Scared at the thought of losing hair? Worried every time you find hairs on your pillow? Don’t be.

It's normal to lose from 20 to 60 hairs everyday since the human scalp, which contains about 125,000 hairs, has its own life cycle. This is characterized by a long growth period of two to six years followed by a three-month resting period. During that time, hair stops growing and is easily removed by washing, brushing and combing.

"Usually about 15 percent of the hairs scattered throughout the scalp are in the resting stage and gradually shedding; these are the hairs that you find on your pillow, in the wash basin, and on your brush and comb," said Linda Allen Shoen, research associate of the Committee on Cutaneous Health and Cosmetics of the American Medical Association.

Thus, this kind of hair loss shouldn't bother you for it is part of the cycle of a healthy scalp. But when the rate of hair loss exceeds the rate of new hair growth, that's when trouble begins. This is the time when your hair becomes thin and you could become bald unless you do something about it.

There are several reasons for falling hair. One cause is chronic poisoning from boric acid, ergot, lead and morphine. Medicines line Heparin, an anti-blood clotting drug, may be responsible as well as excessive exposure to x-rays, chemotherapy and general anesthesia.

Dull, falling hair is one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism and the excessive intake of vitamin A. Frequent use of brush rollers to produce curls can cause baldness. So will certain hair styles like ponytails and pigtails that pull out the hair.

Hair loss also occurs with pregnancy, childbirth, excessive bleaching, washing, improper permanent waving, the sharp bristles of nylon brushes, the use of oral contraceptives or a severe illness accompanies by a very high fever.

In this case, the loss of hair is temporary and regrowth occurs within a few months if you deal with the problem.

"To minimize further loss due to mechanical factors, avoid excessive manipulation of the hair, brush it moderately with a soft brush, shampoo regularly and gently with a mild shampoo, dry wet hair by letting the towel soak up the moisture rather than by vigorous toweling, and avoid hair styles that in setting or in combing out require excessive pulling of your hair," Shoen said.

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