On average, we have around 100,000 individual hairs on our head.
We all lose up to 150 hairs a day from our scalp and this amount will fluctuate depending on our general health.
Hair has a natural renewal cycle where each individual strand grows, rests then falls out. Some hairs will take up to 7 years to go through the cycle and your longest hairs will be around 5-7yrs old. People who struggle to grow their hair longer than shoulder length, find that their hair renews itself much more quicker, so it won’t ever grow beyond a certain length.
If it’s falling out in small clumps, combined with your itchy scalp, you should probably visit your doctor and ask for some blood tests to be taken to ensure that you don’t have any underlying health issues. If you’ve been seriously ill, it can affect your hair (and nails, skin etc.) for several months afterwards.
Once you’ve ascertained that you’re perfectly healthy, then look at using a salon quality shampoo and follow a gentle cleansing regime. Cheaper drugstore shampoos usually contain stronger detergents (to help them lather up) but they are very harsh on the scalp and cuticle layer so it’s not a good idea to use them if you have a sensitive scalp or fine porous hair.
If your hair is breaking off an inch or so beyond your scalp, that suggests something in your hair care regime is the problem. Too much protein in your shampoo/conditioner or too high a heat setting on your hairdryer or straighteners will cause considerable damage over time.