Human hair, at any given moment, will be in one of three growth cycles. Meaning that sometimes hair loss is naturally quicker than it usually is, several times a year. You've stopped pulling your hair, perhaps you are in a cycle where your hair is naturally sloughing itself more rapidly and you're simply more conscious of hair loss now that you've stopped pulling on it. It's been said that the average human can lose up to 100 hairs a day but obviously most are replacing that hair. If they weren't, there'd be a lot more bald people around. I would recommend taking kelp and alfala supplements. Kelp in particular is renowned for keeping the hair cuticle healthy.