During the shed
How should I wash and brush my hair during the shed?
You've started dreading wash day because of what ends up in your hands, and part of you wonders if washing less would mean losing less. That instinct is understandable and backwards — here's the mechanics of handling mid-shed hair.
Does washing make the shedding worse?
No — washing reveals the shed, it doesn't cause it. A hair that's finished its resting phase is already released at the root and sitting loose in the follicle; water, massage and brushing simply escort out hairs that were leaving anyway. Skip three washes and you don't save those hairs — you bank them for one horror-movie shower. The shed is set by hormones, not by your shampoo schedule.
How often should I wash right now?
As often as your scalp needs to feel comfortable — for most postpartum women (hello, night sweats) that's more often than the internet's wash-less advice suggests. A gentle wash whenever the roots feel oily or the scalp feels grubby beats aggressive, infrequent scrubbing. Concentrate shampoo at the roots, let the runoff handle your lengths, and treat the sweaty-scalp rhythm post as the companion piece.
What's the gentlest way to detangle?
Wet, with slip, from the bottom. Load conditioner through the mid-lengths and ends, then work a wide-tooth comb or flexible-bristle detangling brush from the ends upward in sections, holding the section above where you're working so tension stops at your hand instead of your roots. What this protects is the hair that isn't shedding: a snapped healthy hair is a genuine loss, and mid-shed handling is where most of that damage happens. Gentle combing and avoiding rough handling is exactly what health services advise during this phase.
Does how I dry it matter?
Mostly for breakage and comfort. Blot instead of towel-scrubbing, keep heat low and occasional, and skip tight styles on wet hair — wet hair stretches, and stretched-plus-tension is how you snap the survivors. None of this alters the shed count; all of it decides how much collateral damage the shed era leaves behind.
What about all the hair that comes out anyway?
Give it somewhere to go. Drain catcher in the shower, a small bin within reach of where you brush, a lint roller wherever the baby gets changed. Removing the daily confrontation is half the psychological battle — the other half is knowing how much is normal and when it ends.
Sources
- HSE — Hair loss after giving birth (gentle handling during the shedding phase): https://www.hse.ie/pregnancy-birth/birth/health-after-birth/breast-changes-hair-loss/
- American Academy of Dermatology — Hair loss in new moms: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/insider/new-moms
This article is general information, not medical advice. Postpartum hair shedding is common and usually temporary, but everyone’s situation is different. Please speak with your GP, midwife or maternal child health nurse about your own health — especially if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.