So you’ve had your baby and have finally come up for air, after the initial shock of realising you are in charge of a little human, only to notice your hair is falling out. Hair loss after pregnancy (postpartum shedding) is normal. Most women experience it from about the 3 month mark and the fall out can vary in severity.
Why does postnatal hair loss occur?
Did you notice thicker, fuller hair during your pregnancy? This was likely caused by the hormonal changes our bodies go through during this time. Hair has a growth phase and a resting phase. During the resting phase hair is shed when new hairs grow and push them out their follicle. During pregnancy, the hormonal changes cause more of our hair to be in the growth phase and less in the resting phase, resulting in thicker longer hair in pregnancy. After pregnancy, your hormones change again and more hair is in the resting phase than the growth phase, resulting in hair loss. Don’t despair. Your hair should return to its normal growth and resting patter within 6 months.
Hair Care Tips
That said, I personally believe there are things you can do to care for your hair while it’s getting back to normal. Whilst it may be difficult to stop the shedding (as it’s hormonal) you can take steps to improve the overall condition of your hair.
- Get those ends trimmed – with all the shedding, that last thing you need are split ends. If you’ve suffered a lot of shedding, this can also make your hair look fuller as you don’t have all those wispy ends
- Use a good deep conditioner – recently, I picked up the Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector, designed time strengthen and repair hair. As someone who gets regular keratin treatments, I often straighten my hair so protecting and repairing heat stress is important. After two uses my hair feels stronger and more resilient. It is quit expensive but I’m using it as a deep treatment every week. I put it on freshly washed hair then I’ll leave on for a few hours while I clean up the house.
- Massage your scalp – anything you can do to stimulate blood flow to your scalp is a good thing, this promotes hair growth. Every night, massage your scalp for around 4 mins.
- Do not manipulate your hair too much – tight ponytails and weaves can cause tension on your hair and pull out more hair than is already being shed. I tend to wear a loose ponytail or have my hair out to prevent as much stress as possible.
- Use a wide tooth comb – similar to the point above, don’t stress your hair by combing or brushing too much. If using a hair tool, go for one with a wide tooth.
Other posts on Hair Care:
Protecting Hair from Heat Damage
Keratin Treatments on Afro Hair
Kind Natured Hair Care and It’s Vegan
If you are suffering with hair loss, rest assured that postpartum shedding doesn’t last forever. If you are really worried about it always speak to your doctor who may be able to provide stronger options on prescription. I’d like to stress the importance of a good hair care routine in general. The tips above are worth implementing as standard.
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