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Pulling hair out test


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Today after 2.5 days of not washing my hair i started pulling hairs before washing my hair out of curiosity. I kept pulling 5 hairs with my fingers going through the hair. I pulled atleast 50 hairs before washing hair. While shampooing hair, i pulled another 50 for sure. After drying my hair, i started pulling hairs again, 50. Lets say i pulled out 150 hairs. My hair is medium sized, kinda thick and the only early sign of balding i have is tiny recession on temples. How much is really normal to pull out when not washign hair for 2 to 3 days? Its really hard for me to tell because there is a good chance i didnt wash all the fallen hair last time i washed my hair. I also had a very stressful week and this is first time pulling this many hairs. Any thoughts on this?

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Why would you not wash your hair for days at a time, (or is this the first time you do this)?  I am guessing you did not pull intentionally; rather, as you ran your fingers through your hair it just happened naturally.  

There are two types of loss, the one you see and the one you don't.  The one you see, shedding, is normal.  Most believe 100 hairs a day is the norm.  The follicle gets tired of producing hair and it goes into a dormant stage.  3-4 months later the hair returns.  This will happen randomly to all the hair in your head.

(The hair you don't see, which is truly hair loss, is miniaturization of the strand.  Eventually the hair will dissipate and disappear).

Stress, while not the culprit, can prompt the loss of hair sooner. So stop stressing. It is likely you could not do anything about the issue anyway.  

Honestly, I would not worry about it...but would be more proactive in your hygiene.

 

 

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In terms of there being more hair fall when you go 2-3 days without washing your hair, this is perfectly normal/common - particularly if you use hair product. We shed an average of 100 hairs a day, so when you don't wash your hair, a lot of those hairs stay loose on top of your head. And depending on what sort of product you use, they could really pile up. Wash your hair daily for a few consecutive days and see if you notice a difference. If all you're experiencing is normal shedding, you won't notice anything drastic on a daily basis. 

Also, Lasercap - it's actually quite common (and often recommended) to not wash your hair every day - particularly with women or guys with longer hair. The natural oils that build up often even make the hair look better. I asked my barber the other day how he styles his hair so well and he told me it was a combination of product, wearing a hat, and not washing it daily. ;) 

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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32 minutes ago, LaserCap said:

This is what you tell your patients? Not to wash their hair so that it looks fuller? Is a week OK without washing? How about a month? With all that build-up?!....hmmmm. Man! I would have a full set of hair!

🤔Ummm lol. Not what I said at all, actually. Not sure how to be more clear, but I'll try again: I'm simply pointing out that as a general rule, going a couple days without washing your hair isn't uncommon, and is often recommended. A quick google search of "Should I wash my hair every day" will confirm this and tell you everything you need to know. 

If washing your hair every day works for you, do it. I wash mine nearly every day because I have a sensitive scalp. The point of this post was to address hair fall in what seems to be normal shedding - so if he's going a few days without washing his hair, the hair fall will be more noticeable. 

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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On 10/25/2019 at 1:10 AM, LaserCap said:

Why would you not wash your hair for days at a time, (or is this the first time you do this)?  I am guessing you did not pull intentionally; rather, as you ran your fingers through your hair it just happened naturally.  

There are two types of loss, the one you see and the one you don't.  The one you see, shedding, is normal.  Most believe 100 hairs a day is the norm.  The follicle gets tired of producing hair and it goes into a dormant stage.  3-4 months later the hair returns.  This will happen randomly to all the hair in your head.

(The hair you don't see, which is truly hair loss, is miniaturization of the strand.  Eventually the hair will dissipate and disappear).

Stress, while not the culprit, can prompt the loss of hair sooner. So stop stressing. It is likely you could not do anything about the issue anyway.  

Honestly, I would not worry about it...but would be more proactive in your hygiene.

 

 

I would intentionally go with my hands through the hair. after 2 days of not washing my hair i can pull 2 3 hairs every time i go through the hair. I feel like it wouldnt stop ever, even after 10 times i would keep getting atleast one hair. On the wash day, lets say 2 days also, while i m shampooing hair, i can for sure pull 6 to 10 hairs (when i pull hair with both hands) almost every time i go through it. It scares the shit out of me because i dont know if i just didnt pay attention before or it started to get more extreme. i could end up with 150 hairs atleast and i still feel it would never stop coming out (after 3 days of not washing my hair). 

What additionally stresses me is that when i do the same pull test on my sides, i would barely get 2 hairs out, its mostly everything on the middle side of the head where people get hairloss. I could lie to myself that hair on sides easier falls off so it doesnt stack up, but even i cant believe that story. I m giving 6 more months to my hair to see if theres any difference and i m getting on some medication to prevent it. So far i m using dermaroller 1mm every 7 days, nizoral and some home made stinging nettle "shampoo". Its not really a shampoo its more like an extract of nettle that was cooked or something.

Edited by Thisisnotatest333
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On 10/25/2019 at 8:42 AM, pkipling said:

In terms of there being more hair fall when you go 2-3 days without washing your hair, this is perfectly normal/common - particularly if you use hair product. We shed an average of 100 hairs a day, so when you don't wash your hair, a lot of those hairs stay loose on top of your head. And depending on what sort of product you use, they could really pile up. Wash your hair daily for a few consecutive days and see if you notice a difference. If all you're experiencing is normal shedding, you won't notice anything drastic on a daily basis. 

Also, Lasercap - it's actually quite common (and often recommended) to not wash your hair every day - particularly with women or guys with longer hair. The natural oils that build up often even make the hair look better. I asked my barber the other day how he styles his hair so well and he told me it was a combination of product, wearing a hat, and not washing it daily. ;) 

I have switched to a "custom made" shampoo from nettle that is more of an extract of nettle rather than a real shampoo (its not that bubbly and dense). So i m guessing that i m failing to wash out all the hair while using that shampoo and it stacks up even more, so when i hit the 3 day mark it gets scary. When im washing out the shampoo, my hair gets "hard" or i wouldnt be able to go through it with fingers. So i guess thats the reason i have that many hairs stacked up? I ve just bought nizoral which i m gonna use for 2 weeks every 3 days, then i m gonna use it once a week once i get rid of dandruff. Anyways thanks both of you for replies.

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18 hours ago, Thisisnotatest333 said:

I have switched to a "custom made" shampoo from nettle that is more of an extract of nettle rather than a real shampoo (its not that bubbly and dense). So i m guessing that i m failing to wash out all the hair while using that shampoo and it stacks up even more, so when i hit the 3 day mark it gets scary. When im washing out the shampoo, my hair gets "hard" or i wouldnt be able to go through it with fingers. So i guess thats the reason i have that many hairs stacked up? I ve just bought nizoral which i m gonna use for 2 weeks every 3 days, then i m gonna use it once a week once i get rid of dandruff. Anyways thanks both of you for replies.

If you want to determine if this is being caused by an accumulation of hair fall due to only washing your hair every 2-3 days, perhaps try washing it daily and seeing if you notice a difference. Also, if this is something that seems to have started out of nowhere, you could set up an appointment with a specialist to see if there's any underlying issues going on. At least then you'll either have peace of mind or answers as to what may be happening - in which case you'll know what your options are in terms of addressing it. 

For what it's worth, I understand this panic all too well - and I know that the more I focus on something like this it can become obsessive and then I make it out to be worse than it is. Try to take a step back from it and give your mind space to readjust and regain perspective. Then you'll have a clearer mind and be in a better position to take the appropriate action to handle this. 

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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1 hour ago, pkipling said:

If you want to determine if this is being caused by an accumulation of hair fall due to only washing your hair every 2-3 days, perhaps try washing it daily and seeing if you notice a difference. Also, if this is something that seems to have started out of nowhere, you could set up an appointment with a specialist to see if there's any underlying issues going on. At least then you'll either have peace of mind or answers as to what may be happening - in which case you'll know what your options are in terms of addressing it. 

For what it's worth, I understand this panic all too well - and I know that the more I focus on something like this it can become obsessive and then I make it out to be worse than it is. Try to take a step back from it and give your mind space to readjust and regain perspective. Then you'll have a clearer mind and be in a better position to take the appropriate action to handle this. 

That advice about stepping back was spot on. Thanks i will try to be more positive and stop overthinking it. I have 2 pictures with 8 month gap. I did have 2 stressful surgeries 1 month ago though (just a side info). You can tell a difference. One was taken today, the other one 8 months ago. I have washed my hair 24 hrs ago. I pulled by myself atleast 70 hairs and i have undercut type of hairstyle so who knows how much on sides fell off..it just felt wrong. Im going through a lot of stress because of many things, including hairloss as well

 

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@pkipling 
Hi again, i did a 2 day wash. After the 2nd day it was already much better. Doesnt mean i m still no thinning though. I found some of my hairs being thinner than the others. And as it looks like on pics, the recession progresses at a slow but certain pace. I still dont wanna go on minox. I dont wanna go on fin because i already suffer from depression that doesnt have to do anything with hairloss in general, so it might get harder with fin. I want to give minox as much time as possible because minox just stops working after some time when our scalp gets used to it. I see minox more of a "buy 2 or 3 years time" medication. 

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