Your scalp feels dry and itchy. Every day, you grab a hat to keep yourself warm on the commute to work (or even all day if your workplace is on the cold side). And, in the back of your mind, you remember someone once told you that you’ll lose more hair in winter. Are you?
Perhaps you looked down in the shower this morning and saw – to your horror – several strands of hair sliding towards the drain. Now, you’re worried. Should you be?
Let’s start with those hairs in your shower (it’s the easier answer). Your plumbing is likely to suffer a lot more than your self-esteem in this case. You have about 100,000 hairs on your head (though people already balding or thinning will have less). These hairs don’t grow in tandem; each strand of hair has a life cycle . And, even though you don’t love it – that cycle includes death. Every day, about 50 to 100 hairs die and fall away. It’s perfectly natural. The trouble occurs when these hairs meet ancient plumbing – or you start losing significant amounts of hair at a time.
Now for the Good News…
The cold of winter doesn’t cause you to lose any more hair than normal. If you could count the hairs on the floor of the shower, you’re likely to find less than 50. You’ll find a few more on your dressing gown, your towel, your pillow and clinging to the shoulders of your favourite jersey. The temperature doesn’t trigger excessive hair loss.
In fact, take a look at your dog (or your neighbour’s dog that won’t stop barking early in the morning – and note we did say look, not scream at it). You’ll find their coat appears thicker in winter. It is. Mammals, including humans, have natural survival resources. One of those is holding on to hair because it keeps the body warm. You’re less likely to lose hair in winter because your body wants it for survival purposes. (And yes, we know that your hair doesn’t seem to do much compared to that heater in the corner or wood burning in the fireplace; but you don’t want to stop your survival processes all the same.)
That’s the good news, but…
Before You Get Too Comfortable
The way you respond to winter can cause hair damage, and this can cause a weakened hair shaft, short hair life spans and growth disruption. Hair needs different care during winter. Just as you begin to crave soups and stews, your hair desires moisture. Winter hair is thirsty hair and you should focus on providing that.
Although you want to wear hats and think it’s a good idea to wash your hair more frequently to add in all that water, these are dangerous ideas. Want to know more about caring for your hair in winter? Aren’t you lucky that we’ve got that information right here?
And, if you did actually get on your hands and knees to count the hairs before they hit the drain and found well over 100, then you might want to give us a call. Even if you’re entirely comfortable with hair loss, it is a medical condition and could be linked to something more serious. You’ll want to rule that out so you can switch on the heater, grab a bowl of soup and relax on these cold winter evenings (and stop checking for hairs in the shower).
