What Does It Mean If You Dream About Your Hair Falling Out?

There are several reasons why one might experience hair loss IRL, but what does it mean if you’re seeing images about excessive hair loss in your subconscious? While dreams about hair falling out from your scalp may seem oddly specific and maybe even a little bit scary, they are actually quite common, and dream analysts are quick to break down what hair in dreams represent.

What your hair represents in dreams

Whether you’ve got long locks or a short bob, your hair holds a lot of meaning, especially when it comes to dreams. “Typically, hair to the dreaming mind represents thoughts, ideas, beliefs and/or that which is on our mind,” Lauri Loewenberg, a dream analyst tells Romper. Why is that? “Like hair, these things sprout from the head,” she explains.

But it’s not just the hair itself that is significant. Even the hue of your hair matters in a dream. “For example, if your hair is a lighter color in the dream than it normally is in real life, it may mean your mindset is lightening up, you may be feeling enlightened or have had a bright idea,” she says. “To cut your hair in a dream can mean you are cutting a certain mode of thought or plans short, or perhaps even changing your mind about something.”

Dreams of losing hair meanings

If you’ve ever had a dream about your teeth falling out, then dreaming about your hair falling out in a dream is similar — and it all comes down to fear and loss. “Dreaming about your hair falling speaks to a loss of control in your life,” Adora Winquist, a dream analyst, tells Romper. That’s why Winquist suggests asking yourself if there’s anything happening in your life right now that you feel you cannot stop. For example, if you’re dreaming about your hair falling out (and you’ve just had a baby, for example), you might feel like you’ve lost your freedom.

Although it can be a hair-raising experience to dream about your hair falling out, the manner in which you lose your locks is equally as important. “Depending on the context of the dream, your hair falling out may reflect that you are shedding old ideas or beliefs,” says Loewenberg. “It might also mean that you are out of ideas, or at a loss as to how to handle or proceed with a certain situation.” It might represent a crossroads of sorts in which you have to make a decision.

Although it’s not as common a reason as, say, that sense that you’re losing control in your life, losing your hair in a dream could be another type of loss — and that’s of your sense of confidence and/or beauty. “Less often, whatever is going on with your hair in a dream can be connected to pride, vanity and sense of appearance,” says Loewenberg. “In this instance, losing your hair would indicate a loss of confidence, concern over losing your good looks or perhaps even shame.” If you’ve gone through a life change and your self-esteem has taken a hit, it makes sense that losing your hair is connected to a lack of time or inability to give yourself the self-care that you so deserve.

Dreaming about losing your hair is a common dream. And while it might be scary to think about your hair falling out, it could be your mind’s way of alerting you to other fears you might not be willing to face. Or, it could just be a reminder to get a babysitter — and get your roots done.