Why losing up to 150 hairs a day is normal, according to trichologist Anabel Kingsley

Finding hair on your pillow or watching strands collect in the shower drain can feel alarming. For many people, hair fall immediately signals fear of thinning, ageing, or an underlying health issue. But Anabel Kingsley, a London-based trichologist, says that daily hair shedding is not only normal, but it’s also essential.

“It’s completely normal for most people to lose between 100 and 150 hairs a day,” she explains. Rather than a sign of damage, this shedding reflects the natural hair growth cycle. Hair is constantly renewing itself, even when it doesn’t feel that way.

Why does hair growth happen in phases?


Kingsley explains that hair does not grow endlessly. Each strand follows a cycle made up of different phases, and every hair on your head is at a different stage at any given time.

The first phase is anagen, when hair is actively growing. “This stage can last anywhere from two to seven years,” she says, adding that it largely determines how long your hair can grow. People with a longer anagen phase tend to grow longer hair, while a shorter anagen phase can limit length.

However, Kingsley points out that this growth phase isn’t guaranteed to stay optimal forever. “Illness, nutritional deficiencies, and conditions like female pattern hair loss can shorten the natural length of anagen,” she notes. When that happens, hair may appear finer or struggle to grow as long as it once did.

After anagen, hair moves into catagen, a brief transition phase. “This is when hair prepares to stop growing and shift into rest,” she explains. It’s a short but necessary pause before the next stage.

Why shedding doesn’t mean something is wrong

The final primary phase is telogen, or the resting phase, which lasts around three months. During this time, the hair remains in place but is no longer growing. Eventually, it enters exogen, the stage when the hair sheds naturally.

“All of our hairs are in different stages of this cycle,” Kingsley explains. “If they weren’t, we’d lose all our hair at once.” This staggered system is why gradual daily shedding is normal and usually unnoticeable in terms of volume.

She adds that seeing hair fall doesn’t mean your scalp has stopped working. In fact, it often means the opposite. “Shedding is how the body makes room for new hair to grow,” she says.

When hair fall deserves a closer look

While everyday shedding is expected, Kingsley says changes in pattern matter. A sudden increase in hair loss, visible thinning, or hair coming out in clumps may signal that something has disrupted the cycle.

Stress, hormonal shifts, poor nutrition, and prolonged illness can all push more hair than usual into the resting and shedding phases simultaneously. “That’s when people start noticing more hair loss than normal,” she explains.

Rather than focusing only on the hair itself, Kingsley encourages a broader view. Supporting overall health — from diet and stress levels to scalp care — helps maintain a healthy growth cycle over time.

Rethinking what ‘normal’ hair fall looks like

Kingsley believes much of the anxiety around hair loss stems from a misunderstanding of how hair actually behaves. Hair fall is often framed as failure, when in reality, it’s part of renewal.

“Hair is constantly cycling,” she says, emphasizing that healthy hair isn’t about preventing shedding entirely. It’s about keeping the process balanced and uninterrupted.

In a culture obsessed with thick hair and instant fixes, understanding this cycle offers relief. Sometimes, noticing hair fall isn’t a warning sign — it’s simply proof that growth is quietly happening behind the scenes.