Postpartum Hair Loss: What Your Stylist Wants You to Know (NZ)

If you're a few months postpartum and your hair is coming out in handfuls in the shower — take a breath. This is one of the most normal things that happens to a new mum's body, and it passes.

We see this at the basin constantly, usually around the 3–4 month mark, and it genuinely frightens people. So here's the honest, reassuring version from someone who does hair for a living — what's happening, how long it lasts, and what actually helps.

Why it happens (and why it's not "falling out")

During pregnancy, high hormones keep hair that would normally shed hanging on — which is why your hair felt thick and glorious. After birth, hormones drop and all that held-on hair sheds at once. It looks alarming because months of normal shedding arrive in a few weeks. It's called telogen effluvium, and crucially: you are not going bald — you're shedding hair you were always going to shed, just all together.

The timeline

It usually starts around 2–4 months postpartum, peaks around 4–5 months, and settles by 6–12 months as your cycle normalises. You'll often see a fringe of short regrowth around your hairline and part later on — that's new hair coming back. Genuinely reassuring once you know to look for it.

How to style through it

• A fresh cut is your friend. A shape with soft layers or a slightly shorter length looks fuller than long, thin lengths. This is the single biggest visual win — ask your stylist for a cut that builds the illusion of density.
• Volume from the roots, lightness through the lengths. A volumising mousse at the root and a lightweight conditioner (not a heavy one weighing hair down) makes thin hair look fuller.
• Be gentle. New regrowth and shedding hair are fragile — detangle with a wide-tooth comb, ease off tight ponytails, and don't over-heat.

The products that actually help

Kérastase Genesis is the range built for exactly this — it strengthens hair at the root and reduces breakage-driven loss, so more of your hair stays put. The Bain Hydra-Fortifiant (or Nutri, for drier hair) plus the Anti-Chute Sérum scalp treatment is the routine we recommend to new mums. For visible density, Densifique adds body. Neither is a miracle — nothing stops postpartum shedding entirely — but they support the scalp and protect the hair you keep. We go deeper in the Genesis guide and thinning-hair guide.

When to see a doctor

Postpartum shedding is normal and self-resolving. But see your GP if: it's still heavy past 12 months, you have bald patches (not just overall thinning), or you have other symptoms (fatigue, weight changes) — postpartum thyroid changes and low iron are common and treatable, and worth ruling out. Trust your gut; there's no harm in a blood test.

Feeling defeated by your hair right now? Come in for a cut that works with the shedding — book at UKIYO. You'll leave looking (and feeling) more like yourself. The Genesis edit below is what we send new mums home with.

11% off your first UKIYO order with code WELCOME11. Free NZ shipping over $75. Genuine salon stock, shipped from our Wānaka studio.