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Hair is cylinder of dead tissue. The main factor in growth of the hair is the kind of cells that exit in the hair follicles from which the hair grows in the individual person. Each individual hair is also different in one individual .Hair loss or falling of hair usually develops gradually and may be patchy or diffuse (all over). The average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs.Roughly 100 hairs are lost from your head every day.There are two types of hair loss
1.Alopecia areata. In this type of hair loss, hair usually falls out, resulting in totally smooth, round patches about the size of a coin or larger. This disease may affect children, women or men of any age.
2.Androgenic alopecia. This is the most common type of hair loss and is often called "male- or female-pattern baldness". The hair usually thins out first in the front of the scalp and moves progressively to the back and top of the head. It tends to be progressive.

Its causes are:
1.Childbirth. When a woman is pregnant, she does not lose as much hair as usual. However, after she delivers her baby, many hairs enter the resting stage of the hair cycle. Within two to three months after delivery, some women may see large amounts of hair coming out in their brushes and combs.

2.High fever, severe infection, flu. From four weeks to three months after a person has a high fever or a severe infection or flu, he or she may be shocked to see a lot of hair falling out.

3.Thyroid disease. Both an overactive and underactive thyroid can cause hair loss.

4.Inadequate protein in diet. Some vegetarians, people who go on crash diets that exclude protein, and those with severely abnormal eating habits, may develop protein malnutrition.

5.Medications. Prescription drugs can cause temporary hair shedding in a small percentage of people. Examples of such drugs are blood thinners, some drugs used to treat gout and arthritis, and some medications for heart problems.

6.Cancer treatment drugs. Certain types of drugs used in chemotherapy will cause hair cells to stop dividing. This can occur one to three weeks after chemotherapy. The patient may lose up to 90 percent of the natural scalp hair.

7.Birth control pills. Women who lose their hair when taking birth control pills usually have an inherited tendency towards hair thinning.

8.Low serum iron. Iron deficiency sometimes produces hair loss.

9.Major surgery or chronic illness. Anyone who has a major operation - a tremendous shock to the system - may notice increased hair shedding within one to three months afterwards. This condition reverses itself within a few months. People who have a chronic illness may shed hair indefinitely.

Hair Loss symptoms are:
1.Most people notice hair loss when looking at themselves in a mirror.
2.You may also find many hairs on your pillow in the morning or in your hairbrush or comb.
3.A woman may notice a decrease in the size of her ponytail.

The tests include:
1.Charts with pictures of hair loss help to classify the amount and type of hair loss. These include the Hamilton and Ludwig classification charts.
- Extra tests usually are not needed unless the diagnosis is uncertain.
- You can do a pull test, examining the pulled hair for different thickness and length.
2.Different thickness and length confirm the most common type of hair loss, androgenic alopecia.
3.Skin problems leading to hair loss may be diagnosed by taking a sample of skin and hair from the affected area. A doctor looking at this under a microscope might find skin irritation or infection as the cause.
4.If hair loss is severe or other signs of illness are present, many tests might be used, including x-rays and blood tests.