In the hair fall condition, each hair cycle will produce thinner, weaker and fewer hairs. In time, follicles begin to die, and hair fails to regrow.

So yes, hair thinning is a sign of early-stage hair fall.

Understanding Your Hair Loss

Ever wondered why you find loose strands on your hairbrush or in the shower?

Losing 50 to 100 strands of hair a day is actually completely normal. It happens because your hair is constantly

moving through a natural, continuous growth cycle.

The 4 Phases of the Hair Growth Cycle

Every single strand of hair on your scalp independently goes through four distinct stages:

• Anagen (The Growth Phase): Lasts between 2 to 8 years. Normally, about 90% of your hair is actively growing in this phase at any given time.

• Catagen (The Transition Phase): Lasts for about 10 days. The hair follicle shrinks and detaches from its blood supply.

• Telogen (The Resting Phase): Lasts around 3 months. The hair sits dormant while a new hair begins to form beneath it.

• Exogen (The Shedding Phase): The old hair is released and falls away, making room for a brand-new strand to emerge and restart the cycle.

What happens in hair fall conditions? When your hair cycle is disrupted, the follicles produce progressively thinner, weaker, and fewer hairs over time—eventually leading to visible thinning and volume loss.

How to Identify Your Hair Loss Pattern

Hair loss isn't random; it is highly organised and typically follows specific clinical patterns. Identifying your pattern is the first step toward the right treatment.

1. Pattern Hair Loss (Androgenetic Alopecia)

This is the most common form of progressive hair thinning.

• The Triggers: In 82% of cases, it is tied to family history (including blood relatives from both your maternal and paternal sides).

• The Timeline: Gradual hair thinning or loss lasting longer than 6 months.

  The Patterns:

• For Men: A receding hairline forming an "M" shape, alongside gradual thinning or balding at the crown.

• For Women: A widening of the middle partition line and increased scalp visibility, with the front hairline usually staying intact.

• The Root Cause: This condition is linked to a genetic sensitivity to an androgen hormone called DHT.

1. DHT binds to your hair follicles, causing them to shrink—a process called miniaturisation.

2. Because the follicles shrink, they lose access to vital blood flow, oxygen, and nutrition. Your hair grows back shorter, thinner, and lacks pigment until the follicle stops producing hair altogether.

3. This process shortens your growth (Anagen) phase and lengthens the resting period, meaning your hair takes longer to grow back and drops out much sooner.

But I'm young—why is this happening now? Hair loss has two onset types. Late-onset is purely age-related. Early-onset can kick off as early as 18 years old when modern lifestyle triggers, poor diet, and stress prematurely aggravate your genetic predisposition.

2. Heavy Hair Fall (Telogen Effluvium)

If you are suddenly losing 300+ strands a day instead of the usual 100, your scalp may be experiencing acute heavy shedding.

How it happens: A sudden physical or mental shock pushes up to 40% (or more) of your active growth hair prematurely into the resting (Telogen) phase.

Common Triggers:

• Major physical trauma or surgery

• High fever or severe infections (like viral illnesses)

• Extreme, rapid weight loss

• Drastic changes in diet or nutritional deficiencies (especially iron deficiency)

• Abrupt hormonal shifts (such as childbirth or menopause)

The Timeline: Because the resting phase naturally lasts 2 to 4 months, this intense shedding usually begins a few months after the actual triggering event.

While this type of hair fall is temporary and typically subsides within 6 months, the volume loss can be intense and alarming. Hair volume does not recover as quickly as it sheds—which is where Anihra’s targeted recovery regimens step in to speed up the transition back to the growth phase.

3. Coin-Sized Patches (Alopecia Areata)

This presents as sudden, smooth, coin-sized circular patches of hair thinning or totally bare skin on the scalp. In severe cases, it can affect body hair as well.

Important Notice: This specific type of hair loss is typically an autoimmune response and cannot be treated with cosmetic routines or over-the-counter kits. > Because we care about your health, we will not sell you products for this condition. We highly recommend visiting a local dermatologist for a clinical medical plan. However, we are always here to provide information and guidance—please feel free to reach out to Anihra Support for any guidance you need.

Discover Your Exact Stage

Unsure which category your hair fall falls into? Take our quick digital assessment to map your hair cycle and find out how soon you can start seeing visible regrowth.