For six years, TikTok creator Ashley (@reallyrapunzel) turned an ordinary part of her routine—collecting loose hair in the shower—into a time capsule.
The creator has spent the past six years regularly posting about collecting and saving her long, flaxen hair from the shower. By saving and documenting the strands over time, she gave viewers a physical marker of life's passage, as fans measured their own milestones alongside her growing collection.
But in a TikTok video posted Feb. 13, 2026, Ashley announced she was ending the project, racking up over 20 million views from viewers who voiced grief and disbelief.
Ashley arranged loose strands of her own hair for the last time in the video with onscreen text that read, "After nearly six years it’s time to close a chapter."
Many offered a demure salute in response to Ashley’s decision, but others refused to accept the news. Crestfallen fans commented that they won’t be able to track the passage of time if the hair collection clips aren’t dropping in their feeds.
Ashley dedicated the farewell post to fans who have been following along since 2020. She captioned the video: "thanks to all my 2020 OGs."
How much hair is it normal to lose in the shower?
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it is normal to lose anywhere from 50 to 150 hairs a day. More intense shedding can occur due to underlying causes like genetics, emotional stress, physical strain (such as COVID-19), thyroid conditions, or just aging.
Assuming Ashley lost around 100 hairs a day over the last six years, this adds up to 219,000 individual hair strands.
The internet says goodbye to an unexpected comfort
"Wait you’re leaving? No I’ve been here since the first strand of hair, don’t go! I’ve left an abusive relationship, gotten married, had a baby all while following this journey," read one of the top comments.
“Girl I have graduated highschool, left a 2.5 yr relationship, met the loml and had two kids DONT GO,” wrote another.
Viewer Olive wrote, "How am I gonna tell time now ?? buttons in a jar ???"
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