Normal Shedding Is 50 to 100 Hairs a Day. Losing More? 5 Things to Check First
That’s the American Academy of Dermatology’s number. Check 1 is how a lab report can call an 18 “normal.”
Reddit, r/Anemic · Sep 2026“my ferritin was 18. every lab printout said normal. i felt like death for years though. hair coming out in the shower”
Hair in the drain. Hair on your pillow. Hair wrapped around your fingers every time you wash it.
All that hair tells you something is happening. It doesn’t tell you why.
Losing a lot more than 100 a day has causes worth checking. The American Academy of Dermatology lists too little iron among them.
The blood test for the iron you have stored is called ferritin. A review of 36 studies and 10,029 women looked at iron and the common kinds of hair loss. Women losing hair had lower ferritin on average. It didn’t test iron as a treatment.
Had blood work lately? Look for ferritin on the report. Not on it, or no test yet? Check 1 is the number you’ll want, and Check 5 is how to get it.
THE 5 CHECKS, IN 20 SECONDS
1A report can print “normal” at 18. The 2026 guideline’s line is 30.↓ 2Heavy periods drain iron. Nearly 3 in 4 women referred for them had ferritin under 30.↓ 3Shedding often starts 2 to 3 months after its cause.↓ 4A wider part can be a different kind of hair loss. Low iron can still be in the mix.↓ 5A normal blood count can miss low iron. Ask for ferritin by name.↓An 18 can still print “normal.” The 2026 guideline calls 30 or lower iron deficiency.
FERRITIN (ng/mL)
for women: from 162026 guideline and
LabCorp now: 30
Iron deficiency: 30 or lower
When we checked on October 7, 2026, Quest’s range for women in its East region started at 16. So an 18 prints inside it, with no flag.
LabCorp’s range for women started at 15 until October 5, 2026. Now it starts at 30, so the same 18 comes back low there.
The American Society of Hematology’s 2026 guideline diagnoses iron deficiency at a ferritin of 30 or lower. An 18 is iron deficiency under it, whatever the report says.
This commenter has a 29, just under that line:
Facebook customer comment, August 2026“Ferritin 29 and iron 75 and my hair is falling out with long strands coming out from the root! Doc said thyroid but I have had thyroid issues for 30+ years! And this is not normal! Now what?”
Hair studies point the same way. A French study looked at 554 women with periods and no anemia. Those with ferritin of 20 or below were more likely to report recent hair loss.
The review of 36 studies got two different answers, depending on where it drew the low line:
WOMEN LOSING HAIR, 36 STUDIES
Share with low ferritin, by where the line is drawn
Line at 30 to 40Higher than in women in general, the authors say
Line at 10 to 15About the same as in women in general
A low line can hide the link between low iron and hair loss. When your report says “normal,” look at the number itself.
Heavy periods drain iron. Nearly 3 in 4 women referred for them had ferritin under 30.
One French clinic tracked the women sent to it for heavy periods from 2022 to 2024:
WOMEN SENT TO A CLINIC FOR HEAVY PERIODS
France, 2022 to 2024, 446 women
Ferritin under 15Ferritin under 30In a Swedish study of 476 women, the 1 in 10 with the heaviest periods lost 1.35 mg of iron a day or more. That’s nearly three times what the typical woman lost.
If your periods are heavy, say so when you ask about your hair. With heavy periods or symptoms of low iron, the guideline says a line of 50 is appropriate. So with heavy periods, even a 40 is under that line.
Shedding often starts 2 to 3 months after its cause. So think back.
At any moment, about 80% to 90% of your hair follicles are growing. After a shock to your body, up to 70% of the growing hairs can switch early to resting. Then they shed, usually 2 to 3 months later.
That’s why it can be so much hair at once. Most healthy people lose up to 100 hairs a day, and with this kind of shedding it can be up to 300, Cleveland Clinic says.
2 TO 3 MONTHS
shedding starts
illness, birth,
stress, surgeryUSUALLY STOPS
within 6 months
of starting
By the time it shows, you may have already recovered from the cause. So it’s easy to miss the link.
Shedding a lot more than normal has a medical name, telogen effluvium. Think back 2 to 3 months before yours started. Dermatologists list causes like these:
- Having a baby.
- A high fever, a bad illness or an operation.
- A very stressful time, like a divorce or losing someone.
- Losing 20 pounds or more, or a diet short on protein.
- Some medicines, or stopping some birth control pills.
- A thyroid problem.
Think a medicine is the cause? Don’t stop it on your own. Ask the doctor who prescribed it.
Shedding after a shock like these usually stops within six months of starting. Still shedding after that, or can’t name a shock? The American Academy of Dermatology also lists too little iron as a cause of hair loss.
Slow thinning or a wider part can be a different kind of hair loss. Low iron can still be in the mix.
It’s called female pattern hair loss, the most common cause of hair loss in women, and it runs in families. For most women it starts in their 40s, 50s or 60s, and earlier for some.
Check it in a mirror. The American Academy of Dermatology names three signs: a wider part, a thinner ponytail, and hair receding near your temples.
Other kinds of hair loss can look like it, and two kinds can happen at once. So even if it runs in your family, Check 5 still applies.
Ask for ferritin by name. A normal blood count can miss low iron.
LAB ORDER
☑ CBC (blood count)
☐ Ferritin
Not on the order? Ask for it by name.Hemoglobin: the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen. It needs iron.
Ferritin: the test for the iron you have stored.
A standard blood count looks at your hemoglobin. Your stores can run low while that number still looks fine.
It’s common, too.
ferritin under 30National survey, Tawfik 2024
One buyer told us this in our survey:
Buyer survey, August 2026“Iron issues, thyroid issues, and a copper IUD almost took me out....I found out about your company on a runners subred...but I'm not a runner; I'm just desperate enough to be reading tips at 3 am while my hair falls out. Please tell more people about this, my endo did NOT even look twice at my ferritin which was a 5!”
In most states you can order a ferritin test online yourself, with no doctor’s visit. LabCorp OnDemand is one place that sells it. Your doctor or a dermatologist can decide what else to test, thyroid included.
At your next blood test, say: “Please add ferritin to my order.”
Then let the number decide.
Your number says iron? Take it as one raspberry strip a day, no pill to swallow.
It’s called I-NEED Wellness Iron Strips: a thin raspberry strip with 19 mg of iron. Tear open the sachet, set the strip on your tongue and let it melt. Then swallow. No pill. No water.
We asked buyers what finally made them decide to fix this. 39 of the 82 who answered by July 6, 2026 picked “Hair shedding or thinning.” One of them wrote:
Buyer survey, April 2026“Hair loss, dark circles under my eyes, low mood and realizing my exercise endurance may be limited by lower iron levels. I had a low-normal test result last time my doctor checked.”
- Iron: 19 mg as ferric saccharate, 106% of the Daily Value. No ferrous sulfate, the standard iron pill.
- Folate: 400 mcg DFE, from 240 mcg of folic acid.
- Taste: raspberry, sweetened with monk fruit and stevia.
- A tin: 30 strips. One a day.
The full label +
- Other ingredients: pullulan, cellulose, lecithin, raspberry flavor, monk fruit extract, citric acid, medium-chain triglycerides, xanthan gum, steviol glycosides.
- Diet: vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-free, no gelatin.
- Testing: the strip has a Certificate of Analysis, and the facility has a WHO-GMP attestation. Contact I-NEED Wellness for testing documentation.
Iron pills ever upset your stomach? One commenter wrote:
Facebook customer comment, August 2026“I did not experience any constipation like when you take iron pills. Absolutely zero stomach issues.”
Will it help my hair?
We can’t promise that. We couldn’t find a randomized trial of iron alone for shedding in women without anemia. But a ferritin of 30 or lower is iron deficiency under the 2026 guideline, hair or no hair. If that’s you, the strip is a way to take 19 mg of iron a day with no pill to swallow.
No number yet? Order now and test before your first strip. If it says you don’t need iron, you have 60 days to get your money back.
One tin $59.99 · Three tins $39.99 each · More than 13,000+ tins sold
Check it on your own blood work. 60 days, or your money back.
60-DAY MONEY-BACK WINDOW
Baseline testWEEK 6
on the strips
(about day 50 from order)DAY 60
DECIDE
When to test: while your order ships if you can, then around week six for a first look.
Hair grows slowly, so 60 days is too short to judge your hair. It’s long enough to see whether your ferritin has started to move.
This commenter went from 25 to 45 by day 30:
Facebook customer comment, August 2026 (part of a longer comment)“I tested late June and my ferritin was at 25. Started the melts a week or two later (no other iron supplements in between) and at the 30 day mark tested again and my ferritin was 45. I think they offer a 60 day money back guarantee so I wanted to make sure to test before then to see if it was working”
This one moved from 6 to 14:
Reddit, r/Anemic, September 2026 (part of a longer comment)“... I just got my lab results and they weren't as good as I was hoping. I was at Ferritin of 6 in June and now (11 weeks later) am at 14.”
And this one saw no change:
Facebook customer comment, July 2026“Interesting the results you and your friend had. My ferritin was at 7 at the end of 2025 and after 2 ish months of taking this, my current blood work showed zero change. 🤔😩”
All three are self-reported, not checked by us against a lab report. Quoted excerpts retain their original words; an earlier product-name reference has been omitted from one excerpt. Results and timing vary.
Not every number moves. If yours doesn’t, our 60-day money-back guarantee covers you.
The fine print +
Review the current refund policy on the product page before ordering. Refund eligibility, processing and applicable shipping charges follow the published store policy.
✓ Whether you take it most days.
✓ How your stomach handles it.
✓ Whether your ferritin has started to move.
Two ways this can go. Only one checks your iron.
Three tins cover your 60 days, with a month to spare. $1.33 a day.
You’re paying for iron with no pill to swallow, and 60 days to check it on your own blood work.
Each card opens our product page, where you pick 1, 3 or 6 tins.
$2.00 a day
ENOUGH FOR ALL 60 DAYSThree tins 90 strips$119.97$39.99 per tin · $1.33 a day
Save $60LOWEST ONE-TIME PRICESix tins 180 strips$179.93$29.99 per tin · $1.00 a day
Save $180These are one-time prices. Nothing renews unless you choose a plan on the product page. You can skip, pause or cancel an eligible subscription.
Opens our product page on one-time prices.
Low ferritin and nobody has looked for why? Ask your doctor to find out.
If a doctor set your dose, ask your doctor before you switch. Pregnant or nursing? Ask your doctor first. Under 18, or told you have hemochromatosis or another kind of iron overload? Skip it.
More questions
Is there folic acid in it? I have an MTHFR variant.+
Yes. Each strip has 240 mcg of folic acid, which the label counts as 400 mcg DFE of folate. It isn’t methylfolate. The CDC says people with MTHFR variants can process all types of folate, including folic acid.
What does it taste like?+
Raspberry, sweetened with monk fruit and stevia. It melts on your tongue, so there’s nothing to wash down. If any iron flavor is too much for you, the 60-day guarantee covers it.
Is this a subscription?+
Only if you pick one. The button opens the product page, where you can choose one-time purchase. Plans renew automatically, and you can skip, pause or cancel as described in your subscription terms.
Order now. Get your number before your first strip.
Ask for ferritin by name while your order ships. If it comes back low and iron is right for you, start the strips when they arrive and check again around week six. If your number says you don’t need iron, or the strip isn’t for you, contact us within 60 days of your order date. You get your money back.
More than 13,000+ tins sold · Free U.S. shipping · 60-day money-back guarantee