shedding: how much is too much?
Question for J from Jae:
Hi J,
I’ve noticed that a lot of hair has been coming out when I detangle my hair. I’m just not sure if I should be losing that much, maybe I’m a little paranoid. But if it is breaking, I really want to handle it before it goes haywire. Sometimes even when I slightly manipulate it, I’ll see some falling out.
Some hair background: I wash my hair twice a week, deep conditioning when I do. I use an all natural shampoo and only shampoo once per session. I use burdock root butter from Qhemet for moisture and the balm for my scalp. Shea butter, too. I use a leave-in treatment. Oh, and also, I have no skills when it comes to styling, so I just rock a twist-out fro-ish thing.
I think my texture is 4c, though the back and sides are a bit softer. Middle is waaay kinkier. I’m attaching a pic of the hair I shed when I detangle.
Oh and before I forget, my hair gets sooo dry. Know any good moisturizers for 4c hair? Thanks for reading. In love with the blog!! Thank you guys for such an awesome blog!
J’s response:
It is said that it is normal to lose 50-100 hairs a day. This number can vary depending on how often you comb your hair. Of course, this is not something you can easily tell just by looking, especially with the texture and thickness of natural hair. The easiest thing to do is to keep track of your shedding for a few months at a time, especially if you are a recent natural. You may need to get used to what your natural-shedding looks like in contrast to relaxer-shedding. Shedding can increase at certain times of the year, can be linked to changes in a woman’s cycle and after child-birth (hormonal), medication, illness, malnutrition, or stress.
Try reducing the frequency of hair washing. Twice a week is not a lot, but it is more necessary if you have a lot of product buildup. Many naturals don’t realize it, but with curlier textures washing is actually a lot of manipulation, especially due to the tedious process of detangling. This doesn’t matter as much with shorter hair. When my hair was short, I washed it almost every day with no problems. But with longer hair, this type of manipulation can lead to breakage, especially with the use of shampoo. Cut the shampooing down to once a week or try co-washing. My hair thrives better with co-washing. It also retains more moisture and stays softer. I do an occasional shampoo or co-wash with baking soda only if I have a lot of product build-up. Does your shampoo have sulfates in it? Because that can also dry out the hair. (Jae replied back that she uses a natural shampoo that is sulfate free.)
For your hair type, the less you comb the better. This does not mean you should neglect detangling; because this may result in knots and tangles leading to breakage when you finally do detangle. It is up to you to decide which detangling routine works best and to pick styles that discourage tangling. Continue with the deep conditioning for moisture with every wash. If you re-twist many times during the week in preparation for the twist out, this may add to manipulation. You use great moisturizing products so I don’t believe that could be behind any breakage. If your moisturizers are working well for you, I wouldn’t change a thing! You may find it helpful to mist your twists each night then seal with oil to keep your hair hydrated.
If the shedding gets really bad, try a light protein treatment. And sometimes a good trim helps with shedding. There is no need for concern unless the shedding increases or if your hair comes out in chunks just by pulling at it. In that case, I would suggest visiting a dermatologist or trichologist. Your hair looks cute! Let me know if the shedding improves! Thanks for your question and for visiting BGLH! 
~j~
I shed like crazy, I always have (always been natural). When I look at natural hair blogs and see ladies with this little bunch of hair in their hands complaining about shedding, I say to myself "my shed hair could eat yours for dinner". lol. My hair is about shoulder length, very curly, and very thick, and it sheds like it ain't nothing. I am going to try a light protein treatment though and see if I notice a difference. Is there anyone out there that doesn't shed that much?
well if she's losing only that much hair, it's not much at all. i'm just starting to get back into the routine of washing once a week.. and i only comb/detangle after that
i don't think that's a lot of shedding either. it looks like a lot because it's curly but i get about the same when i detangle my hair and my hair is thicker than it's ever been. sometimes we get a bit paranoid about the shedding and breakage because it's such a hot topic on the boards. i think it seems like a lot to us 4c ladies because my shed hair only comes out when i detangle. if i shake my head it doesn't go anywhere… it stays trapped in my fro until the end of the day when i get rid of them while twisting before bed.
I agree with both Liza and TheDailey: That's not that much hair. Consider also that shed kinky/curly hair LOOKS like a lot of hair because of its bulk.
Re moisturizers: Water is the ultimate moisturizer but my 4b/4c hair has been doing wonderfully lately since I added castor oil to my nightly water spritz. I use about 1 part oil to 4 parts water. I spritz my hair every night before putting it into fat plaits or twists. Not only is my hair soft as heck, it's actually got noticeable shine, which is saying something for this hair type.
I guess different things work for different people. I have a head full of 4A through 4Z. Co-washing weekly or every two weeks resulted in knots and tangles that would have to be cut out and handfuls of hair in the tub or sink when I tried to detangle. After being completely natural for two years, I finally found the combination of products and technique that would allow me to detangle my hair and wear something other than a puff. Seriously, I figured this out two weeks ago. I shampoo and condition twice weekly with products from the Phyto line. I use the phytonectar moisturizing shampoo and the phytokarite conditioning mask. I divide my hair into six parts and shampoo and condition one at a time. I can actually comb the condition through my hair now. Sundays before I shampoo, I use the Huile d’Ales oil treatment. Before I go to bed at night, I spritz my hair with diluted Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla leave-in conditioner and I put my hair in 7 or 8 twists and wrap it up.
I know an argument can be made that retwisting nightly is a lot of manipulation but for me it’s an opportunity to finger comb my hair and find any knots and tangle and remove them with my fingers instead of having to cut them out to prevent loc-ing. Now I barely have any hair loss after shampooing.
the shedding doesn't look that bad. I'm shedding right now way more, but after reading this, I think I have a few reasons as to why which is good…
This blog reads minds. I was wondering the same thing, and was thinking there was more shedding since my hair is thicker and a little longer, but I was still paranoid. More hair begets more patience I suppose.
You have put my mind at ease, thank you Jae for asking and thank you J for answering!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am with you Nicole. This blog totally read my mind! I have noticed that as my hair grows the shedding has increased. I am very pleased to say however that my hair is thicker and longer than I could have ever imagined. I agree with SewDope concerning dead hair that just chills in the fro until we detangle. When you only do your hair and comb/detangle it once a week or every two weeks there is a lot of hair that has been let go in the week that wont come out due to the curly nature of our hair.
Through this shedding I have also learned not to be afraid of scissors. I will cut the mess out of some tangles and then do a search and destroy for any knotted or split hairs. Which is why I am glad BGLH did that post on knots in the hair.
Great job ladies. I love love love and need this blog
ur hair is beautiful.n the sheding is not bad at all.most ppl(well me
) loose more than that.u can relax 
i have a suggestion. QUIT SHAMPOOING!!!! use only conditioner and co wash daily. See what happens. If you must shampoo, use a natural shampoo without any sulfates. I co wash daily and use kinky curly products. I honestly get maybe 10 strands of hair daily, (and yes I count lol)
Jae,
You would faint if you saw how much hair comes out of my head after I comb- enough to give a Black Barbie doll (or two) a full head of hair. This isn’t always the case, but it is if my hair has been locked away in a protective style for a while (few weeks to a month). It never scares me though, because no matter how much comes out I still have lots of thick, healthy hair left on my head. LOL. Shedding is just a part of life. Out with the dead hair, and in with the new!
PS
What does “co wash” mean? Some of you seem to think that it can help.
Co-washing is simply using the conditioner as you would normally use the shampoo. Massage the scalp with the conditioner all over and then after your full head massage you can rinse & repeat. If you google co-wash you will see some sites out there that are dedicated to co-washing for all kinds of hair. It seems to be the new movement : ) And the concept is you are not getting rid of all the natural oils in your hair when you do this so its like you’re not continually starting over trying to get moisture buildup.