Postpartum hair loss. Mmm - it has such a fun sound to it, doesn't it?
This phenomenon is something a lot of us hear about before we have kids, but it's definitely something you're never fully prepared for.
Take a little journey with me...
Imagine you've just gone through a whopping 9 mood-swinging months of pregnancy, experienced the epic-ness of childbirth, been chronically sleep deprived, had your nipples sucked raw every day for 3 months, and you start to see this glowing light at the end of the tunnel... your baby starts sleeping longer stretches, you're feeling like you're getting the hang of this mom routine, and you start to feel interested in intimacy with your significant other again... you climb in the shower, jamming out to some hits from your high school days (you know the ones, ladies), start to lather up your hair with shampoo while contemplating shaving your legs for the first time since baby was born because maybe you'll --- wait, what? Why are there clumps of hair in your hands? Is your... is your HAIR FALLING OUT?! Yep. It is. Surprise!
I knew it was coming, but I was not prepared for how I felt when it happened to me. I was already struggling with self-confidence postpartum - avoiding looking in the mirror because I just didn't want to know how bad the hair & eye bags were. Forget stepping on a scale or trying on my pre-pregnancy clothes! And my pelvis?! I was a pelvic PT for crying out loud - how did this happen to me?! I had just started feeling like I was on the uphill trek when the hair loss started. I'm not kidding when I say I had bald spots and chunks of receding hairline. So, like, I can't wear my hair down because its a greasy mess, but forget the good 'ol messy bun because that just broadcasts my balding. This should be fun.
Here's the good news - it's not permanent. While you're pregnant, you have all these extra hormones and nutrients flowing through your body to support your growing baby. This means your body also gets some of these nutrient surges - your nails get thicker, your skin glows a little more (sometimes I think it's just sweat, though), and your hair gets thicker, longer, and oh so luscious! Then, when baby exits and body returns to baseline.. so do does all the extra good stuff.
Can you skip this transition your body goes through? Unfortunately, no. What you CAN do, though, is support your body through it. What I mean by this is simply: you can't necessarily stop your hair from falling out, but you can assist in speeding up the regrowth process.
The most essential ways to do this:
continue taking your prenatal vitamins
eat a well-balanced diet
use heat products minimally (straighteners, curlers, blow-driers, etc) *styling tip: headbands saved me! My personal favorites:
Another option to help with hair regrowth: shampoo/conditioner/serums that speed up hair growth! I wish I would have known this earlier after my first pregnancy. I spent a year just patiently waiting for my hair to regrow, using headbands and hair spray to hide my devil-horn curly-qs along the way. However, I had a hair stylist recommend using some hair products that stimulated hair growth. I figured I'd give it a shot, and I swear to you - my hair started growing at twice the speed! After my second pregnancy, I had some products ready and waiting, so I was ready to go the day my hair started falling out! I kid you not - by 1 year postpartum with my second son, my baby hairs were already twice as long as they were at 1 year postpartum with my first son!
There are A LOT of different options out there for hair products, but in case you're interested in taking a peek at the one I personally used:
They cost a little more than my usual hair products, but I also don't feel they're outrageously priced in comparison to some others on the market. Financially, we didn't have room for extras in our budget when I was postpartum with my 1st - so I only bought the serum. I used it after every hair wash, and I saw incredible differences.
After my 2nd, I was able to catch the whole pack on black friday sale - score! So I used the pre-wash spray, shampoo, conditioner, and post-wash serum. I usually wash my hair every 2-3 days, so both the serum and the full pack each lasted me a little over 5 months. In my opinion, it was totally worth it! I've also been a big fan of the Surface Awaken line's styling/volumizing mousse - I felt like it both stimulated my scalp while also protecting my baby hairs during the times I actually tried styling my hair.
Additionally, on the rare occasion that I had time to style my hair (because let's be honest.. with 2 kids 2 and under, doing my hair has fallen to the low-priority to do list), I found one particular hair styling tool to be my absolute favorite:
the Lange Blow Drying Brush! I would put the
Surface Awaken line's styling/volumizing mousse in my hair while it was still wet from the shower, and then blow dry + style my hair AT THE SAME TIME! Ladies, this is both a major time saver AND helped me hide my baby hairs while they were in the embarrassingly short phase. HIGHLY recommend! It was a major confidence boost for this mama right here..
So, I won't tell you not to feel discouraged when/if postpartum hair loss happens to you. Because even though I was told that once upon a time, I still felt terrible when it happened to me. BUT what I would like to tell you is that when that day comes...
you're not EVER alone in it.
it DOES grow back.
there are things you can do to hide it while it grows back.
there are things you can do to speed up the growing back process.
YOU'RE NOT ALONE - soooo many of us have been there. Take a deep breath. You're beautiful.
If you have questions or want to chat about any of this further - comment, message, etc! I'd love to hear from YOU!
This post does contain affiliate links. I may earn a commission from purchases made through these links. If you have questions about any of the products I listed, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I’d love to hear from you. :)
Comments