Why is my hair shedding so much? What's normal, what's not and when to act

Whether it’s stray strands in your hairbrush, on your pillow or around the shower drain, most of us realise that we’re shedding hair daily. But some of us are losing more hair than we're growing back.

It can feel confronting when you realise your hair is thinning. You might start to wonder if it will ever stop. To help you keep a clear head, we wanted to step in with some of the facts.

The good news is that hair shedding is usually temporary. It can even change with the seasons. But it's not the only type of hair loss that you might experience.

In this article, we're exploring the most common types of hair loss in women, the likely causes and what you can do about it.

The female hair shedding cycle explained

Before we get into excessive hair shedding and its causes, we thought it was important to talk about how people lose hair in general. A regular hair growth cycle has 4 phases, including shedding. Here’s how it works.

Anagen phase: growth

The first phase is the growth phase, known as anagen. For most people, around 85% of their hair will be in the anagen phase at any one time [3]. The growth phase is also the longest, lasting for 2-7 years [5].

Catagen phase: transition

Next up, we have the transition phase, known as catagen. This phase is super short – lasting only 2-3 weeks. It’s the stage where growing hairs move into their resting state [5].

Telogen phase: resting

In the resting phase, known as telogen, your hair has stopped growing but has not yet been shed. This phase can last for up to 3 months [5].

For most people, only around 15% of their hair will be in the resting phase at any one time [3]. But for people dealing with excessive shedding, this can be as much as 30%, which is why your hair looks and feels so much thinner.

Exogen phase: shedding

Finally, we have the release phase, known as exogen. This is the moment when all that rest is done, and old hairs are pushed out as new hair grows [5].

These old hairs are the ones that are shedding each time you run your fingers through your hair, give it a brush or a good wash.

How much hair shedding is normal for women?

It might surprise you to know that most people shed anywhere from 30 to 150 hairs per day [1][3]. That’s right, per day.

You can’t exactly sit down and count them, so how will you know if you’re shedding more than you should? A typical sign is a decrease in hair volume or thickness across the whole scalp. In other words, your hair feels thinner [3].

What is hair shedding, and is it the same as hair loss?

It can be kind of alarming when your hair starts to lose thickness. You might even worry that it’s the first sign of hair loss.

Let us put your mind at ease: hair shedding and hair loss are not the same thing. One key difference is that hair shedding is temporary, while hair loss is typically permanent [1]. Here's what you need to know. 

Telogen effluvium (hair shedding)

Telogen effluvium is the medical term for excessive hair shedding. It can be caused by a lot of different things, from an illness to physical or mental stress, nutrient deficiencies and hormone levels [1][3]. We’re going to tell you more about those factors later.

For now, what you need to keep in mind is that this condition is temporary. It usually gets better on its own and doesn’t need treatment. Having said this, there are steps you can take to support healthy hair growth.

Androgenetic alopecia (female pattern hair loss)

Female pattern hair loss, also known as androgenetic alopecia, is hair loss caused by hormonal or genetic factors [2]. These lead to the hair follicle shrinking, becoming smaller and smaller until eventually, it stops growing hair at all.

This type of hair loss is most common for women over 50, though it sometimes happens earlier in their 30s or 40s. It's also a type of hereditary hair loss, which means it is inherited from your parents.

Unlike hair shedding, hair loss can’t be reversed. Some treatments can help slow it down, and getting started early leads to the best results.

What causes sudden or excessive hair shedding in women?

There are a surprising number of factors that can lead to increased hair shedding for women. Common ones include [1][3][4]:

• Stress
• Illness
• Rapid weight loss
• Certain medications
• Stopping a hormonal medication, such as birth control pills
• Nutrient deficiencies, such as iron deficiency or a lack of protein 

While it’s easy to tell yourself that feeling stressed or getting sick is to blame, we do recommend talking to your doctor about any sudden or unexpected hair thinning. They can help you look into all the relevant factors, including new ones.

For example, weight loss medication is a new factor that research finds could lead to excessive hair shedding. In a review of multiple studies, both Wegovy and Mounjaro were linked to temporary hair loss [4].

There are a few possible reasons for this, like losing weight quickly, changes in your hormones or eating less.

Even though it's possible, hair thinning isn’t a common side effect. In the studies mentioned, it affected less than 10% of patients. It also tends to clear up on its own in around 6 months.

But that doesn’t mean you have to handle it alone. It’s important to talk to your clinician about any side effects of a medication, so that you can access support. 

For women in the Juniper programme, we offer a Hair Renewal Treatment that can help promote healthy regrowth and reduce thinning. Our treatment options are designed to target weight- and hormone-driven hair loss.

Your clinician will personalise the best treatment for you based on your health history and what’s causing your hair loss.

Is hair shedding seasonal? What to expect across the year

Fun fact about your hair: it’s not the same thickness all throughout the year. In fact, it changes with the seasons.

One study of over 800 women that was completed across 6 years found that telogen hairs (the shedding kind) were more likely during spring or summer, and less likely during winter [6]. 

To put this another way, you probably have a thicker head of hair during the colder months than the warmer ones.

While doctors and researchers can generally agree that seasonal hair shedding is real, they don’t know why it happens.

If you want to avoid this seasonal shift, the best tip is to take good care of your hair and scalp. Simple tips include gentle brushing or grooming techniques and using moisturising hair products in the dry months [7].

When should women be concerned about hair shedding?

When it comes to hair shedding, there’s usually no need for concern [1]. It’s a temporary condition that fixes itself with time.

But that doesn’t mean we recommend handling it on your own. It’s always a good idea to bring any health concerns to your doctor, small or large.

It’s also possible for telogen effluvium (shedding) and female pattern hair loss to occur at the same time [3]. And when it comes to hair loss, early treatment works best. So rather than assuming it's hair shedding that can be left alone, check with a health professional.

We know a lot of women take pride in their hair and, understandably, feel upset if it starts thinning. It might help to chat with friends or family about how you feel or even seek professional help if you notice a decline in your mental health [1].

There are also support groups for many different types of hair loss. The important thing to remember is that you’re never facing life alone.

What can you do about excessive hair shedding?

Just because you've started losing hair doesn't mean you're on a road to complete hair loss. There are practical steps you can take to support hair regrowth, from taking supplements to hair loss treatments.

Styling and hair care

Taking good care of your hair sounds like a simple tip, but it works. The key word here is gentle. That means less heat styling (hair dryers, straightening or curling) and no harsh chemicals (hair dye, bleaching or relaxing) [3].

Skin camouflage is another option that helps to reduce visible hair loss. These are essentially sprays or powders in your hair colour that help hide bald patches [2].

Diet and nutrition

We know from research that vitamins and minerals have a role to play in healthy hair. There are some, like vitamin A, where too much can be an issue. And others, like biotin or iron, where a deficiency leads to lacklustre hair [5].

Working with your doctor or a dermatologist, it might be helpful to take a closer look at your diet. If there are areas where your nutrition is lacking, then adjusting what you eat or taking supplements could help combat gradual thinning.

Hair loss treatments

We wanted to mention it one last time: check in with your doctor for anything related to hair shedding, thinning or loss. There are treatment options for many types of hair loss that can help improve the look and feel of your hair, or even promote regrowth. Some of these you apply directly to the scalp (topical), while others are taken as tablets (oral) [1][2].

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