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The Truth About Hair Fall: Can Shampoo Actually Stop It?
Every second skincare brand in Pakistan sells an "anti-hair-fall" shampoo, and almost none of them will answer the question honestly. We make one too, the EL TESSA Hair Guard Shampoo, so let us be the brand that tells you the truth about it.
First: how much hair fall is normal?
Losing 50–100 hairs a day is completely normal (NHS: hair loss). Hair grows in cycles, and a portion of your hair is always in the shedding phase. Seeing hairs on your pillow, brush and bathroom floor is not, by itself, a problem — especially if you wash on alternate days and see "two days of shedding" at once.
Two completely different kinds of hair fall
- Shedding from the root (a small white bulb at the end of the hair) — driven by genetics, hormones, thyroid, low iron/ferritin, vitamin D deficiency, crash dieting, stress, or the months after illness, surgery or childbirth. No shampoo on earth treats this. This is a doctor-and-blood-test matter: ferritin, vitamin D, thyroid profile. Please spend your money there first.
- Breakage along the strand (no bulb — the hair snapped) — caused by harsh shampoos, very hot water, rough towel-drying, tight ponytails, heat styling and chemical damage. This is the kind a good routine genuinely fixes.
Quick test: look at the fallen hairs. Mostly short pieces without a root bulb? That is breakage — keep reading. Full-length hairs with bulbs, in suddenly increasing amounts, or visible patches? See a doctor, not a shampoo aisle.
Habits that break hair
- Very hot water — strips the scalp and weakens strands. Wash lukewarm.
- Harsh, stripping shampoos — the squeaky feeling means the protective layer is gone.
- Rubbing hair dry with a towel — wet hair is at its weakest. Press, don't rub.
- Brushing wet hair from the root — detangle from the ends up, gently.
- Tight hairstyles daily — constant tension breaks hair at the line of pull.
- Washing too rarely in our climate — sweat and oil buildup irritates the scalp. Alternate days suits most people in Pakistan's heat.
What a shampoo really does
A genuinely good shampoo does two things: cleans the scalp without stripping it, and treats strands gently enough that they stop snapping. Do that consistently and hair sheds less in the wash, breaks less at the brush, and looks fuller within six to eight weeks — because you are keeping the hair you already have. That is the honest job description of our EL TESSA Hair Guard Shampoo: it reduces the look of hair fall from breakage. We will never claim it regrows hair or treats medical hair loss, because that would be a lie.
Read next: what "medicated" actually means on a label.
Read next: how to judge a skincare brand honestly.
Timeline
| Time | Realistically |
|---|---|
| Week 1–2 | Calmer scalp, less shedding in the wash |
| Week 6–8 | Noticeably less breakage; hair looks fuller |
| Beyond | The hair cycle is measured in months — judge nothing sooner |
When to see a doctor
- Sudden, heavy shedding over weeks
- Visible patches or a widening parting
- Hair fall with fatigue, irregular periods, or weight changes
- After pregnancy, typhoid, dengue, COVID or surgery — usually temporary, but worth confirming (American Academy of Dermatology: hair shedding)
General information, not medical advice. EL TESSA products are cosmetics, not medicines, and are not a treatment for hair loss.
Free delivery across Pakistan, pay on delivery (COD) available. Questions? Write to us — and if your hair fall sounds medical, we will tell you to see a doctor instead of selling you a bottle.