You ever have that fear that you’re going bald? I can’t be the only one who has experienced washing their hair and detangling, only to freak out at the amount of hair you keep seeing come out in the sink. Oh, so you just going to leave me out here in the cold all by myself. Well, since I’m the only one who has experienced this, allow me to give myself some tips on hair shedding and when to freak out.

1. It’s not a lot; it just looks like a lot

Although it may look as if you’re loosing all of your hair during washday, collect yourself and your strands. The best way to determine if you are indeed experiencing above average shedding, is to gather all of your hair you have lost during one washing and compare it to your next washing.

2. You know we all lose at least 100 strands a day

Yes, that’s about the average amount of hair we say good-bye to on a daily basis. The crazy part is, you still have hair on your head, so calm down. Once I found this little tidbit of information out, I stopped stressing myself out about my shedding. Keep in mind this is an average number, some could lose more, which could still be deemed normal shedding

3. You shed in strands not in clumps

Now is the time to freak out. Ok, wait let me not encourage you to do that. If you are experiencing clumps and or showing signs of patches on your scalp, now would be a good time to locate your nearest Trichologists. Keep track of the medicines you use, eating patterns, hair products, and sleep patterns. You’ll be asked to communicate all of this to your Trichologists. Clumps and chunks are not normal shedding. If you’re experiencing this, make it a priority to find a specialist.

4. You Can’t Protective Style Shedding Away

I tried this trick too many times. Wearing my hair in protective styles to minimize my shedding. It doesn’t work, but still case in point don’t freak out when you take your twists, braids, or tracks out and you’ve experienced shedding. To you it may seem like a lot, but to your hair you would have lost these strands anyway. Wearing protective styles wont keep your hair from shedding. And when in doubt, follow tip #1 and compare your loss during your next washday.

Keep these tips in mind as the seasons change. You may experience more or less during the winter months as opposed to during the summer. At any rate, KEEP CALM. You know, stress isn’t good for your hair either. Know when to freak out, and come back and tell us if we talked you off that ledge!

BMWK, How do you minimize hair shedding?