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Watch the drain, not the mirror

The most honest way to know if your shedding is getting better or worse.

By the Her Crown Journal team · October 2026 · 2 min read

Losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. On wash day, it can look like a lot more, because several days of shed hair come out at once.

The mirror lies: the light changes, your style changes, and you look too close. The drain doesn't.

Here's the test. On wash day, gather what's in the drain and on your comb into a small ball. Take a photo next to something for scale, like a coin. Do the same every wash day for a few weeks.

If the ball gets smaller over a month or two, your shedding is slowing down. If it stays the same or grows, it's time to look for the cause: blood work, your styles, or the hormone side after 40.

Try this weekKeep the photos in one album on your phone, called "drain".
Read nextBefore you pay $5,000 for PRP: 5 at-home options for Black women over 40, after 8 months of testing →

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