Losing Hair: Is No Poo To Blame

I get a couple emails a week about losing hair. And they usually come with a frantic “help!” request. But don’t fear no poo-ers. It’s not always hair loss.

How much hair should I shed a day?

We have about 100,000 strands of hair on our head. We shed on average between 50 to 150 strands of hair a day.

We release the hair we shed when we shampoo, wash, brush, and comb our hair as well as while we are tossing and turning in our sleep. One of the big appeals of the no poo method is that you don’t have to wash your hair as often. If you go two weeks between washing your hair, it is possible that you have two weeks worth of hair loss built up resulting in a big fallout in the shower.

Many no poo-ers think they are losing more hair, but really it’s just they aren’t removing the hair they shed everyday anymore through daily washes. So when they do wash or brush, it comes out in bigger clumps.

Does no poo make me lose more hair?

Not if it is done correctly.

If you are using too much baking soda, too often, you will likely cause damage which could result in breakage and losing hair excessively. Baking soda should be used at most every four days. And that’s the absolute most. It’s much better to use it less often. I limit it to once every month or two and use different methods of washing in between baking soda applications. Find out more about how to properly use baking soda here.
Baking soda is not good for all hair types. As a general rule (there are always exceptions), baking soda is not good for curly hair, hard water, chlorine (if you swim a lot), and chemically dyed hair. Read more about all of that here.
Baking soda needs to be followed with an acid rinse to balance the pH levels. Read about that here.

What if it is hair loss?

Several things could cause losing hair in excessive amounts:

stress
diet
hormones / pregnancy
thyroid problems
transition / detox phase
dry or damaged hair (but this usually results in hair breaking instead of falling out at the roots)
seasonal changes (we lose more hair when it is hot outside)
restricting hair at the roots (ie too tight ponytail)
using heated styling tools too often (blow dryer, hair straightener, curling iron, etc.)

So what can you do about losing hair?

Blood circulation helps with hair growth. Massaging and scritching & preening helps.

Eating omega 3’s and drinking plenty of water reduces hair loss. Read more about nutrition for healthy hair here.
Find hair loss prevention recipes using essential oils here.

If you are experiencing larger amounts of hair loss, it is usually a result of stress and / or diet and you should seek medical attention.