What is hair shedding?
It is very common for some people to find strands of hair on their pillows when they wake up in the morning, or hair on their combs when they brush their hair. Every human has a certain cycle for hair. Old hair is shed, and new hair grows to take its place. For people with regular hair, the rate of shedding is lesser than the rate of growing. But if someone’s hair is shed at a rate faster than the rate at which the hair grows back, then that person is said to suffer from telogen effluvium. In common parlance, this is also referred to as hair shedding. The technical name for hair shedding comes from the word telogen, which is one of the three phases of hair growth. The growth phase of hair is called Anagen, and the first two to six years of a hair strand are in this phase. The shortest phase of about two weeks is called Catagen, in which the hair follicle renews itself. The last phase is called Telogen, which is the resting phase. This phase lasts up to a maximum of four months. Alongside these three phases, the regular shedding of hair continues, usually at a rate of 50 to 100 hair strands per day. It is only when this number increases beyond this, that we realise we have a problem.
Normal reasons for hair shedding
There are several situations in which we see hair shedding, and usually these reasons do not need you to be concerned at all. When the reasons go away, usually the hair shedding also gets arrested. Here are five of those reasons you should be aware of:
- Childbirth
- Mental stress
- Prolonged fever or illness
- Unnatural weight loss
- Recovering from operation
You need to be aware that these are some of the reasons for hair shedding, but this should not be confused with hair loss. Hair loss is when new hair is inhibited from growing due to some reason. Some of these reasons could be hereditary factors, or the use of strong drugs or medical treatment, or even the use of harsh hair care products, just to name a few.
Can Biotin Shampoo Help With Hair Shedding?
In case the hair loss or shedding is due to some or all of the above reasons, then you would need any additional treatment. Once the reason for the unnatural hair loss goes away, you would see normalcy return. But sometimes this becomes unnaturally high, and begins to affect the self-esteem of the person, which is when they look for remedies. This is the reason there are a slew of products available in the market for arresting hair. Some of these could be natural DHT inhibitors, and follicle stimulators as well, while there are others which have proven to be effective, but could result in medical side effects. That's why we suggest natural products for thinning hair.
Another substance that has been seen to be very effective in treating hair shedding is called biotin. Biotin is a vitamin of the Vitamin B family, and its usual functions are to help the body to metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats. But the reason it becomes importance in treating hair shedding is because it helps to produce a substance called keratin. Keratin is a structural protein that is one of the components of hair strands, and so increased production of keratin results in increased growth of hair, which can overcome the loss of hair, if any.
