What should you know about hair turning brittle and falling out?

Brittleness usually describes the hair fibre: strands may feel rough, split, snap, or lose their usual stretch. Frequent heat styling, bleaching, colouring, chemical straightening, tight hairstyles, vigorous brushing, and harsh washing can weaken that fibre. Hair that breaks may look like hair loss even when the follicle is still producing hair.

Shedding happens at the scalp and may leave full-length strands with a small bulb at one end. It can follow illness, major stress, a rapid change in eating, hormonal shifts, or some medicines. Scalp inflammation, thyroid problems, iron deficiency, and other health conditions can also contribute. The cause cannot be identified reliably from a strand alone; a clinician may examine the scalp and ask about timing, diet, symptoms, and treatments.

Handle the hair gently while you observe the pattern. Reduce high heat and chemical processing, loosen hairstyles that pull, detangle from the ends upward, and use conditioner on the lengths. Avoid vigorous scalp scratching and do not start high-dose supplements without medical advice, because excess amounts of some nutrients can worsen hair problems. Take note of when the change began, whether the hair is snapping or coming out from the root, and any illness, stress, diet change, or new medicine beforehand. A dermatologist can advise whether testing or a treatment such as Hair Supplement Therapy is appropriate.

Arrange a medical assessment if shedding is sudden, continues, forms distinct patches, or comes with scalp pain, marked itch, redness, scaling, sores, or pus. Seek prompt care if hair loss occurs with loss of eyebrows or eyelashes, a new rash, unexplained weight change, pronounced tiredness, or other persistent symptoms. Early assessment is particularly useful when the scalp looks inflamed or smooth patches are appearing, because different causes need different treatment. Bring a list of medicines and supplements and, if possible, photographs showing how the pattern has changed.

Ask whether the problem looks more like breakage, shedding, or a scalp disorder; whether recent illness, stress, nutrition, hormones, or medicines could be relevant; whether the scalp needs testing; and which hair-care changes or treatments are suitable for your pattern.