# Do you shed hair in the shower? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 21, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430 "2005-07-21T05:36:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/1 "2005-07-21T05:36:30Z")
This has been going on for some years now, though I don’t recall it happening when I was much younger. Whenever I wash my hair, I invariably lose a small bit of hair. When the weather heats up, I lose more–and yet a bit more when I go through it with the wide-tooth pick. Does this happen to everyone, or just some? ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/2 "2005-07-21T05:38:48Z")
Happens to me all the time. Some of it is old hairs dying and falling out, some is weakened strands snapping off. With the sheer amount, grod only knows how I’m not bald yet, but I think it’s pretty common for most people. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/3 "2005-07-21T05:40:17Z")
FWIW, I would say that based on my 57 years of experience, that what you are going through is neither unusual or cause for concern. BTW, I’m a male and while I no longer have a lot to lose I still notice it “going down the drain”. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/4 "2005-07-21T05:44:15Z")
Cecil on the subject: [Why does head hair grow indefinitely but other body hair doesn’t?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_044a.html) > [@](#): > > Each scalp and beard hair grows two to six years before stopping, attaining a typical maximum length of two to three feet. Then it becomes dormant for about three months, whereupon a new hair starts growing and pushes the old one out of the follicle from behind. That’s why even someone who’s not balding loses 70 to 100 head hairs a day. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/5 "2005-07-21T05:45:01Z")
Yep, with about 6.5 feet of hair between the two of us, **The Highwayman** and I shed a LOT of hair in the shower. I usually clean the drain once per shower. Not just there either, it’s everywhere. I almost always find a few gobs twisted into the laundry too. So nothing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/6 "2005-07-21T06:02:15Z")
Ugh, _yes_. It looks like a blond wookie has been showering in there sometimes. It comes out in handsfull when I finger comb the conditioner through. Once dry, I can then pull bunches out for a good half day. I should be bald, completely bald, yet somehow I am not. I’ve learned not to question, for I fear a Schrodinger’s cat situation. ---
**Author:** ![Pensandfeathers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Pensandfeathers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pensandfeathers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/7 "2005-07-21T07:22:25Z")
I shed an incredible amount of hair in the shower. I also shed a lot on a regular basis anyway. It’s upsetting because I can’t help but be embarrassed about constantly pulling stray hairs off my clothes and people finding my hair all over, even at work, which bothers me because my hair is always pulled back there. I don’t understand why I shed so much, and it has always been that way. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/8 "2005-07-21T08:08:05Z")
I got worried about the same thing a few years ago - kindly hairdresser explained that as I don’t brush my hair that often (thick ‘n’ curly turns to massive fuzz ball) the massage, wash/rinse is aabout the only time my loose hairs had the chance to be worked out. He also pointed out that being a) drak and b) long the hairs were very noticeable. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/9 "2005-07-21T09:28:29Z")
I lose a few with every shower, but it’s the blow drying that’s killing me. Hair _everywhere_. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/10 "2005-07-21T09:35:40Z")
I lose a lot in the shower too. I could make a small poodle’s worth in about a week. I don’t brush mine either; I have kinky curls almost to the waist when wet. If I brushed all that I’d looked like a fried Cousin It. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/11 "2005-07-21T09:42:41Z")
Yup. Lose it in the shower (the most then, which is nice because I can pull out the loose ones easily), the kitchen, living room, my computer…if there’s a room in my house that doesn’t have hairballs in it, I don’t spend much time in there. I have long hair too, so it’s really noticible, and believe me it gets _everywhere_. Dad swears he’s found it woven into his shirts before–isn’t he glad I moved out? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/12 "2005-07-21T12:37:24Z")
> [@Pensandfeathers](#): > > I shed an incredible amount of hair in the shower. I also shed a lot on a regular basis anyway. It’s upsetting because I can’t help but be embarrassed about constantly pulling stray hairs off my clothes and people finding my hair all over, even at work, which bothers me because my hair is always pulled back there. I don’t understand why I shed so much, and it has always been that way. Yes, exactly! But like **Cat Jones** , I rarely brush my hair, so the only time it _would_ get shed is when I’m washing and combing it in the morning, and it comes out in handfuls. That must be it, because it doesn’t appear to be getting any thinner. And it’s long so it probably looks like more than it is. ---
**Author:** ![PinkMarabou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PinkMarabou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PinkMarabou)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/13 "2005-07-21T12:44:49Z")
My husband says I could donate my hair loss from the shower to cancer patients. I’m also a thick/wavy/curly hair person who doesn’t brush their hair often. If I wear my hair pulled back a lot in a week, it becomes more. Which I try not to do too often because it contributes to hair loss. I try to tell my hubby it’s normal, but he thinks I shed more than all 3 of our animals combined! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/14 "2005-07-21T12:51:42Z")
I have long, fine, straight hair that appears to grow knots in my sleep. The only time I brush it is in the shower when it is full of conditioner. My shower-hairbrush looks like a Yeti! No bald spots or thinning though. Hair is much like many other things in life…we either have the right amount, too much or we want more. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/15 "2005-07-21T13:41:08Z")
Mine is large, loose curls, so yeah, I shed in the shower, then I come out and comb it and shed some more, then throughout the day it drops, then I come home and take it out of the clip or whatever and some mroe comes out. And I still have lots more. It’s gotten to be a joke in our household. No matter how hard I try, at least 2x a week or more there’s hair in his food. Even if I didn’t touch it. Somehow it leapt onto the plate. I don’t think we’ll ever be getting a dog or a cat, my hair is plenty annoying. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/16 "2005-07-21T15:05:11Z")
> [@Ashes](#): > > Ugh, _yes_. It looks like a blond wookie has been showering in there sometimes. It comes out in handsfull when I finger comb the conditioner through. Once dry, I can then pull bunches out for a good half day. I should be bald, completely bald, yet somehow I am not. I’ve learned not to question, for I fear a Schrodinger’s cat situation. Ditto. Except I’m brunette. It’s insane. But it’s always been this way, so I haven’t been too worried about it. May I for a moment plug Liquid Plumr’s Foaming Pipe Snake. It’s like super dee dooper drain unplugger - when my drain starts getting slow (because of the presumed hairball in there) I pour it in and it clears it out amazingly. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/17 "2005-07-21T16:43:40Z")
When I moved into my own apartment, I began to fear that I was going bald. However, in the past several years my hair has not thinned or receded. I just shed an awful lot of hair. I thought a pair of black-soled terricloth slippers were shedding on the carpet. It turned out to be me. If I wait too long between vacuumings, the hair won’t come out. I have to carefuly sweep it loose with a stiff bristled broom. I’ve done serious thinking about buying some kind of rake. One friend saw the carpet and assumed I had cats. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/18 "2005-07-21T16:53:24Z")
I used to lose a lot of hair in the shower, almost enough to knit another **Lou**. My hair has been thinning for years, though, and I’m only 27. Now that I buzz my hair really short with electric clippers, I don’t notice as much shedding in the shower anymore, although I do have ample body hair as well. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/19 "2005-07-21T17:27:28Z")
I do, and I’m the only person in my family with long hair, so I can’t blame it on anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430/20 "2005-07-21T17:36:50Z")
Count me among the shedders. My hair is everydamnwhere in the house. I have two large short-haired dogs and their hair is NOTHING compared to mine. It’s my hair I have to cut out from around the beater bar in the vacuum cleaner every week. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-shed-hair-in-the-shower/313430.md?page=2)