The Stressful Period Is Over. So Why Is It Showing Up in Your Hair Now?
You’re washing your hair and notice more strands than usual in your hands and in the drain.
Then you brush it, and there’s more hair in your brush than usual.
And the question is usually the same:
“Why now?”
After all, this week hasn’t even been that bad. Things actually seem a little calmer.
But your hair doesn’t always follow the timeline of your life in real time.
Sometimes, it’s late to the story.
Your hair has its own rhythm
Hair grows in cycles. Each follicle moves through phases of growth, transition, rest, and eventually shedding.
Under normal conditions, about 85% to 90% of scalp hair follicles are in the active growth phase.
And there’s evidence that hair follicles can respond biologically to signals involved in the stress response. In a 2020 study, researchers exposed human hair follicles maintained in the lab to CRH, one of the signaling molecules involved in the body’s stress response, and observed an earlier transition into the regression phase.
That doesn’t mean stress automatically causes hair shedding.
A scientific review published in 2022 reinforces that distinction. The research suggests biological links between stress and the hair follicle, but the evidence in humans is more complex than the simple explanation we often hear.
In other words, the relationship is real, but it’s much more complicated than “stress = cortisol = hair falling out.”
And here’s the part that can make the timing confusing:
Shedding doesn’t necessarily show up while the difficult period is happening.
In some cases, an increase in shedding may become noticeable months later.
So that chaotic period you were already starting to forget may actually matter more to what’s happening with your hair now than the week you just had.
So does that mean stress is to blame?
Not necessarily.
And that part matters.
Stress may be associated with increased shedding, but it’s far from the only possible explanation.
Changes in your hair can also be related to hormonal shifts, postpartum changes, illness, certain medications, thyroid changes, weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, and other factors.
That’s why looking at the hair left in your brush isn’t enough to say:
“It’s stress.”
And it isn’t enough to say:
“I need more biotin.”
Your hair may be telling you something. But it’s worth understanding the whole story before trying to fill in the blanks yourself.
So what should you pay attention to?
Instead of counting every single strand, pay attention to what feels different from what’s normal for you.
Are you noticing much more hair than usual in the shower or on your brush?
Does the shedding seem more widespread across your scalp?
Did it begin after a significant change in your health or your life?
And most importantly, is it continuing, getting worse, or worrying you?
If so, it may be worth talking with a dermatologist or another healthcare professional who can actually evaluate your hair and scalp. Not all shedding has the same cause, and different causes call for different approaches.
In the meantime, be gentle with your hair
You don’t need to go into emergency mode.
You can keep treating your hair gently, avoiding excessive tension, unnecessary heat, and overly aggressive routines while you figure out what may be going on.
And maybe this is also a good time to look at what was happening with you, not just with your hair.
Not because every stressful period will lead to shedding.
And not because relaxing today will make the shedding stop tomorrow.
But because your hair doesn’t exist separately from the rest of you.
Sleep, nutrition, health, different stages of life, your routine, and what your body has been through can all be part of a much bigger picture.
Your hair is part of you. Not the whole of you.
If your mind keeps working even after the day is over, we talked about that in How to Slow Down When Life Doesn't.
Ruubyn was built around this way of thinking. Not starting with hair in isolation, or with one single ingredient, but with the woman as a whole.
Because caring for your hair can also be one way of caring for yourself.
See what’s inside the formula →
Sources
Hoover E, Alhajj M, Flores JL. Anatomy, Hair. StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
Nam YJ, Lee EY, Choi EJ, et al. CRH receptor antagonists from Pulsatilla chinensis prevent CRH-induced premature catagen transition in human hair follicles. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2020;19(11):3058–3066.
O'Sullivan JDB, Peters EMJ, Amer Y, et al. The impact of perceived stress on the hair follicle: Towards solving a psychoneuroendocrine and neuroimmunological puzzle. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology. 2022;66:101008.