Hair in the shower drain.

Hair on your pillow.

Hair wrapped around your fingers every time you touch it.

Naturally, you panic.

Then Dr. Google tells you it's hormones. TikTok tells you it's rosemary oil. Instagram tells you it's biotin gummies. And suddenly you're $300 deep into supplements and scalp serums with absolutely nothing to show for it.

Sound familiar?

In this episode of Symptoms & Side Eyes, dermatologist Dr. Lauren Payne and internal medicine physician Dr. Deniece break down what hair loss actually means—and why the solution depends entirely on why it's happening in the first place.

We cover:

👀 The difference between shedding, breakage, and true alopecia

👀 Why stress, illness, rapid weight loss, GLP-1 medications, pregnancy, and hormonal changes can all trigger hair loss

👀 The most overlooked lab for women with hair shedding (hint: it's probably not the one you think)

👀 Why "your labs are normal" doesn't always mean your hair is healthy

👀 CCCA, traction alopecia, alopecia areata, and scalp conditions every Black woman should know about

👀 The truth about biotin, rosemary oil, scalp flooding, derma rolling, and social media hair hacks

👀 What dermatologists actually recommend when hair starts thinning

And yes... Dr. Payne is side-eyeing TikTok again. 😏

Plus, we're introducing a new segment: Boss Check, where we pull back the curtain on what it's really like building a medical practice, avoiding burnout, and learning how to let go of perfectionism.

Because sometimes the symptom isn't just hair loss...

Sometimes it's trying to do everything yourself.

🎧 Grab your coffee, your bonnet, your notes app—or all three—and let's get into it.