Scalp & Hair Loss
Why Is My Hair Thinning?
So, you’re finding more hair in the shower. Your ponytail feels a little smaller. Maybe you looked at your part under one of those horribly bright bathroom lights and thought, Was that always that wide?!
First, don’t panic. Second, please don’t immediately order seventeen hair-growth products from TikTok shop.
Hair loss is complicated because there are a LOT of reasons someone might start shedding more hair or noticing that their hair feels thinner. And unfortunately, there isn’t one magical shampoo that fixes all of them.
When someone tells me their hair is falling out and asks what shampoo they should use, I usually start asking questions instead. What shampoo are you currently using? When did you start noticing the shedding? Have you been under a lot of stress? Have you been sick recently? Are you noticing hair coming out from the root, or is your hair actually breaking?
Because it may not be something a shampoo can solve. We need to look at the root cause. Hehe. Root. Sorry. I had to.
Shedding and breakage are not the same thing. This is one subject that I talk about pretty often behind the chair because they can look similar when all you know is, “There is hair EVERYWHERE.” Your hair naturally sheds. That’s part of the normal hair-growth cycle. Individual hairs move through different phases of growing, transitioning, resting, and eventually shedding. So seeing hair in your brush or shower isn't automatically a sign that you're losing your hair.
Breakage is different. Breakage happens when the actual hair strand breaks somewhere along its length. Chemical damage, too much heat, tension, rough handling, and other factors can contribute to breakage. And then we have actual changes in density—maybe your ponytail feels smaller, your part looks wider, or you're seeing more scalp in an area than you remember seeing before. Those are different situations, which means I don't necessarily approach them the same way.
After more than a decade of working behind the chair, one thing I've learned is that the questions you ask are sometimes just as important as what you can see.
So why would your hair suddenly start shedding? This is where things get interesting.
Stress can play a role. Hormonal changes can play a role. Genetics, illness, medications, nutrition, certain styling practices, chemical damage, scalp conditions, aging, and other factors can all potentially be part of the picture. And sometimes the thing that triggered increased shedding happened months before you noticed the hair coming out.
That's something I really started understanding when I studied hair loss more deeply. Hair doesn't necessarily respond to what's happening in your body on the same timeline that you're experiencing it.
So when someone tells me, “Nothing has changed this week,” I'm probably going to start asking what was happening a few months ago too.
Hair is basically keeping receipts. Rude, honestly.
This is also why I care so much about the scalp. People spend SO much time asking about what hair needs. What shampoo should I use? Do I need protein? Do I need moisture? Should I use an oil? What about this mask? Meanwhile I'm over here like... can we look at your scalp for a second?
During a scalp consultation, I'm looking at the visible condition of the scalp and hair and asking questions about what you've been experiencing. I might look at density, breakage, buildup, flaking, irritation, your styling habits, chemical history, products you're using, and other things that could help us put the pieces together.
Sometimes a microscopic scalp analysis can also let me take a much closer look than either of us could with the naked eye. I'm not diagnosing anything. That's an important distinction. I'm gathering information. And sometimes my recommendation will be: go see a doctor. I'm actually very comfortable saying this. I'm a cosmetologist and hair-loss/scalp specialist. There are things I am trained to observe and things that are absolutely outside my scope. I'm not a dermatologist, and I'm not going to pretend to be one.
If I see something concerning, or your history suggests that there may be something happening that needs medical evaluation, I'm going to recommend that you talk to an appropriate healthcare professional. That doesn't make your scalp consultation pointless. Actually, I think knowing when you need someone with a different set of expertise is part of doing my job responsibly. And if I don't know something? I'll tell you. Then I'm probably going to go home and research it because that's just who I am. 😂
Now let's talk about the internet. I love that people are becoming more interested in scalp health and hair growth. I genuinely do. There is some really interesting research being done, and I think people should learn about their hair. But please don't believe everything you see on TikTok.
Rosemary is a great example. There is legitimate research surrounding rosemary and hair growth, which is interesting! That doesn't mean everyone should start dumping rosemary oil directly onto their scalp every night. Too much of a good thing can still be too much. Products can irritate the scalp. Heavy or improperly used oils and products can contribute to buildup. And most importantly, using something because the internet said it “grows hair” still doesn't tell us why your hair is thinning in the first place. We're back to that root cause again. Look at me bringing the joke full circle.
So when should you actually pay attention? Pay attention to changes from your normal. Maybe you're suddenly shedding significantly more than usual. Maybe your ponytail feels noticeably smaller. Maybe your part seems wider. Maybe you're noticing a particular area becoming thinner. Maybe your scalp suddenly looks or feels different. Take pictures. Seriously. Try to use similar lighting and angles so you can actually compare them over time instead of convincing yourself that you've lost half your hair because your bathroom lighting was disrespectful that morning. And if you're experiencing sudden or severe hair loss, distinct bald patches, significant pain, sores, bleeding, signs of infection, or something else that concerns you, that's a good reason to contact an appropriate healthcare professional.
You know your hair. If something feels different, it's okay to ask questions. My biggest advice? Don't throw everything at it. When people are scared about losing their hair, they understandably want to do something. That's also when people are most likely to buy the serum, supplement, shampoo, oil, mask, scalp brush and whatever else somebody promises will fix it.
But more isn't always better. Sometimes the answer is changing something about your hair-care routine. Sometimes we're dealing with breakage rather than shedding. Sometimes your scalp needs some attention. Sometimes we need more information. And sometimes the answer isn't in my chair at all. It's in a dermatologist's office.
That's okay.
I'd much rather help you figure out the appropriate next step than sell you something just because the bottle says “hair growth.”
Your hair is actually pretty fascinating when you start understanding how it works. And yes, I'm a giant nerd about it. You'll get used to me.
— Nadine Brasfield
Cosmetologist • Curl Specialist • Hair-Loss & Scalp Specialist This article is for educational purposes and isn't intended to diagnose or treat a medical condition. Medical hair or scalp concerns should be evaluated by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.