You start detangling, and before you know it, there's a huge ball of hair in your palm. The more you work through your curls, the more hair you seem to lose.
But here's the thing: not all hair loss is the same. What you're seeing could be shedding or breakage, and knowing which one you're dealing with can help you understand what's happening to your hair and how to care for it.
Let's look at how to tell them apart and what to do about each.
What Is Hair Shedding?
First and foremost, everyone's hair sheds.
Here's the science behind it for a little more context:
Every hair on your head goes through a cycle. During the anagen (growth) phase, a strand grows for roughly two to seven years. Next comes the catagen phase, a short transition period lasting a few weeks. Then there's the telogen (resting) phase, which lasts about three months. After that, the hair is released, and a new strand begins to grow in its place.
Now, here's where it all comes together. Not every strand on your head goes through these phases at the same time. While some hairs are actively growing, others are resting or reaching the end of their cycle and getting ready to shed.
At any given time, roughly 85 to 90 percent of your scalp hairs are in the growth phase, while the rest are in other stages of the cycle. So, losing around 50 to 100 strands a day is considered normal.
This is also why the amount of hair you see after detangling can be surprising, especially if it’s been a while since your last wash day.
Picture this: you’ve had your hair in a protective style for two months. If you shed an average of 100 strands a day, that’s potentially around 6,000 strands over 60 days. Rather than falling away as you go about your day, those strands can stay caught in your curls until you take down the style and detangle.
What is Hair Breakage?
Hair breakage is basically a form of damage, and several factors can contribute to it.
One of the biggest culprits is dryness. When your hair is excessively dry, it’s more prone to snapping, so don’t underestimate the importance of moisture! Moisturizing products can help keep your curls hydrated and reduce the risk of breakage. Over-manipulation is also a factor, so try not to do too much with your hair if you think it is prone to breakage, like putting it into tight ponytails or buns on a regular basis.
Heat is another culprit. Frequent use of heat styling tools can damage your strands over time, even when you use a heat protectant. While these products can help reduce damage, they can’t prevent it completely, so it’s worth dialling back on the heat when you can.
Chemical processing and treatments can also leave your hair more fragile. Product and mineral buildup can contribute to breakage, too. The residue can leave your curls feeling weighed down, coated, and stiff, making them more prone to snapping.
Here's something interesting to note: with breakage, your hair may still be growing at a normal rate, but the strands snap before they can gain length. Hair grows about half an inch a month on average, so if your hair breaks off as quickly as it grows, you may feel like your length has stalled.
Recognizing Hair Shedding vs. Breakage
One way to recognize shedding is by looking at the length of the strands. Shed hairs tend to be closer to the full length of your hair, rather than lots of short pieces of varying lengths. You can also try the bulb test. Take a closer look at the root end of a strand. If you notice a tiny, white, club-shaped bulb, it may be a shed hair.
Shed hairs also tend to come away naturally, without much resistance. You might notice them coming out as you run your fingers through your hair or find long strands on your clothes, jacket, or couch.
With breakage, it's a little different. One of the main things to understand is that it can happen at different points along the strand. So, you might find tiny pieces of hair, or it might look like your hair has been cut in half, into quarters, or just chopped off. Either way, you're not seeing a complete strand. You may also notice certain parts of your hair looking curlier, or shorter than others or feeling rougher, especially at the ends, if your hair is prone to breakage.
Factors That Could Increase Shedding
While shedding is a normal part of the hair growth cycle and some breakage is to be expected with most curly hair routines, certain factors can cause you to experience more of either than usual.
A common cause of excessive shedding is a condition called telogen effluvium. This happens when more hairs than usual enter the resting phase of the hair growth cycle around the same time. These hairs eventually shed, but not immediately. Shedding often starts about two to three months after the trigger, which makes it easy to miss the connection.
Some triggers for increased shedding include:
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Childbirth (postpartum shedding).
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A major illness, high fever, or surgery.
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Significant emotional or physical stress.
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Rapid weight loss or restrictive dieting.
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Nutritional deficiencies, particularly low iron or protein.
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Thyroid conditions.
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Hormonal changes, including starting or stopping hormonal contraception.
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Certain medications.
Telogen effluvium is often temporary, and hair density tends to recover over the following months.
Factors that Contribute to Hair Breakage
When it comes to excessive breakage, the issue is usually the condition of your strands and how much stress they're exposed to.
Protein and bond treatments, such as Inhairitance Curl Repair, Pretty Curly Girl Intense Protein Mask, K18 Leave-in Molecular Repair Mask, Ecoslay Matcha Boost, or the Curlsmith Bond Curl Rehab Salve, can help strengthen and reinforce the strands.
The right conditioning treatments can also soften your hair, improve manageability, and reduce friction during detangling.
A few options to consider include:
When to See a Doctor For Your Hair Loss Or Breakage
Of course, many cases of hair loss cannot be addressed with products alone.
Consider seeing a doctor or dermatologist if you notice:
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Hair loss in patches or a clearly receding hairline.
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A widening part or thinning around your crown.
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Persistent itching, burning, tenderness, redness, scaling, or bumps on your scalp.
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Heavy shedding that continues for several months.
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Hair loss alongside fatigue, unexplained weight changes, or other unusual symptoms.
There are also two conditions worth knowing about, especially if you have textured hair: traction alopecia and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA).
Traction alopecia happens when your hair is repeatedly pulled too tightly, often from tight braids, weaves, or ponytails. It commonly affects the hairline and temples. CCCA, on the other hand, is a form of scarring hair loss that usually starts at the crown and spreads outward. It's more common in women of African descent.
Both conditions need early attention because hair loss can become permanent, particularly when scarring occurs. If you notice these changes, it's best to get your scalp checked as soon as possible.
We are not hair loss experts at Curl Warehouse and none of this should be considered medical advice. We suggest speaking to a professional to determine why your hair loss may be occurring before attempting to improve it with products. Products can help improve hair strength and resilience, contributing to less breakage, but are not a long-term fix if there's an underlying problem. Products alone will not affect hair loss if it is a medical issue.
