Autumn hair shedding: what is normal and what is not

Every autumn, the same thing happens in bathrooms across northern Europe: more hair in the brush, more in the shower drain, and a worry that something is wrong. Usually nothing is. But it helps to know what is normal and what is not.

How much is normal

A scalp has about 100,000 hairs, and each one goes through its own cycle of growing, resting and falling out. Losing about 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. Many people also notice that more hair falls out in autumn than in spring.

What matters is not the number on one bad morning, but how things change over time. Normal shedding does not make your parting wider or your ponytail noticeably thinner, and it settles down within a couple of months.

When to ask a professional

See a doctor, a dermatologist or a trichologist (a hair and scalp specialist) if any of these apply to you:

• Your parting is visibly wider than it was a few months ago, or your ponytail is noticeably thinner.
• Hair comes out in clumps, not single hairs.
• There are patches of scalp with no hair at all.
• Your scalp is sore, flaky, itchy or inflamed.
• The shedding started at the same time as tiredness, a change in weight or a new medicine.

Hair loss can have medical causes, such as low iron or ferritin, thyroid problems, shedding after an illness (telogen effluvium), pregnancy and the months after birth, and hereditary hair loss. A doctor finds these with a consultation and sometimes a blood test, not with a shampoo.

What hair care can and cannot do

We want to be clear about this. Hair grows from the root, under the skin. A leave-in cosmetic treatment stays on the hair, above the skin. It cannot reach the root, so it cannot change how much hair you shed.

What it can do is help prevent breakage. Autumn affects hair in three ways: changes in humidity roughen the outer layer, indoor heating dries hair out, and hats and collars rub against it. Smooth hair copes better with all three. Fewer broken hairs also means less hair in your brush from breakage, even though the number of hairs on your head has not changed.

A simple autumn routine

1. Wash your hair less often and with cooler water. Hot water opens the outer layer of the hair.
2. Squeeze your hair dry with a microfibre towel. Do not rub.
3. After washing, spread one 1 ml capsule through the damp lengths and ends. Not the roots.
4. Turn the styling temperature down. Use the lowest setting that still works for your hair.
5. Tie your hair loosely, and never when it is wet.

Ellips Hair Vitamin is a cosmetic leave-in treatment. It conditions and smooths hair, and helps protect it from damage caused by heat and brushing. It is not a medicine, it does not treat hair loss and it does not make hair grow. If you are worried about shedding, see a doctor. You can read more about what we can and cannot show you on our research page.