How To Know When Your Hair Will Finally Stop Falling Out

Month 0: A trigger event shifts your hair cycle.

The story almost always starts with a physical or emotional stressor: childbirth, surgery, illness, hormone change, intense stress, or even weight loss of more than 10 pounds.

These types of events send a shock signal through your system, prompting your body to reallocate resources away from things it doesn’t consider essential, such as hair growth. As a result, a larger number of hair follicles than normal shift from the active growth phase into a resting phase. This transition happens beneath the surface with usually shows no outward signs at first, which is why the connection to the trigger often isn’t obvious at the moment.

Month 0–3: Hair enters the resting phase (telogen).

During this phase, the affected hairs have stopped growing but remain firmly in place. They're essentially paused. No longer anchored in the active cycle, but not yet ready to fall. This stage can be misleading. You may have moved past the initial stressor and assumed everything’s fine. But under the surface, those follicles are biding their time, and what comes next is already in motion.

Month 3: Shedding begins.

Around three months after the initial disruption, those resting hairs begin to detach and shed. This stage often feels sudden and scary, especially because it doesn’t line up with anything currently happening in your life. But it’s not random—it’s a delayed response to that month-zero event. What you’re seeing now is the natural and expected release of hairs that were quietly transitioned months ago. This is often when people start to panic and try everything at once to stop the fallout, but the process is already underway.

Month 6: Shedding peaks.

This is usually the most emotionally challenging part of the curve. Hair is coming out more than ever — in the shower, on your pillow, in your brush — and it feels endless. But here's the good news: if you're here, you've likely reached the apex. While it might not feel like it yet, your shedding is about to start slowing down. The peak doesn’t last forever. From this point forward, the release begins to taper, gradually decreasing as the cycle resets itself. You’re moving through it, even if progress feels hard to see at the moment.

Month 9: Shedding ends. Recovery begins.

By this stage, the excessive shedding has stopped or is nearly done. Your follicles are re-entering their natural rhythm, transitioning back into the growth phase. You may notice fine baby hairs sprouting at your temples or along your part line — small, subtle signs that new strands are taking root. This is the turning point. The disruption has passed, and your body is working to rebuild. With gentle care and realistic expectations, your scalp is ready to recover, and regrowth is already underway.