Why Does Your Hair Fall Out in the Shower?

Normal Hair Loss

When you shower and wash your hair, you massage the scalp. This action shakes loose the hair that's about to fall according to the normal hair cycle. Washing your hair will not cause you to lose any more hair that you would normally. The hair falls out in the shower because you shake loose the dead hair that has completed the healthy hair cycle.

Hair Cycle -- Anagen Phase

The anagen phase of the hair cycle is the growth phase. This is when the new hair has pushed out the dead hair and is actively growing out of the follicle. This phase typically lasts several years.

Hair Cycle -- Catagen Phase

The second phase of the hair cycle is the catagen phase. This is also known as the resting phase, when hair follicles stop producing hair. This is the phase prior to shedding, and lasts about two to four weeks.

Hair Cycle -- Telogen Phase

This is the last phase in the hair cycle. During this phase, shedding occurs. Like cats and dogs, people also shed. Dead hair falls out of hair follicles so it can be replaced by healthy new hair. This occurs all the time, not only in the shower. One way to tell whether the hair you shed in the shower is normal is to examine the hairs; they should all be about the same length and texture.

Posted in: Hair Loss