Postpartum Hair Treatments To Try
Its normal for your hair to thin out after pregnancy. If its not worrying you, you dont need to do anything to treat it. And, unfortunately, there is nothing that has been shown to prevent or slow postpartum hair loss. But if your hair loss is bothering you, there are treatments you can try to make your hair appear fuller and healthier.
Try A New Cut And Color
First and foremost, visit a stylist for professional advice, says Scuoppo. They may recommend a different hairstyle that incorporates those fine hairs in the front. If you previously had long hair, or a layered cut with pieces that came down to the chin in the front, you may need to shorten it into long bangs that frame the face.
Celebrity stylist Oribe agrees that it’s a good idea to go shorter in the front. Sexy, short-in-the-middle, longer-at-the-sides bangs would look amazing, says Oribe. Layering your hair all over will also give you more fullness.
Coloring your hair can also give it body, says Scuoppo. If you feel that your hairline is receding and you have dark hair, highlighting the front acts as a camouflage. Or try glossing, a treatment that gives hair all-over shine.
Pregnancy: The Glow And The Low
For many women experiencing pregnancies for the first time, surprises abound. Morning sickness, water retention, enlarged and tender breasts, and frequent urination are some of the most common and well-known symptoms of bringing new life into the world.
There is a reason why pregnant women are said to glow. Hormonal changes during this period increase metabolism, causing more blood to flow to the skin, and stimulating nail and hair growth. After childbirth, hormone levels stabilize and many of these changes are undone. For many women, chief among these changes is hair loss.
Heightened estrogen and progesterone levels during pregnancy prevent hair loss, inhibiting hair follicles across the body from shedding their hair. Consequently, luscious head hair experienced during pregnancy is often accompanied by excessive body hair growth. Because of the bodys hormone levels during pregnancy, hairs do not move into the exogen phase.
As the body produces less and less estrogen and progesterone following the birth, the thicker, extra hairs die and are not replaced in the hair follicles. The extra hairs come out in clumps, and the hair that replaces it may appear thinner in comparison.
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When Should You See The Doctor About Postpartum Hair Loss
If you notice that your hair loss is particularly severe, for example, if itâs patchy or youâve been shedding hair for longer than about six months or so, it might be time to see your doctor.
In some cases, a thyroid issue such as having an overactive thyroid may be causing the hair loss. Some thyroid conditions are also linked to pregnancy or the postpartum period. If your doctor diagnoses a thyroid condition, he or she will be able to recommend treatment.
Another possible cause of hair loss is an iron deficiency. If untreated, this can lead to a condition called iron deficiency anaemia, which can lead to other symptoms like
-
heart palpitations
Your doctor will be able to investigate the reasons for the iron deficiency and â if necessary â prescribe iron tablets to remedy the lack of iron in your blood.
Postpartum Hair Loss: Your Guide To Shedding After Pregnancy
You might notice some excessive shedding soon after welcoming your baby, and thats totally normal. Heres what new parents need to know about postpartum hair loss.
During pregnancy, you might have been blessed with a thick and lustrous mane of hair. After having the baby, however, your locks could start shedding excessively. This normal symptom results from hormonal changes in the body. So how long does postpartum hair loss last, and can you prevent it from happening? Keep reading to learn more.
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Postpartum Hair Loss Help Summary
Postpartum hair loss can be devastating and frustrating at the least. It can even last for many years after the birth of your child.
Thankfully, there are postpartum hair loss remedies.
You learned how to style postpartum hair loss and what the best shampoo, conditioner and treatments are to remedy this specific hair loss.
Not only that, but I showed you the best haircuts and hair color to make the most of your new postpartum hair.
If you found this article helpful, please spread the word and share it like crazy!
Get A Haircut And Possibly Try Long Bangs
I would recommend getting a hairstylist’s opinion on this based on your hair loss/growth stage. I personally was so frustrated with my postpartum hair that I was craving a fresh, new cut to make me feel confident and inspired again. I’m so happy with my decision to cut in long, regular, thick bangs. Sure, you can still see little growing baby hairs here and there, but for the most part, my new bangs help camouflage and conceal the frizz. Moreover, the cut made me feel like a new woman. I now totally agree with that Saturday Night Live skitâthe mom cut chooses you!
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Which Supplements Help With Postpartum Hair Loss
As she nears the end of her third pregnancy, Kendle-Godbolt says that she’s going to manage postpartum hair loss by staying on top of her supplements once the baby arrives. “I’m going to switch out my prenatal for a multivitamin and I’ll still be taking a probiotic for my gut health, which is super important.” During her last pregnancy, her midwives recommended that she try drinking chlorophyll water and she found it so beneficial during pregnancy that she’s going to continue drinking it “like 24/7,” she says.
Reavey recommends taking supplements that are high in biotin, amino acids, and Vitamin C, as they’re each known to “help maintain hair follicle health and promote stronger hair,” she explains. “From there, I recommend treating postpartum hair loss by taking hair capsules daily, incorporating a weekly scalp treatment into your routine, and making a point to give yourself scalp massages.
When To Worry About Postpartum Hair Loss
If your hair loss continues past the one-year mark and you have other symptoms, its time to consider there may be an underlying cause.
You might be suffering from postpartum thyroiditis, which means inflammation of the thyroid, the butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. This condition happens to 5 to 10 percent of postpartum women.
This thyroiditis will sometimes start with high levels of thyroid hormone in the blood before morphing into levels that are too low. Not every woman will experience both types though.
If you have high levels of thyroid hormone, which will usually happen one to four months after you have your baby, you may have:
- Feeling overly tired.
- Decreased ability to handle exercise.
The reason so many moms dont notice their thyroid issue is because many of the symptoms are common for normal new moms. They may think their fatigue is caused by the midnight feedings, and anxiety and irritability can happen to new moms too.
If it is determined youre suffering from thyroiditis, your doctor may decide to put you on medication.
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How Bad Does It Get
It can vary from woman to woman, and it also depends on how full your hair was, to begin with. Women who had a thick mane before pregnancy may be the only ones to notice their hair loss because theyll still have a lot of hair. If your hair was on the thin side before pregnancy, the loss will be more noticeable, but you certainly wont attract stares when youre out in public.
Keep in mind, were often our own worst critics and we tend to notice things we dont like about ourselves way more than anyone else notices them.
Think about when you get an inch or two cut off the ends of your hair and you feel like its a radical change. Then you go out and no one, not even your partner, notices it. Your hair loss may be exactly like that something you notice way more than anyone else does.
How To Prevent Postpartum Hair Loss
If how to boost fertility? is one of the most commonly asked questions about fertility, then how to prevent postpartum hair loss? is one of the most common questions women ask in the months after childbirth. Fortunately, some of the answers are similar!
You can prevent postpartum hair loss by maintaining a healthy body and lifestyle in the weeks and months following delivery:
- Ensure that you are getting regular, gentle-to-moderate exercise.
- Consume a healthy diet rich in nutrients to support your changing body and help its postpartum recovery.
- Take postpartum vitamin and mineral supplements if recommended by your doctor.
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A Solution To Female Pattern Hair Loss
About 20% of women over 30 million Americans are affected by a substantial thinning of hair caused by Female Pattern Hair Loss . It can start anytime after puberty and progresses with each decade of aging. Among other less common hair loss disorders, this is the most treatable form of hair loss using non-medical and medical solutions.
Michael L. Reed, MD, board-certified dermatologist and Associate Professor of Clinical Dermatology at New York University Medical Center is the author of Womens Hair Loss: The Hidden Epidemic. He has decades of experience focused specifically on the medical and surgical treatment of hair and scalp disorders. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Reed to the NuBody Concepts team to treat female hair loss in the Nashville area.
Reduce Stress And Make Time To Relax
Being a mom is stressful, especially if this is your first baby. You go from having all your spare time being just for you to juggling work and parenthood. Free time and a good nights sleep often is a thing of the past.
Even though youre deeply in love with your baby, its stressful for both your body and mind. Try to get your partner on board with giving you a little bit of relaxation time, even if its just 30 minutes so you can enjoy a long hot bath. Or ask them to give you one of those scalp massages we mentioned earlier!
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Hair Accessories Are Your Friend
Thank god for Lululemon headbands, posted beachhouse2, and that seemed to be a rallying cry in the threads.
But if you dont want to shell out $12 to hide baby hairs, try But_piccolos enterprising hack: I use sports pre-wrap to make a headband and clips to try to pin down the leftover random frizzies.
For occasions when an athletic band wont cut it, Redditors sang the praises of pretreated bobby pins for keeping fuzz in place. If you throw them on a paper towel, spray them with hairspray and let them dry before using them, they work much better, notes aureisum. My hair is so blasted fine that I have to do it with every pin or they just dont work. I spray all of my pins at once so that I dont have to do it each time I put my hair up.
Whatever you do to smooth out the hairline of your ponytail, make sure youre using something gentle to secure it in order to prevent further breakage. I started using claw clips instead of hair ties, offered MrsToneZone.
Another alternative from Jodie182 is something called an Invisibobble, which doesnt tug on the hair.
How To Style Baby Hairs As They Grow Out:
One of the biggest problems with new baby hair regrowth is they are too short to do much with. You can’t clip them up and usually they are too frizzy to just let be natural. Here are some of my best tried and true tips:
Hairspray:
I’m actually not a person who normally uses hairspray on a daily basis but for the sake of taming baby hairs its one of the most effective products.
Don’t expect to just spray them down though. Using a small tool is key to this application. I suggest a toothbrush or mascara wand. Spray the applicator brush or wand , and then slide that over the baby hairs. For extra hold you can spray the baby hairs and then brush them into place. I even watched a video of a woman using a child’s paintbrush to do this with good results. Basically, most small brushes will do, so use what you have.
Limit heat styling, use cold air:
You may have noticed your baby hairs tend to look finer than your normal hair. Unless you have added biotin or collagen most postpartum regrowth tends to come in thinner than the strands you may be used to.
You’ll want to use heat sparingly when styling these strands and instead if you need to blow dry use the cool setting instead. Pro-tip: hold the hair against your head with your finger and then use the cool button on your dryer to set in place.
Use a styling cream or hair oil:
For me the living proof no frizz nourishing styling cream worked really well. Moroccan Oil or the OUAI finishing creme were other favorites.
Accessorize:
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How To Limit Postpartum Hair Loss And Encourage Growth
For starters, youre supposed to keep taking your prenatal which I have heard helps minimize hair loss. my vitamins reek havoc on my digestive system so I take them sparingly. I know, not Dr. recommended but 9 months is my max on those horse pills.
Ive also heard from several people there is a mixture you can create to spray on your hair to encourage growth and minimize the hair loss. I started trying this out and did feel like my hair was getting thicker but Im but SO bad at anything hair related that I didnt follow through with it early on. At 8 months postpartum I wish I had, ugh. Its a crazy weird concept but a doctor weighted in on social media and said it probably works by breaking down any yucky stuff on your scalp and promoting hair follicle health and hair growth. Im not a doctor, try this at your own risk.
What I did to prevent hair loss and promote hair growth:
Step 1. In a small spray bottle add 1/4 of a tube of this monestat cream and fill with hot water. Shake until well mixed.
Step 2. Spray on roots all over your head or at least where you see it thinning. Allow to dry.
Apply every few days until you see results.
It will give a slight texture to your hair, sort of like its day 2 or 3 of not washing your hair. I would either apply dry shampoo or wear your hair up.
Majkas Replenishing Collagen Powder
The best collagen supplement to help with hair regrowth is Majkas Replenishing Powder.
I recommend this collagen supplement because it is made for the head-to-toe recovery of postpartum women.
Not only does it provide the hair with strengthening collagen a postpartum mom needs, but also multivitamins, antioxidants and probiotics.
Use my code LOVEOURLITTLES10 at checkout to save 10% OFF your total purchase.
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How Do I Get Started Today With Treatment For My Postpartum Hair Loss
Dr. Michele Green is an expert in hair loss, whether it to postpartum hair loss or hair loss related to hormonal or metabolic changes. If you are experiencing hair thinning or new hair loss, please consult Dr. Green at her private discreet NYC dermatology office today. Dr. Green is a specialist in hair loss, and hair loss treatments, including Platelet Rich Plasma for hair loss. It is important to address the first signs of hair thinning early on, in order to prevent excessive hair loss, which cannot be treated. If you are experiencing postpartum hair loss or other types of hair loss, please contact Dr. Michele Green today at or contact her online.
Ways To Hide Postpartum Hair Loss And How To Stop It
Baby has entered the world and the pregnancy glow has all but faded. Youre feeling more like yourself every day. Youre back in your pre-pregnancy clothes , bub is sleeping better and you can enjoy a glass of wine with your sushi. But then you notice something strange. Your swishy, shiny, thick head of hair is FALLING OUT.
Hair loss after pregnancy is the sudden shedding that many new mothers experience between three and six months after they give birth.
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Hair Changes In Pregnancy
During pregnancy, your estrogen and progesterone levels soar, particularly from the second trimester. Estrogen, in particular, has a powerful effect on multiple systems in the body, including the skin and sebaceous glands, and also on the underlying growth pattern of hair. Many women notice improvements in skin and hair quality during pregnancy and fast-growing, hydrated hair. The changes in hair can be attributed to the way estrogen impacts the specific pattern of growth unique to hair.
Our hair follicles, the small organs that produce hair, operate in a pattern of growth, rest and fall that repeats many times in your lifetime. Usually, each follicle follows its own pattern in its own time and in this manneryou are continually shedding at a rate of about 50-100 hairs a day.
During pregnancy, the excess estrogen encourages the hair to enter and stay in the growth phase, meaning it will grow faster and shed less, somewhat synchronizing the follicles in their growth.