There is an unspoken rule of pregnancy that no one bothers to warn you about: everything your body improves while growing a baby, it will take away the moment the baby arrives. You may, for instance, have enjoyed months of luxurious, shampoo-commercial-worthy hair, the kind that makes strangers on the street think, Wow, she must really have it together. And then, a few months postpartum, you will step into the shower, run your fingers through your hair, and realize—to your absolute horror—that it is all falling out.

Not in the “Oops, I shed a few strands” way, but in the “I am rapidly transforming into a molting woodland creature” way. This is, as it turns out, completely normal. Which is both reassuring and deeply unhelpful when your vacuum is choking on the sheer volume of hair now covering your floor.

Why Your Hair is Betraying You

During pregnancy, high estrogen levels trick your hair into sticking around far longer than it normally would. It stops shedding, it thickens, it makes you feel like a minor celebrity. But after birth, your hormones drop, and all that extra hair suddenly remembers it was supposed to leave months ago. It does not go quietly. It goes all at once.

This process is called postpartum hair loss (or, more dramatically, the Great Follicular Exodus). It peaks around three to six months postpartum.

Surviving the Shed

The good news? You do not need to buy expensive hair serums, vitamins infused with the essence of unicorn tears, or LED laser helmets that claim to “revitalize” your scalp. Most of the time, your hair will grow back on its own—no intervention required.

A few strategies to make the process slightly less horrifying:

• Dry Shampoo Is Your Best Friend – There is a misconception that dry shampoo is just for people who have “given up.” This is incorrect. Dry shampoo is for people who are strategizing. When your hair starts falling out in clumps, you will not want to wash it daily for fear of losing even more. Dry shampoo lets you extend washes, absorb excess oil, and trick the world into thinking you still have your life together.
• The Strategic Haircut – If your hair is long, consider a trim—or even an undercut—so there’s just less of it to lose. If you do not want to cut your hair, at least accept that your baby will, at some point, attempt to rip it directly from your scalp. Shorter hair means less for them to grab, pull, and lovingly drool on.
• Beware the Hair Tourniquet – A single hair, when wrapped around a baby’s tiny fingers or toes, can cause something called a hair tourniquet. It is as alarming as it sounds. Check your baby’s hands and feet regularly, because the last thing you need while dealing with postpartum hair loss is your own child wearing your lost strands like cursed jewelry.
• The Magic of Hats – Sometimes, you just have to accept defeat and put on a hat. Hats are nature’s way of saying, “You don’t need to deal with this right now.” Keep one near the door and in your car.

Despite how dramatic it feels, this is temporary. Your hair will, at some point, realize it has punished you enough for the crime of not being pregnant anymore.