How Much Hair Is Normal to Lose in the Shower?

Seeing strands or clumps of hair in the shower basin can be distressing, especially if you have noticed an increase in the amount of hair you lose when washing or brushing or are concerned that thinning or hair loss is impacting your appearance.

However, it is normal to lose up to about 100 strands of hair every day. This is perfectly natural and part of the cycles of growth our follicles go through. We’ll explain how these work to illustrate the process and why some hair loss is healthy and expected.

Most people see individual strands rather than larger clumps, and this is impossible to see within your hair itself – any patches, areas that appear thinner or hair loss such as a receding hairline or baldness around the temple could benefit from a hair restoration treatment or potentially a hair transplant.

How to Assess Whether Your Hair Loss When Showering is Excessive

Some hair loss is natural and experienced by almost everybody. For example, you’d expect to lose a few strands of hair when styling or tying back your hair, brushing and combing, and washing your hair in the shower.

The standard is to consider hair loss of up to 100 strands a day normal and anything in excess of that a potential indication of hair loss. 

Generally, you won’t notice healthy hair shedding, and it won’t make any impact whatsoever on your appearance.

It can be tricky to ascertain whether hair loss in the shower falls within that normal range. It’s common to perceive hair loss as more extensive if you have longer and thicker hair, where the strands that shed naturally appear to comprise more hair than in a person with lighter, finer, or shorter hair.

We’d always suggest speaking with a hair restoration professional if you are concerned since there are numerous potential therapies, treatments and medications – many of which can slow or reduce hair loss if you are in the early stages of genetic pattern hair loss.

Other causes of hair loss may also be treatable with healthy lifestyle changes and good hair and scalp care. [1]

Insights Into Healthy Hair Growth Cycles That Lead to Shedding

The reason we all shed some hair is down to the natural hair growth cycle, which has several phases. [2] This is the normal way our hair grows and transitions, and it involves these steps:

1. Anagen phase – the hair is actively growing, which can continue for between two and seven years. About 85% to 90% of your follicles are in this growth phase.
2. Catagen phase – once a follicle has stopped growing, it enters the catagen phase, which lasts two or three weeks before reaching the telogen or resting phase.
3. After around two to four months, strands start shedding towards the end of the telogen phase before the follicle hits the early anagen phase, where it starts growing new hair.

When we see strands of hair in the shower, that simply means the hair has reached the end of the cycle, and the follicle is forming a new hair in the growth phase. 

It’s also often more noticeable when hair sheds in the shower, and washing, brushing and styling your hair can speed up the time it takes for a resting follicle to fall out.

Issues occur when those phrases change or when follicles shed without new hair growth to replace them. 

Signs That Hair Shedding During Showering Points to Hair Loss

If you see larger clumps of hair or multiple strands that appear to be shedding from the same location on your scalp, this is more likely to be a symptom of hair loss, which could be linked to a variety of causes.

Telogen effluvium [3] is one of the most common and is a temporary type of hair loss that can be associated with stress and hormonal changes—it’s normal for women to see changes in the thickness of their hair postpartum, for example.

Large amounts of hair shedding can also indicate genetic pattern baldness. 

Although there are misconceptions that this only affects men, we frequently treat female clients who have seen pattern hair loss, usually characterised by hair loss at the crown and thinning across the scalp rather than the characteristic widow’s peak or receding hairline in men.

Understanding Contrasts Between Hair Breakage and Loss

As we’ve seen, it isn’t always obvious whether hair shedding is normal or excessive and whether it is part of the natural growth cycle or because the hair has become damaged or broken.

Hair breakage differs from shedding because it typically means the hair will snap or break somewhere along the shaft rather than falling out from the root.

Some issues that contribute to hair breakage can include:

• Harsh chemicals in hair bleach and dyes
• Cosmetic shampoos and hair styling treatments
• Washing in very hot water
• Overuse of dry shampoos and other hair products

If you’re unsure whether you are seeing hair shedding or breakage, you can look at the hairs that fall out. If they are of a similar length to your hair, this is more likely to be shedding than breakage, and vice versa.

Steps to Prevent or Reduce Hair Shedding While Showering

Dr Matee, Director of Surgical Services, explains, ‘Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to reduce the speed of hair loss, prevent further damage to your scalp and hair, and slow down the growth cycles. 

Especially in clients with early-stage pattern hair loss, we may not recommend a hair transplant since the hair loss will likely continue progressing, meaning further procedures would be necessary.

Instead, you might opt for non-surgical therapies like laser treatment or plasma-rich platelet therapy or prescribed medication to manage hair loss.’

Other tips can include using gentle brushing before showering and opting for wet combing with a wide-toothed brush to avoid tugging and pulling to remove knots and tangles. 

You can also use gentle detangling products with natural ingredients and steer clear of high heat when blow-drying or straightening your hair.

Finally, try to avoid wearing your hair very tightly tied back—a common cause of traction alopecia [4] —and speak to our hair restoration advisers to discuss the available treatments, supplements, and hair health routines you can introduce to boost your hair’s vitality, thickness, and health.

Professional Help With Thinning Hair and Hair Loss

Should you be worried about the amount of hair you lose in the shower or be unsure whether there are any actionable treatments to improve the appearance of your hair, you are welcome to contact your nearest KSL Clinic at any time to book a cost-free obligation.

We’ll perform a clinical assessment of your scalp and hair to offer recommendations and insights to ensure you can protect your hair from further thinning and achieve the appearance you hope for.