What causes hair shedding during autumn season? 

Autumn brings changes, and we're not just talking about the climate. Hair shedding in autumn is as natural as leaves falling. As the days grow shorter and colder, the roots of your hair go into dormancy and your hair begins to fall with the autumn leaves.

For a period of one to two months, you might see hair shedding increase, and for some of us, very rapidly. In fact, autumn is seen as a season when many of us go through our most severe phase of shedding, second only to spring season.

How normal is it to lose hair during autumn season? 

Hairs in the telogen phase generally fall out 100 days later, which means that most people would see a shedding at the end of the summer and into the fall. These hairs are not necessarily lost forever, as a healthy hair follicle will then eventually cycle back into its growth phase. However, this phase of shedding is far from ideal for those of us who already suffer from hair loss.

When does hair shedding in autumn stop? 

Hair shedding often stops on its own, about half way through autumn season, so in or around November time. It's normal to shed up to 100 hairs a day. When the body sheds significantly more hairs every day, a person has excessive hair shedding. The medical term for this condition is telogen effluvium.

Seasonal shedding is a perfectly normal process, but it can become a problem if you are already suffering from common hair loss conditions such as pattern baldness, or even temporary hair loss conditions like post-partum baldness.

Can you minimise seasonal hair shedding?  

There are plenty of viable ways to slow down and prevent the effects of severe hair shedding, no mater what the season.  However, autumn shedding is slightly trickier to treat than most seasons because we tend to shed more during this time of the year.

For some options to tackle hair loss this autumn, please read our article: Autumn Guide for Hair Loss.