Why Your Hair is Suddenly Falling Out (And what you can do about it): Understanding Telogen Effluvium

Written By: Samantha K. Paris

We've been hearing more and more lately, "I feel like I'm losing a lot of hair!" Have you ever been in the shower and thought "Wow, a lot of hair just came out while I was shampooing"? Or maybe you have stood in front of a mirror brushing your hair, and suddenly your brush was full. Hair loss can be a scary and emotional occurrence and we're here to educate you on the matter and support you through it.

If you feel like you are suddenly pulling hair out by the handful, you may be experiencing something called Telogen Effluvium. Telogen Effluvium is a form of hair loss that typically occurs up to 2-3 months after a supposed stressful event for the body. Luckily, it is temporary and does not harm the hair follicle, meaning the hair does grow back.

For most people, your hair is continuously growing. This happens in four distinct phases: Anagen (new hairs produced by the follicle), catagen (hair separating from the follicle), telogen (the follicle is resting while new hairs form beneath), and exogen (the shedding phase that allows new hairs to take the place of old hairs).

For those experiencing Telogen Effluvium, the supposed stressful experience for the body forces the follicles to stay in the telogen phase slightly longer than they should. What this means, is the follicle remains in a resting phase, even though old hair is still being shed, so new hair is not yet taking it's place. The follicle is healthy and unharmed, but it is resting longer than we want it to.

Why are we seeing an increase in this now?

Telogen effluvium is caused by any stressful occurence on the body: this is physiological stress, not just mental or emotional stress. It is almost always triggered by something that happened 2-3 months before the shedding begins.

The following are common contributing factors:

• Rapid weight loss or decreased nutrition: When the body is not receiving adequate macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients, and hydration, the vital organs will take it all up first, leaving hair follicles with no nutrients left to fuel them.

• Medical illness that is severe or requires new medications that the body is not used to

• Major stressful events, causing physiological responses (rapid heart rate, constant brain fog, etc.)

• Hormonal Change (postpartum, menopause, etc.)

• Surgical Anesthesia

Since we see things such as illness, life stressors, birth, and weight loss regularly, this is the most common type of hair loss we see. The good news is there are things we can do to support your hair through this phase, preserve the hair we have, and encourage our resting follicles to wake up.

Let's talk about GLP-1 Medications (NO judgement)

We're seeing more and more clients on GLP-1 medications right now (and first of all, this is a judgement free zone). These medications can be absolutely life-changing for many people.

But with rapid weight loss or reduced caloric intake, your body can sometimes interpret that as a stressor, triggering this form of temporary shedding. This doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong, but it does mean we need to get the ball rolling on hair growth.

Here is how we guide our clients who are likely experiencing this:

• Prioritize protein, hydration, and overall nutrition. This is going to fuel your hair not only grow quicker, but also to grow stronger. Brittle hair does not last as long as strong hair.

• Being gentle with your hair (less tension like tight buns, less aggressive brushing, silk sleep caps or pillow cases)

• Sticking to a consistent routine instead of jumping between products: You have to give the product time to work (through all four phases!)

Products to Help Your Follicles

And one product line we've personally been recommending during this phase is Redken's Acidic Grow Full Line. The densifying shampoo and conditioner contain a 5% Strength Complex to gently cleanse the scalp and provide adequate moisture to the follicles without weighing down the hair. The leave-in serum will reinforce and strengthen hair fibers, and is to be put directly on the scalp to target the fibers deep in the follicles. The instant densifying spray is a product rooted in cosmetic benefit more than wellness, and swells the hair at the root to provide instant volume while allowing heat protection up to 450 degrees.

This line uses azelaic acid to rebalance the scalp's pH without weighing it down at all. This creates a healthy barrier for the hair to grow through. Caffeine is used in this line to wake up the follicles that are resting. Redken added the use of prebiotics in the Acidic Grow Full line to support the microbiome and hydrate the scalp. The use of azelaic acid, caffeine, and prebiotics together are the perfect trifecta to get your hair growing through!

Fun Fact: 91% pf GLP-1 medication users who used this line agreed that it made their hair feel thicker and fuller.

Confidence can Exist During this Phase

Now let's talk about confidence (Because this part matters just as much)

Even though this is temporary, it doesn't feel temporary when you're in it. You know you have to wait months and months for the new growth to reach your hair's length (often up to 2+ years at an average growth rate of 1/2 inch per month).

This is where Storybook loves using extensions as a confidence bridge.

Not as a "cover up", but as a way to:

• Feel like yourself again

• Add fullness while your natural hair recovers

• Take the pressure off while you're in a regrowth phase

Extensions can be such a game changer emotionally during this time, and we can always adjust or remove them as your natural density comes back through the midshaft.

A common question is: "But won't extensions be bad for my hair if it's falling out?"

Answer: (Short-story-long): If you are still actively losing hair, we need to wait. However, if you are past the hair loss phase, density at the root is coming back, but you are missing that fullness from mids-ends: NO this will not damage the hair at all.

At Storybook Salon, we use Invisible Bead Extensions (IBE): the most comfortable and safe method of applying extensions. For someone who has experienced hair loss and has less density than they are used to, we absolutely do not recommend the use of any adhesives (such as tape-in or keratin tips) at all. IBE is a precise, meticulous method of weft-extension installation, and does not pull the hair or break the hair in the slightest.

Let's Talk About your Scalp

One of the biggest things we see when someone is dealing with shedding is that all the focus goes to the hair (or to TikTok advice), rather than to the health of the scalp. Let's simplify it.

Your scalp is the environment your hair grows from. If that environment is congested, inflamed, or imbalanced, it can absolutely impact how your hair grows back. This is why at Storybook Salon, we are huge believers in scalp treatments during this phase. Not as a luxury, but as part of the process.

At our salon, we use scalp scoping with the Malibu-C HeadLab which allows us to actually see what's going on at the surface. We can see things like product buildup, oil imbalance, dryness or irritation, and follicle congestion. From there, we customize treatments to create a healthier foundation for regrowth.

At the end of the day, healthy hair will always begin with a healthy scalp. This step can often times speed up the process that supports the "bounce back" phase you're waiting for.

The most important thing to remember with Telogen Effluvium is this:

Your hair is responding to your body's change: it isn't gone forever and what will grow back can grow back healthily! Your follicles are still there and your hair will come back. And we are here to help you in the in-between!

If you're going through this right now, you're not alone and you don't have to just "wait it out" without support.

Whether it's creating a plan, recommending the right product, or giving you a little confidence boost in the meantime, we've got you!