How Much Should
Her Hair Shed?
I recently
posted a picture on our Facebook Wall which was an image of my daughter's shedded
strands after a very long washing and detangling session.
When I saw the
amount of hair in the center of my palm, I realized that the amount was a bit
more than usual. We often hear the
words: “Curly hair is actually more likely to shed than straight hair." I cannot compare the amount of hair I shed
with my daughter's mainly because my shedding depends on the season.
I began to wonder, "How much is too much?" "Is she losing hair or shedding hair?" Among a thousand other
questions came to mind, is this shedding or breakage? Is she low in the vitamin department? Or is it something
more than that?"
With so many
questions and not enough answers, I panicked. I began to look into old photos to compare the
amount of hair and even went as far as to bring my friend, Korrie into the
mix.
LAST SESSION
YESTERDAY'S SESSION
The very first
hair rule that was ingrained in my brain by mother dearest, was "healthy hair is supposed to shed from 50 to 100 strands a day". Although I use this as a rule, it may or may
not be accurate depending on the individual.
But with that
rule in mind it is important to always take the time to double check the
strands to determined whether the strands has naturally fallen from the scalp or
if it is in fact breakage.
SHEDDING:
This is a
natural process of the hair and it happens when the hair strands falls from the
scalp and you will be able to see a "white" tinny little ball at the
end.
BREAKAGE:
Breakage
happens when using the wrong tools or the wrong technique among other
reasons. But you will be able to
determine it by the look and even by the length of the strand, which leads to the
next point;
Take your
length in consideration when examining your tresses: What I mean by this
is that a "shedded" strand is longer because it has naturally fallen from
the scalp, while "broken" strand is a shorter than the regular length
of the hair because it has broken at a certain point.
Also keep the
following in mind:
"The longer
you go without detangling the hair, the more hair you will see"-
After putting
my thinking cap on, I realized, that the last time I truly detangle my
daughter's hair was almost four (4) weeks ago, so it made perfect sense for her
to shed more hair during this session than the last. I usually keep her hair in protective styles
that last anywhere from one week to 4 weeks.
"The longer
and curlier the hair, the bigger the amount hair will be shed"
Women with
longer hair may think they are shedding more because of the amount of hair
they, see but this is because the mass of hair is simply bigger.
Now, if you
exhibit sudden changes and the amount of shedding increases drastically please
contact your physician. There are many
other reasons why this happens, from lack of vitamins (or too much of them),
certain prescriptions can altered your body and hormone levels leading to
excessive loss of hair. But all of these
have to be addresses by a physician.
With that
being said, remember that curly hair is extremely delicate and it is important
that you take your time detangling the hair.
Proper moisture can also help prevent the hair from becoming dry and
breaking.
Happy Styling!
J
