Postpartum Hair Loss: A Month by Month Care Plan
Postpartum hair loss is not really losing hair at all. It is the release of the extra hair that pregnancy hormones held on to, arriving in one dramatic wave around two to four months after birth. It is normal, it is temporary, and for most women it has settled by their baby's first birthday. You cannot shorten it, but you can protect the hair you have while it runs its course.
You did not lose hair, you stopped keeping it
During pregnancy, high oestrogen holds hairs in their growing phase that would ordinarily have been shed. Your hair felt thick because you were banking months of normal shedding. After birth those hormone levels fall and the whole backlog is released together. The handful in the shower is not a new problem, it is a delayed one.
Key takeaways
- Postpartum hair loss is a form of telogen effluvium. The follicles are paused, not damaged, and they restart.
- It usually begins two to four months after birth, peaks around month four, and eases by twelve months.
- Temple and hairline thinning is the classic pattern, which is why so many women notice it first when tying their hair back.
- You cannot stop it and you do not need to. The useful work is avoiding breakage and traction on top of it.
- If you are breastfeeding, check with your GP or health visitor before any supplement, and keep taking your recommended postnatal vitamin.
- See a GP if it lasts beyond a year, if you see defined patches, or if it comes with fatigue, low mood or unexplained weight change.
What causes postpartum hair loss?
Hormones, and specifically the fall in oestrogen after delivery. Throughout pregnancy raised oestrogen extends anagen, the active growing phase of the hair cycle, so far fewer hairs than usual move into the resting phase. That is the thick, glossy pregnancy hair people talk about, and it is genuinely real rather than flattering lighting. Once the placenta is delivered, oestrogen drops sharply, all of those retained hairs move into telogen together, and roughly two to three months later they are released as a group.
Two other things often stack on top of the hormonal shift. Blood loss at delivery can leave iron stores low, and low ferritin is capable of dragging out a shed that would otherwise resolve tidily. Broken sleep, the physical demands of feeding and the ordinary intensity of a newborn add a further physiological load. None of these cause the shed on their own, but together they can make it heavier and longer than it needed to be, which is why the practical advice below leans so hard on iron and eating properly.
If you want the underlying biology set out from scratch, our companion explainer on what postpartum hair loss actually is covers the definition and the hormonal mechanism in more depth. This page is the practical counterpart: what to do, month by month, while it happens.
When does postpartum hair loss start and when does it stop?
The timeline is predictable enough to plan around, and knowing it is genuinely the most useful thing on this page. The shed typically starts between two and four months after birth, becomes most obvious around month four, tapers through months six to nine, and has usually finished by twelve months. New growth starts before the shedding finishes, which is why the short fluffy baby hairs around the hairline turn up while you still feel like you are losing handfuls.
| Time since birth | What is usually happening | What actually helps |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 months | Little or no shedding yet. Hair still feels thick | Eat and rest where you can. Nothing hair specific needed |
| 2 to 4 months | The shed begins, often suddenly. Clumps in the shower and brush | Gentle handling, loose styles. Ask about a ferritin test if you bled heavily |
| Around 4 months | Peak shedding. Temples and hairline look thinnest | Stop weighing it. This is the normal maximum, not a warning sign |
| 4 to 8 months | Shedding eases. Short new hairs appear at the hairline | Keep styles loose. Resist tight buns, this is when traction does damage |
| 8 to 12 months | Density rebuilding. New growth is obvious but short and fluffy | A shorter cut or layers makes the new growth blend in |
| Beyond 12 months | Should be resolved | Still heavy, patchy or worsening? Speak to your GP |
Second and subsequent babies do not reliably follow the same pattern as the first, so a heavy shed after one pregnancy does not predict the next. Breastfeeding does not cause the shed and stopping breastfeeding does not end it, although some women do notice a smaller second wave when they wean, which is another hormonal shift running the same mechanism.
Is it hair loss, shedding or breakage?
These three feel identical in the moment and need different responses, so it is worth learning to tell them apart. Hair loss means the follicle has stopped producing, and it shows as a defined patch or a permanently widening parting that does not recover. Shedding is the growth cycle releasing hairs that have finished, and each hair comes out full length with a small pale bulb at the root. That is what postpartum hair loss is. Breakage is the fibre snapping mid length, leaving short uneven pieces with no bulb, and it is caused by handling, heat and tension rather than by hormones.
| What you see | What it is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Full length hairs with a pale bulb at the root, in handfuls | Shedding | Expected. It will stop |
| Thinning at the temples and hairline | The classic postpartum pattern | Loose styles, no tight ponytails while it recovers |
| Short broken pieces of uneven length, no bulb | Breakage | Reduce heat and tension, condition the mid lengths and ends |
| Short fluffy new hairs standing up at the hairline | New growth | Good news. Style around them rather than pinning them flat |
| A smooth defined bald patch | Not the ordinary postpartum pattern | See a GP |
| Thinning at the crown or a widening parting that persists past a year | Possibly pattern thinning unmasked by the shed | Worth a GP conversation |
The distinction matters most for the hairline. Baby hairs coming through at the temples are fragile, short and easily snapped, so a tight ponytail at month eight can convert new growth into breakage and make it look as though the shed never ended. That is the single most common avoidable mistake at this stage.
What genuinely helps during the shed?
Nothing shortens the shed itself, and any product promising otherwise is overreaching. What genuinely helps is removing the things that prolong it and avoiding a second cause of hair fall on top of the first. Four things are worth the effort.
Eat properly, even when there is no time. Hair is largely protein and a body recovering from birth while feeding a baby deprioritises it. Frequent, easy, protein containing food beats an ambitious meal plan you will never cook. Biotin and zinc contribute to the maintenance of normal hair, which is a nutritional statement rather than a promise about your shed.
Ask about iron rather than guessing. If you lost blood at delivery, or you were anaemic in pregnancy, a ferritin test and full blood count are worth requesting. Correcting genuinely low iron helps. Taking iron you do not need is not harmless, so the test comes first.
Be careful with supplements while breastfeeding. Keep taking whatever postnatal vitamin you were advised to take, and check with your GP, midwife or health visitor before adding anything else. This is not a formality. Some botanical supplements marketed for hair are not recommended while nursing.
Take the tension off. Loose styles, no tight buns, and a satin or silk pillowcase. Our guide to stress and hair loss explains why rest is a genuine part of this rather than an empty suggestion, and it is the hardest advice to follow with a newborn.
Get a discount on the postpartum shedding range
Join the Watermans mailing list and we will email a discount code straight to your inbox, so you can try the postpartum shedding range for less. Vegan, made in the UK, over 5 million bottles sold since 2012.
How should you wash and style hair while it is shedding?
Wash as often as suits your scalp. Washing does not cause the shed, and skipping washes only gathers the released hairs into a larger, more frightening clump on the day you finally do. Use a mild sulphate free shampoo, lukewarm water, and concentrate on the scalp rather than scrubbing the lengths. Condition the mid lengths and ends every wash, because detangling is where postpartum breakage genuinely happens.
Detangle from the ends upward with a wide tooth comb, on damp conditioned hair rather than dry. Keep heat low and infrequent. Above all, keep styles loose: the classic mistake is scraping newly fragile hair into a tight bun because it is practical with a baby, which loads the exact hairline that is already thinnest. If you need hair off your face, a loose plait, a claw clip or a soft scrunchie all do the job without the pull.
Cutting is worth considering purely on practical grounds. Shorter hair is lighter, quicker to wash and dry, easier to manage one handed, and it hides reduced density far better than long thin lengths do. Layers around the face also blend the short new growth in rather than leaving it standing up. Our guide to using conditioner properly covers the technique that makes the biggest difference to breakage.
Which products are worth using?
A small number, chosen for what they honestly do. None of them will end the shed. What they can do is keep the scalp comfortable, reduce the breakage that otherwise compounds the shed, and make the hair you still have look fuller while density rebuilds.
Grow Me® Hair Growth Shampoo
A sulphate free daily shampoo that cleans gently. Vegan, made in the UK, and part of a range with over 5 million bottles sold since 2012. Work it into the scalp with fingertips, not the lengths.
Condition Me® Hair Growth Conditioner
The practical anti breakage step. Mid lengths and ends every wash, left a couple of minutes, so that detangling stops snapping the fragile new growth.
If your hair also feels dry and rough from pregnancy and the months since, a weekly mask is a reasonable addition rather than a necessity. Masque Me hair mask is the one we would point you to, used on the mid lengths and ends once a week.
Watermans products are 100% cosmetic and do not treat medical hair loss. Individual results may vary.
When should you speak to a GP or health visitor?
Most postpartum shedding needs no medical input at all. Speak to someone if the shedding is still heavy beyond twelve months, if you can see smooth defined bald patches rather than diffuse thinning at the temples, if your scalp is sore or scaly, or if the hair changes come alongside exhaustion beyond ordinary newborn tiredness, low mood, palpitations, feeling cold or unexplained weight change. Thyroid problems genuinely do appear in the postnatal year and are easily checked.
Ask specifically about ferritin, a full blood count and thyroid function. Please also raise low mood with your GP or health visitor in its own right rather than as a footnote to a hair question. Watermans sells cosmetic hair care and does not run clinics, so anything in this paragraph belongs with your own healthcare team.
Frequently asked questions
When does postpartum hair loss start?
Usually between two and four months after birth, and it often arrives suddenly enough to be alarming. The delay exists because hairs pushed into the resting phase by the drop in oestrogen sit there for two to three months before being released, so the shed lags well behind the hormonal change that triggered it.
How long does postpartum hair loss last?
For most women it eases from around six months and has finished by the baby's first birthday. New growth overlaps with the tail of the shed, so short fluffy hairs appear at the hairline while you are still losing others. Shedding that is still heavy beyond twelve months is worth a GP conversation.
Can you stop postpartum hair loss?
No, and that is genuinely fine. The shed is the release of hair that pregnancy hormones held on to, so it has to happen. What you can influence is everything sitting on top of it: correcting low iron, eating enough, and avoiding the traction and breakage that make the thinning look worse and last longer than it should.
Is it normal to lose hair at the temples after having a baby?
Yes, that is the classic pattern. The hairline and temples are where the hair is finest and where the shed shows first, which is why so many women notice it while tying their hair back. It is also the area most vulnerable to tight styling, so it is the place where loose styles pay off most.
Does breastfeeding cause postpartum hair loss?
No. The shed is driven by the fall in oestrogen after delivery, and it happens whether or not you breastfeed. Stopping breastfeeding does not end it either, though some women notice a smaller second wave around weaning, which is another hormonal shift running the same mechanism.
Are hair supplements safe while breastfeeding?
Check before you take anything. Keep taking any postnatal vitamin you were advised to, and ask your GP, midwife or health visitor about anything else, including botanical hair supplements. Some ingredients marketed for hair are not recommended while nursing, and a five minute question avoids the problem entirely.
Should I cut my hair after having a baby?
There is no medical reason to, but there are three practical ones. Shorter hair is lighter and faster to wash and dry, it disguises reduced density better than long thin lengths, and layers blend the short new growth in rather than leaving it standing up at the hairline. Many women find it makes the whole stage easier to live with.
Will my hair go back to how it was before pregnancy?
Usually, though the reference point is misleading. Pregnancy hair was unusually full because you were not shedding normally, so hair returns to your ordinary density rather than your pregnancy density. Texture can shift slightly too, and curl pattern changing after a baby is a common and permanent enough outcome to be worth expecting.
Sources and References
- NHS, Your post pregnancy body, on hair changes and recovery after birth.
- NHS, Hair loss, overview of causes and when to seek help.
- British Association of Dermatologists, Telogen effluvium leaflet, on triggers including childbirth and the delay before shedding.
- StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf, Telogen Effluvium, on the postpartum mechanism and expected recovery.
- NHS, Iron deficiency anaemia, on testing after blood loss at delivery.
The short version
Postpartum hair loss is a delayed, temporary shed of the hair that pregnancy hormones held on to. It starts two to four months after birth, peaks around month four, and is usually over by twelve months, with new growth appearing before the shedding stops. Nothing shortens it. What helps is correcting low iron if you have it, eating enough protein, keeping styles loose so the fragile hairline is not pulled, and conditioning to stop breakage compounding the problem. Speak to your GP if it runs past a year or comes with other symptoms.
