Shedding is never fun — just ask my vacuum cleaner. It’s even less fun when you realize the golf ball size bits of hair you’re tugging out of the roller came from your own head. Oh, the horror! As we get older (yes ladies, this is for you too) our once glorious crown of healthy hair can become brittle, or even worse, be genetically predisposed to jump ship, leaving our poor, bald heads to fend for themselves.

Below are a few secrets from Mother Nature, some preventative, and some for after the mutiny has begun.