Shedding or breakage: why it matters
Hair on your brush can mean two very different things. Shedding is hair coming out whole as part of the growth cycle. Breakage is the hair shaft snapping because it is damaged. The fixes are different, so it is worth knowing which you are seeing, and plenty of people have some of both.
This quiz asks what the hairs you lose look like, where you find them and what has happened recently. It runs in your browser and nothing you answer is saved.
The one check that separates them
Pick up a few hairs and look closely at one end.
- A shed hair comes out whole. At one end there is a small rounded bulb, often white or pale.
- A broken hair has snapped along its length. There is no bulb, both ends look blunt or frayed, and it is usually shorter than the rest of your hair.
That check carries the most weight in the quiz.
What causes extra shedding
It is normal to shed between 50 and 100 hairs a day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Shedding much more than that is called telogen effluvium, and the AAD lists common triggers:
- giving birth
- a high fever, an illness or an operation
- losing 20 pounds or more
- stopping birth-control pills
- a lot of stress
Most people notice it a few months after the event. The AAD says that as the body readjusts the shedding stops, and hair tends to regain its fullness within six to nine months. If the stress continues, shedding can last longer.
What causes breakage
Breakage comes from damage. The AAD lists everyday habits that damage hair, including heat styling, colouring, perming and relaxing, rubbing hair dry with a towel, brushing it hard while wet, and tight styles that pull. Damaged hair is fragile, so it breaks.
How the quiz decides
Each answer adds points toward shedding, breakage or a mix. The bulb check counts most, then the length of the hairs, then recent triggers and your styling habits. When the answers point both ways, the quiz says it is a mix rather than picking one, because that is the honest answer and it is common.
What helps each
For shedding: count your daily shedding for a fair average with our hair shedding calculator, think back a few months for a trigger, and see a doctor if heavy shedding lasts for months or comes with patches, itching or pain.
For breakage: be gentler. Use less heat, use conditioner after every wash, pat your hair dry, detangle gently with a wide-tooth comb, and choose looser styles. Our hair damage check shows which habits to change first.
When it is neither
Sometimes hair is not falling out or breaking but simply growing back thinner, as with hereditary hair loss. A quiz about fallen hairs cannot show that. Comparing photos of your part, crown and hairline over months can, and our guide to shedding and breakage goes further.
Track it over time in the HairLens app
The HairLens app tracks density and breakage from your photos over time, so you can see whether shedding settles and breakage improves.