Every year around now, someone sits in our chair and says some version of: I think something is wrong, there is hair everywhere.
Usually there is not something wrong. Fall shedding is a real, documented seasonal pattern and it catches people off guard annually.
What is happening
Hair grows in cycles. Most of your follicles are in the active growth phase at any given time. A smaller percentage sit in the resting phase, and at the end of that phase the hair releases.
Research consistently finds a seasonal peak in the resting phase percentage in late summer, which puts the corresponding shed in autumn.
Losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. During a fall shed, 150 or more for a few weeks is common and not a cause for alarm.
Arizona makes it look worse
Summer here is brutal on hair. Five months of intense UV, chlorine, sweat, hard water and heat styling leaves the hair shaft in poor condition.
So the hairs that release in October are drier, more brittle, and more likely to break as well as shed. It looks like more because some of it is breakage, and because damaged hair is more visible on a bathroom floor.
What a head spa does and does not do
Does: clears buildup from around the follicle, which is a better environment for the hairs currently growing. Improves scalp circulation. Removes the mineral and sebum accumulation summer deposited. Reduces itch, which reduces scratching and mechanical damage.
Does not: stop the shed. Regrow hair. Change the cycle you are in.
I want to be direct about that, because head spa marketing frequently implies otherwise. A head spa is scalp health and buildup removal. It is genuinely useful and it is not a hair loss treatment.
If a place tells you their scalp treatment regrows hair, be suspicious.
When to see a doctor instead
Shedding that lasts beyond three months.
Visible thinning at the part line or crown, or a receding pattern.
Patchy loss in defined circles.
Shedding alongside fatigue, weight change, or cycle changes, which can point at thyroid or iron.
Any shedding that starts two to three months after a major stressor, illness, surgery, or childbirth. That is telogen effluvium and it needs a physician, not a spa.
Bring a photo timeline if you have one. It helps enormously.
What actually helps at home
Iron and ferritin, protein intake, and vitamin D are the three things worth having checked. Low ferritin is a common and correctable contributor.
Ease off heat styling for a few weeks.
Do not switch to a hair growth shampoo and expect much. Shampoo has contact time measured in seconds.
Do not stop washing. Buildup on a shedding scalp makes things worse.
What we do at the appointment
Scope your scalp first. We look at follicle openings, density in the areas you are worried about, and whether there is inflammation.
If what we see looks like pattern loss rather than seasonal shedding, we will tell you and suggest a dermatologist. That happens a few times every fall and we would rather say it than take your money.
If it is buildup and seasonal shedding, we treat the scalp and you will feel a difference immediately even though the shed continues on its own schedule.
Sixty minute service starts at $130.
Book a scalp assessment
Schedule a head spa in North Phoenix.
