Shedding: Part 2
When It’s More Than Just Hormones
Let’s Pick Up Where We Left Off
In Part 1, we broke down the basics; hair cycles, hormones, and why your scalp sometimes acts like a hoe. 💅 Now that you know how shedding happens, let’s talk about when it becomes more than “just shedding.” This is your deep dive into postpartum fallout, hormonal dips, stress-induced shedding, and the scalp conditions that actually need medical attention.
👶 Postpartum Shedding
If you’ve had a baby, you already know your hormones go absolutely feral. During pregnancy, estrogen skyrockets and freezes your follicles in the growth phase and giving you that thick, shiny hair everyone talks about. Then the baby arrives 👶 and estrogen drops hard. All those “frozen” hairs wake up at once and decide to dip out together.
You’ll notice this around 3–6 months postpartum… hair clumps in the shower drain 🚿, thinning at the temples, and a suddenly smaller ponytail. By 6–9 months, it usually slows down. Around a year, things start to rebalance, and those little spiky baby hairs pop up. Congratulations, thats motherhood’s built-in crown of glory. 👑
What Helps:
🪮 Brush gently (try brushing with conditioner in the shower).
💧 Feed your scalp - rosemary or castor oil, peptides, or serums like Nutrafol or Nioxin.
🥦 Feed your body - protein, iron, vitamin D, collagen, and plenty of water.
🕰️ Be patient - it really does grow back. (And yes… it’ll probably happen again if you keep getting knocked up.)
😵 Hormonal Shedding (Beyond the Baby Blues)
You don’t need a newborn to have hormone chaos . Hormonal shedding can strike anytime your levels shift… and they love to shift.
Perimenopause & Menopause: lower estrogen = slower growth, thinner strands.
Thyroid changes: both high and low thyroid mess with your hairline and crown.
Birth control changes: stopping or starting can trigger a mini-shed.
PCOS & hormone imbalance: excess androgens (like testosterone) can shrink follicles and thin your part line.
If your shedding lines up with a major hormonal change, it’s usually temporary. Once your hormones chill, your hair follows. ✨
🧘 Stress, Medication & “Life Happens” Shedding
Your hair reacts to everything!! Stress, grief, illness, surgery, crash dieting, even certain meds gives unblance. When your body’s under pressure, it prioritizes survival over hair growth. That’s Telogen Effluvium (TEL-uh-jun eh-FLOO-vee-um) thats a fancy word for stress-triggered shedding. It looks dramatic but it’s temporary. Once balance returns, your follicles clock back in.
What Helps:
💆🏽♀️ Scalp massage - boosts blood flow and wakes up follicles.
😌 Manage stress - chill the F out. Your hair can feel it.
🍳 Eat regularly - your follicles need steady fuel, not crash diets.
🩺 Talk to your doctor before changing meds, but definitely mention hair loss.
🧬 When Shedding Isn’t “Just Shedding”
If shedding lasts longer than six months, happens in patches, or your scalp burns, itches, or looks shiny…. that’s your cue to dig deeper. Here’s what might unfortunately really be going on:
Alopecia Areata (Autoimmune)
(pronounced: al-oh-PEE-shuh air-ee-AH-tuh)
Your immune system attacks your follicles, creating smooth, round bald patches. It can happen suddenly. Sometimes it regrows on its own, sometimes it needs help…Treatments like steroid injections or topicals prescribed by your doctor. Early treatment matters. If you think it’s something that could still bother you ten years from now, treat it like it’s happening now. ⚡
Androgenetic Alopecia (Genetic or Hormonal)
(pronounced: an-droh-juh-NET-ik al-oh-PEE-shuh)
Also known as female or male pattern thinning. It’s gradual and usually along the part or crown caused by DHT (a hormone that shrinks follicles). Treatments like minoxidil, finasteride (for men), or DHT-blocking serums can slow it down ONLY if you start early.
Scalp Inflammation or Scarring Alopecia
If your scalp feels sore, itchy, or flaky, this could be an inflammatory condition like psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, or lichen planopilaris. These can scar follicles permanently if ignored. A dermatologist or trichologist can confirm what’s happening with magnification or a small biopsy.
🧬 The Genetic Side of Hair Loss
If someone in your family has experienced hair loss (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles) you’ve likely inherited that same follicle sensitivity. That sensitivity is due to a hormone called DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a by-product of testosterone. DHT binds to receptors in your follicles and, over time, makes them shrink. Smaller follicles = thinner hair = eventual loss.
👩🏽🦱 👨🏻🦲 The Family Mix
If your dad is bald, your chances go up.
If your mom’s side has thin hair, your chances go up even more (yes its true, the gene for thinning often passes through the maternal line).
So yeah… balding is genetic, but not only genetic. Stress, hormones, nutrition, and overall health all play a role in how fast or how much it progresses. Think of genetics as the potential, not the sentence. With early treatment ( DHT blockers, minoxidil, scalp care, lifestyle balance) you can absolutely slow or minimize it. But there’s no guarantee either way. You can inherit the gene and never lose your hair, or have zero family history and still experience thinning from hormones or stress.
💡 What to Do Right Now
1️⃣ See a dermatologist or trichologist — early diagnosis matters.
2️⃣ Ask for bloodwork (iron, thyroid, vitamin D, hormones).
3️⃣ Keep your scalp clean, exfoliated, and hydrated.
4️⃣ Use serums and oils consistently NOT aggressively.
5️⃣ Skip the “miracle” products on TikTok and stick to science.
💌 Real Talk
If your hair’s shedding more than feels normal, you’re allowed to care! and you’re absolutely allowed to ask questions. Whether it’s postpartum changes, hormonal chaos, stress, or something deeper like alopecia; there is help, treatment, and hope. Your hair isn’t gone; it’s just in a new phase. And those stubborn baby hairs you keep trying to tame? They’re proof your body’s healing…one tiny strand at a time. 🫶🏼
xo,
Airika
Your friendly neighborhood Hairapist bringing science, and scalp support.