Discovering more hair in your brush lately? You’re not imagining it – spring hair loss is totally real, and here’s why it happens (plus what actually works to fix it).
By Karen Perez from Dupe
You’re finally feeling optimistic about spring: the flowers are blooming, the weather’s warming up, and you’re ready to embrace that fresh seasonal energy, then…. You look at your hairbrush after a hairwash day, and realize that spring flowers come with a complimentary hair shedding package, because nothing’s perfect, right?
If you’re currently staring at your brush in horror, you’re not alone. Spring hair loss isn’t just in your head (pun intended), and you’re definitely not alone in this struggle.
As someone who’s dealt with my fair share of seasonal hair shedding drama, I get how alarming it can be. It makes you feel like you’re literally going bald. But here’s the thing: shedding hair in spring is actually completely normal, and I’m about to tell you exactly why it happens and what you can do about it.
All about seasonal hair shedding
Let’s start with some reassuring science: it’s normal to lose around 50 to 100 hairs a day, and during spring, that number can increase temporarily, and it’s actually amazing why this happens.
Seasonal shedding is a common and temporary process the hair undergoes during the spring and summer months, and it’s basically your hair’s way of “waking up” from winter hibernation mode.
Think of it like nature’s reset button, just like trees shed leaves and animals shed their winter coats, our hair goes through its own seasonal transition.
5 real seasons behind your spring hair loss
1. Your hair’s natural seasonal reset (AKA Telogen Effluvium)
Seasonal hair shedding happens because of something called telogen effluvium – basically, your hair follicles are cycling through their natural growth phases. During winter, more of your hair is in the “resting” phase (telogen), and now in spring, it’s time for that hair to shed and make room for new growth.
Here’s the hair growth cycle breakdown:
- Anagen phase: Active growth (2-7 years)
- Catagen phase: Transition period (2-3 weeks)
- Telogen phase: Resting phase (2-3 months)
What’s happening in spring is that all that hair that was chilling in the telogen phase is finally ready to let go. It’s not hair loss – it’s hair renewal!
How to minimize it: Since this is natural, you can’t completely stop it, but you can support healthy regrowth with the right haircare routine and products.
2. Hormonal changes
Hormones. They’re behind so many of our beauty struggles (and what makes us special too!), and spring hairloss is no exception here. Changes in daylight and temperature mess with our hormonal balance, affecting estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol levels, all of which play very important roles in hair growth.
What increases hair growth and what destroys it often comes down to hormonal balance. When cortisol (stress hormone) spikes, it can push more hair follicles into that resting phase, leading to more hair shedding. That’s why one (and I think the most important) tip when it comes to beauty and health is to learn how to reduce stress.
Your hormone-balancing plan:
- Prioritize quality sleep (7-9 hours daily)
- Manage stress through meditation, exercise, or whatever works for you
- Eat hormone-supporting foods (more on this below)
- Consider adaptogens like ashwagandha (talk to your doctor first)
3. Winter vitamin D crash
That shedding hair in spring could actually be payback from winter’s vitamin D deficiency. During winter months, we’re getting way less sunlight, which means our vitamin D levels decrease, which = more hair loss
Why this matters for your hair: Your hair follicles have vitamin D receptors, and when levels are low, it can weaken follicles and trigger shedding. So even though spring brings more sun, you might be seeing the effect from winter’s vitamin D drought.
How to recover your vitamin D levels:
- Get at least 20 minutes of sunlight daily
- Consider a quality vitamin D3 supplement (do blood tests before to know the dosage you need)
- Load up on vitamin D-rich foods like fatty fish, egg yolks, and fortified foods
4. Allergy season is your scalp’s enemy
As someone who basically turns into a walking antihistamine during allergy season, I feel this deeply. Springtime allergies are actually the worst when it comes to the health of your hair; they’re not just making you sneeze, but they’re also doing a lot of damage to your scalp.
How is the spring allergy season affecting your hair?
The pollen, dust, and environmental allergens cause scalp inflammation and irritation. When your scalp is inflamed, it disrupts normal hair follicle function, leading to increased seasonal hair shedding.
Your anti-allergy hair-saving plan:
- Use air purifiers in your home (especially in the bathroom)
- Rinse your hair more frequently during high pollen days
- Switch to gentle, hypoallergenic hair products
- Consider a scalp scrub once a week to remove buildup and allergens (I also use a scalp massager for around 5 minutes before I wash my hair)
5. Spring reset your hair care routine
Just like we need to reset our wellness routine in the spring season, we need that for the hair too. If you’re like me and your hair gets absolutely moody spending on the season, then what works for you in winter probably won’t work in spring, and using the wrong products might be contributing to be more hair loss.
Spring brings:
- Higher humidity levels
- More UV exposure
- Different air quality
- Temperature fluctuations
It makes sense that your hair needs different care with all these changes. Using heavy winter products in spring humidity? It could lead to a buildup and irritation. Not protecting against increased UV? Hello, damaged cuticles and breakage.
How to grow hair more quickly (based on experience)
The last few years, I’ve been trying to recover my hair from all that I’ve done to it: chemical treatments, hair bleaching, and constantly straightening it. The front of my head was almost bald at this point, and I had to fix it as soon as possible. Now I can confidently say that my biggest struggle with my hair is the amount of baby hairs I have and how hard it is to style my hair with them.
Spring hair loss is inevitable, so let’s talk about preventing hair loss and actually working on growing it faster.
The daily habits that worked so well for me
1. Scalp massage (literally the best and cheapest tip ever)
Daily scalp massages have helped me grow my hair SO much. To be honest, I’m not very consistent with doing it daily, and I know it would give even better results, but I never skip a 5-minute scalp massage before washing my hair or before applying hair oil.
You can use your fingers, but I love using a scalp massager tool as it’s more effective and feels great.
2. Applying a hair serum before bed
One of the tips I’ve also realized has been working so well to grow healthy hair is to apply hair serum on the ends of the hair every day before bed. That way, you wake up with hair that’s not dry and reflects on the health of your hair.
3. Using a silk pillowcase
I know you’re probably rolling your eyes at this point because of how many times you’ve heard this. But I was exactly like you, until I tried using it for some time. This hair growth tip is not one you’ll see results from quickly, but by time you’ll realize how rough the cotton pillowcases were on your hair, and how using a satin pillowcase decreases hair breakage, frizz, and split ends.
I personally like to use a stain bonnet instead of a pillowcase!
4. Protect with heat protectant before any styling
This one is a non-negotiable. Heat is already soooo damaging for the hair, and having a head protectant will not protect it 100% but definitely makes a difference and is better than nothing. Whether you’re just drying your hair with a hairdryer or styling with a straightener or curler, make sure you spray a heat protectant generously on your hair!
5. Be gentle when brushing
Your hair is at it’s most fragile state when it’s wet, and that’s why it’s really easy to break the hairs if brushing harshly. The first step is to choose the right hair brush–it’s better if you use a wide comb! Then, brush from the ends first to the roots, and be gentle with your hair.
The bottom line
Seasonal hair shedding is normal, temporary, and totally manageable. Most of the hair you’re losing was going to shed anyway – spring just happens to be when it all decides to leave at once.
Focus on supporting new growth with proper nutrition, gentle care, and the right products. Use this as an opportunity to upgrade your hair care routine and invest in tools that’ll serve you year-round (like that scalp massager and hair oil you’ve been considering).
Remember: How to grow hair more quickly isn’t about overnight miracles – it’s about consistent, loving care that supports your hair’s natural growth cycle. Your future self (and your hair) will thank you for starting today.
Would love to know in the comments your experience with seasonal hair shedding!
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