As a hairdresser I’ve always known that postpartum hair loss is normal in the months after your baby is born. However, when it happens to you its hard not to feel self conscience and worried that you will be left with no hair at all. Rest assured this type of hairloss should settle down after around 6-12 months. In the meantime I’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you know what to do and also why it even happens in the first place.
Why was my hair awesome during pregnancy…
If you were anything like me your pregnancy hair was FABULOUS it was thicker, stronger and seems to be growing faster. WHY?
Well because when you are pregnant your body can produce more oestrogen and causes less hair than normal to fall out so although your hair strands are not actually thicker the number of hairs on your head are higher due to less regular hair falling out.
Why is my hair falling out and what is postpartum hair loss…
3-4 months after you receive your beautiful bundle you may notice an abundance of hair falling out AKA “postpartum hairloss”.
For two reasons the most common being HORMONES (common) and the second being postpartum thyroiditis (only 5% of mothers experience this). After delivery hormone levels change drastically and can cause more hair shedding than usual. And unfortunately for us this is mostly around the recession areas on our hairline. The main hormones that interfere with our hair is oestrogen and prolactin. The type of hairloss that is caused by being postpartum is called “Acute telegenic effluvium” and its actually the same type of hairloss that can be caused by trauma, stress, crash diets, anorexia, surgical operations with large blood loss and severe illness. All of these are said to have the shedding occur around the 3 month mark after the cause.
So what should you do about postpartum hair loss?
Have your thyroid checked to rule out whether its postpartum thyroiditis or postpartum hairloss. If you do have thyroiditis it can be more than normal hair loss so it is wise to see your doctor. However, it is known to go away on its own after a year.
- Keep taking your Pre-Natal vitamins! And don’t forget to check the dosage, my favourite one from Bioceuticals is actually twice a day and it took me some time to realise. Keep in mind hair skin and nails comes from the inside out.
- Check your diet. Are you eating a balanced diet with lots of protein and Iron rich foods? If you need an iron supplement take it an hour before or after caffeine as it doesn’t absorb properly otherwise. you can also do some research for the best postpartum hair loss vitamins and food. I found this one helpful! https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-eat-healthy-hair
- Stimulate your scalp. We love our Activance Professional Range (not the one from the supermarket or chemist) for all hair loss clients and find the densify spray really does what it says with regenerating new growth. We had one of our team experience severe hair trauma and it has now completely grown back! Feel free to come pick up some in salon or email us if you’d like us to order you some.
- Be Gentle when you style your hair! Wash and blow-dry less often (1-3 times a week) Your regular brush should be meant for tangles like the tangle teezer brush OR if you want something super lush to brush both wet/dry and blow-dry with check this out. Its my favourite one to use on clients because it feels so damn good on your scalp and is sooooo gentle on the hair. Its not cheap but you won’t ever use another brush… also don’t let your friends try it or it may go missing… http://ysparkaustralia.com.au/ys-park-soft-cushion-tortoise-hairbrush-pure-boar/
- Detangling spray. One that WORKS and doesn’t leave your hair oily or heavy. Our best selling detangler is from Oribe and I’d have to say most of my clients have and love it. If I could only take one hair product away with me it would be and is always this. https://thenesthairboutique.com.au/product/oribe-run-through-detangling-primer/
- Hair colour matters. If you are going to stay dark on your roots you will be able to see your scalp easier in the receding areas. What you can do is blend them with a powder close to the colour of your roots. We use https://thenesthairboutique.com.au/product/oribe-airbrush-root-touch-up-spray/ to create a more hair illusion and to cover greys between appointments. If you don’t know what colour matches the best always go slightly darker rather than lighter to the rest of your hair. If you have lighter hair I would suggest keeping highlights fine and close to the scalp around the hairline so to diffuse the hair-loss in the receding area. You can still colour your hair however opt out of anything that involves bleach or highlift colour on your scalp as it can damage the hair folicle or cause irritation causes you to itch and scratch your scalp.
- Hair Length. The longer your hair the more weight on the hair follicle, the more tangles and the thinner your ends look. Opt in for taking off a bit of length (or be bold and get a good restyle) keeping the ends blunt and away from too much layering and texture if you have fine hair. and also 50 long hairs on a brush looks much scarier than 50 shorter hairs.
- Styling. Think texture and volume. Dry shampoo and hair texture products are your new best friend. To get more oomph change up the parting to create more resistance volume! Try not to wear your hair up too tight as this pulls the hair from the scalp. Instead if you must tie it up opt for a loose bun and or low ponytail to keep it back and off your face. We honestly have the best products on our online shop. This is one of our best sellers for big hair and its not gross and sticky… https://thenesthairboutique.com.au/product/oribe-thickdryfinishingspray/ If you need help choosing send me an email and I can suggest something for you 🙂
- RELAX. Given that stress can only add to the problem try not to worry about it too much so that you are not making matters worse. Dont go picking through your hair everyday, its not going to help and is only going to make you think about it. This is completely normal and you are not going bald. The time you waste staring in the mirror could be spent eating more toast with that glass of wine 😉