you want to shoot me down. Race had fuck all to do with it. If it had only been done on white European I would have said the exact same

The scalp is indeed skin (albeit with more sebaceous glands and blood vessels), therefore ethnicity can (and will likely) be a factor in any study.

You calls of racism are quite frankly puerile

@GlobalCitz thank you! This is exactly what I meant but maybe didn't articulate it very well 🤷

I don't think it's fair to call it "poor hygiene" - most people with curly and/or dry hair avoid daily washing. I was really looking for a sense of whether the hair loss in my OP picture is excessive or not. I live alone and I don't have anyone to compare notes with! There might be mitigating factors like medication and hormonal changes, but I don't want to go to the GP if it's within the normal range for my age and circumstances.

@ICriedAllTheWayToTheChipShop sorry your thread got derailed. I'm 38 and as I say I have more than that sometimes. Though I only wash mine 2 times a week too. Maybe get a blood test at GP and then they can see if there's anything to see

Hair can also fall out a month or so after an illness, since it causes a break in hair growth and the hair falls out when the paused growth reaches the scalp. I had norovirus and a month later my hair fell out in handfuls whenever I washed it. It gradually grew back.

I didn’t say you had poor hygiene, I said poor hygiene can cause hair loss.
Less frequent than the optimum isn’t necessarily poor, it can be adequate.

It’s not just age, hormones and nutrition - hygiene practices and hair grooming also play a role. Eg we all know about traction alopecia caused by certain hair grooming practices do we not? Washing frequency is less known and there are a lot of beauty myths about training hair and not needing to wash that can be harmful.

Anyway, the study and article I linked are also applicable to European scalps. The regreasing process and dirt accumulation on scalps is very similar for all humans who live in a modern urban or suburban setting.

Similar hair and washing schedule, that looks completely normal to me!

Look at what's left on your head. That will be a better indicator of whether you have thinning hair.

I had exactly the same, also a curly girl who washes only once a week.
I started taking Glowwa tablets first menopause last year, can't believe the difference they've made in a year!

Have you been ill recently?
Dd had this for a while after she had covid and apparently this can happen when recovering from a virus.