Last updated on October 31, 2025
Question:
Hey man,
I hope you are doing well. I don’t know why, but my mustache hair started to fall out again. Maybe 1 or 2 per day, but they are a lot. Is this normal? And why is their thickness still like this?
Answer:
The thickness is normal for terminal hairs. If you notice that near the base, it is thicker and darker because it is fully developed hair. Near the tip, it is lighter and has less color because it is what remains of your hair when it was in the vellus stage. In other words, this is one of your older mustache hairs.
Hair follicles operate in cycles. They grow for a while and then take a break. Since they matured at different times, the break time is scattered across your mustache. If they all took a break at the same time, you would be shedding clumps of hair like a dog. During the break time, it is common for the hair to break off. When the break is over, the hair will grow again. Different areas of your body have different cycle times. This is why the hair on your arms and legs will never get as long as the hair on your scalp.
There is nothing to worry about. This is how your body is supposed to run.
Question:
If the lighter color is near the base, that is usually an indication of getting overly stressed. When you are stressed, your body produces less of the pigment that gives hair its color. [“It’s True: Stress Does Turn Hair Gray (And It’s Reversible),” Columbia University, 22 June 2021]. The body recovers when the stress is reduced.