Autumn hair loss: what's normal, how long it lasts and how to care for your hair

If you've been finding more hairs than usual on your pillow, in your brush or in the shower drain lately, you're not the only one. It's one of the questions we hear most at the salon as soon as autumn arrives, and it almost always has a reassuring explanation: hair has its seasons too.

The short answer: autumn hair loss is normal and temporary. In summer many hairs enter the resting phase and shed a few weeks later; losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is usual, and this seasonal shedding tends to last around a month and a half.

In this article we explain, without jargon, why hair falls out more in autumn, what other causes play a part, and how the K18 and Olistic ranges we've just brought into Milanocenter Estilismo can help.

What you will learn:

• Why hair falls out more in autumn, how much shedding is normal and how long it lasts.
• Other causes of hair loss worth knowing.
• How Olistic (inside) and K18 (outside) help.
• Which product to choose depending on what you notice, and the routine to follow at home.

1. Why does hair fall out more in autumn?
2. Other causes of hair loss worth knowing
3. Inside and out: how K18 and Olistic help
4. Which product you need, depending on what you notice
5. Your home routine during shedding season
6. In short

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Why does hair fall out more in autumn?

Every hair on your head lives its own cycle: it grows for years, rests for a few months and then falls out to make room for a new one that's already pushing through underneath. So, scary as it looks, much of what you see in your brush isn't hair you're losing, but hair that's renewing itself.

The curious thing is that this cycle is linked to the seasons. A Swiss study of more than 800 women (Kunz et al., 2009) found that the number of hairs entering the resting phase peaks in summer. Those hairs take about two or three months to come out, so the shedding arrives right now, in autumn.

A few facts to put your mind at ease:

• It's normal to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day (according to the American Academy of Dermatology). In autumn that number can rise for a few weeks.
• It usually lasts around a month and a half and settles down on its own. Dermatologists call it seasonal shedding (a type of telogen effluvium), and it isn't alopecia: the hair grows back.
• It doesn't need medical treatment: as dermatologists from the Spanish Academy of Dermatology (AEDV) put it, hair "doesn't fall out: it renews itself" (Maldita.es, in Spanish). Even so, it's a good time to care for your scalp and your hair fibre, so the new hair grows in strong.

"In autumn lots of people come to the salon afraid of losing their hair. Almost always it's seasonal shedding that passes on its own in a few weeks. Our job is to explain it, care for the hair you have and let you know if we see anything a dermatologist should look at." — The Milanocenter Estilismo team

Other causes of hair loss worth knowing

Besides the change of season, there are other situations that make more hair fall out. The most common:

• Intense stress, a high fever or an operation. The shedding doesn't appear straight away but two or three months later (MedlinePlus lists stress among the common causes), which is why it's hard to connect the two.
• After giving birth. It's very common from the second or third month after the baby arrives, and the hair recovers over time.
• Very strict diets, low iron or thyroid problems. A blood test clears it up quickly.
• Hormonal changes and menopause. Hair tends to become finer and lose density.
• Genetics (androgenetic alopecia). In women it shows mainly along the parting, which gradually widens; in men, at the temples and the crown. It progresses slowly and needs a dermatologist's follow-up.
• Very tight updos every day. Tight ponytails and buns can weaken the hair around the hairline over time.

Inside and out: how K18 and Olistic help

We already used the professional K18 treatment at the salon, and now we've brought in its products for home use along with the Olistic range. The two brands tackle hair loss from complementary angles: Olistic cares for your hair from the inside, with food supplements, and K18 cares for it from the outside, on the scalp and the fibre. Here's what each product does and who it's for.

Olistic: caring for your hair from the inside

Olistic is a drinkable food supplement: one vial a day, after breakfast or lunch, for 28 days, then two days off before starting the next box. Its formula brings together more than 30 ingredients —vitamins, minerals, amino acids and plant extracts such as saw palmetto and ashwagandha—, including biotin, which contributes to the maintenance of normal hair.

There's a version for every stage:

• Olistic Women, for women aged 18 to 45.
• Olistic Next +45, for women from 45, when menopause changes the hair.
• Olistic Men, for men from 18.

What convinced us most is that Olistic Women has been tested with the most reliable method there is: comparing it with a placebo. For six months, 106 women with hair loss took one vial a day; half took Olistic and the other half a vial with no active ingredients, and neither they nor the researchers knew which was which. The women who took Olistic gained more hair density than those in the other group. The study was funded by the brand itself and is published in the journal Dermatology and Therapy.

Changes start to show from the third month, and ideally you keep it up for six. Before you start, bear in mind that it isn't recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or for under-18s; that if you take medication (especially anticoagulants) or have thyroid problems, you should check with your doctor first; and that a supplement doesn't replace a varied diet.

If you're going through a period of stress or poor sleep, the brand also makes Olistic Night Booster, a night-time vial that complements the daytime routine. It contains melatonin, so it's also worth checking with your doctor if you take medication.

K18 FutureIQ: the serum for your scalp

FutureIQ is K18's new product for anyone noticing the first signs of hair ageing: more shedding than usual, less density or the first grey hairs. It's a light, fragrance-free serum applied directly to the scalp, every night, with no rinsing.

How to use it:

1. Apply four droppers: one on the centre parting, one on each side and one along the hairline.
2. Massage in with your fingertips, from the forehead towards the crown and then the nape, until absorbed.
3. You can use it on dry or damp hair, and it doesn't leave hair greasy. Each bottle lasts about a month.

According to the brand's own 12-week study, shedding drops from the first month, density improves in the second and, by the third, there are up to 19,000 more hairs (that's the maximum figure, not the average); in addition, 70% of participants had fewer greys. K18 recommends using it for three months in a row and continuing afterwards to maintain the result.

It's designed for mild to moderate shedding and works best with less than 30% grey hair. If shedding is sudden, very heavy or patchy, K18 itself recommends seeing a dermatologist.

If your hair is breaking: K18 mask, HeatBounce and oil

Sometimes what looks like hair loss is actually hair breaking along the way: bleaching, heat, tugging or summer sun, chlorine and salt (we cover it in how to protect your hair from the sun, chlorine and salt). In that case, the key is to strengthen the fibre and protect it:

• K18 leave-in molecular repair hair mask: repairs damage from bleaching, colour, straightening and heat from within, restoring strength and elasticity. Shampoo, skip conditioner, towel-dry, apply a small amount from ends to roots and wait 4 minutes. Don't rinse: then style as usual.
• K18 HeatBounce: a leave-in conditioner with heat protection up to 230 °C. According to the brand, it cuts breakage by 85% after blow-drying. Apply it to damp hair before blow-drying, or to dry hair before using straighteners.
• K18 molecular repair hair oil: one to three drops on mid-lengths and ends to strengthen them, control frizz and protect them from heat.

At the salon we also use the professional K18 treatment during colour and bleaching, so your hair comes out of the service stronger (we explain it in our article on ammonia-free colour).

Wash and brush without fear: The Shampoo and iBrush

Washing your hair doesn't cause hair loss, so there's no need to space out washes out of fear. What matters is how you do it:

• Olistic The Shampoo: a sulphate-, silicone- and paraben-free shampoo that cares for the scalp and helps you get denser, fuller-looking hair. Use a hazelnut-sized amount and massage your scalp for one or two minutes with your fingertips. It's suitable for daily use.
• Olistic iBrush: a brush with flexible bristles that detangles without tugging and gives your scalp a gentle massage as you use it. Always start at the ends and work your way up.
• K18 PEPTIDE PREP detox shampoo: if you use a lot of hairspray or mousse, or have an oily scalp, swap your usual shampoo for this one once a week for a deep clean.
• K18 Damage Shield conditioner: mid-lengths to ends only, never on the roots. It detangles and protects hair from the friction of styling, one of the causes of breakage.

More volume in the meantime: AstroLift and The Hair Mist

Any care routine takes a few weeks to show results, and in the meantime you still want to look good. Two everyday helpers:

• K18 AstroLift: a light volumising spray for fine, fragile or ageing hair. Spray it from about 10-15 cm onto roots and lengths, then blow-dry. According to the brand, it gives 2.5 times more volume, lasting up to two days, and because it contains the K18 peptide it also helps repair the hair.
• Olistic The Hair Mist: scented hair mists with an anti-frizz effect, in three fragrances: Warmth, Ease and Presence. They're light and don't weigh hair down, which matters when hair is fine. Spray from about 20 cm onto mid-lengths and ends. Just note: they're a finishing touch for frizz, shine and scent, not a hair-loss treatment.

If frizz is your big battle at this time of year, we share more tips in how to control frizz all year round.

Which product you need, depending on what you notice

Your home routine during shedding season

Besides products, there are small habits that make a difference:

• Wash your hair as usual. The hairs that fall out in the shower were already loose.
• Detangle from the ends upwards, with a wide-tooth comb or a flexible brush, without tugging.
• Blow-dry at a medium temperature and always use a heat protectant before the hairdryer or straighteners.
• Vary your hairstyles and avoid tight ponytails and buns every day; claw clips and fabric scrunchies are kinder to your hair.
• Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase, which creates less friction.
• Eat a varied diet: protein, pulses, fish, eggs, nuts and vegetables. Crash diets show up in your hair months later.
• Look after your sleep and stress levels, which also play a part.
• Trim your ends. Cutting doesn't make hair grow back stronger from the root, but it removes split ends that keep breaking. You can book our haircut service.
• Be patient: hair grows roughly one centimetre a month, so any change needs about three months to show.

In short

Autumn hair loss is your hair's way of renewing itself: it's alarming, but normal, and usually passes within a few weeks. Look after your scalp and your hair fibre, protect it from heat and be patient. If the shedding lasts more than two or three months or you see areas with less hair, book an appointment with your dermatologist; for everything else, at the salon we'll help you choose the routine you need.