dealing with postpartum hair loss

One of the biggest challenges that I think new moms face (aside from, you know, that brand new tiny human!) is how drastically your body changes after baby. At a time when you are exhausted and don't even have time to change your clothes, and are feeling less than attractive, your body starts turning on you- hair loss, hot flashes, excessive sweating... it's a pretty picture. 9 months later, I am still dealing with the effects of postpartum hair loss. I think a lot of women associate their hair with their beauty or confidence, and I, for one, had a huge problem when my hair started falling out. And we aren't talking a few strands here and there...  it was like a full fledged hair animal on the bathroom floor every morning! Having already thin hair, it was traumatizing to lose even one little strand. Thankfully, the hair loss has stopped, but now I'm dealing with something even more ridiculous- all the hair is growing BACK! Thank goodness for that, buuut.. this also means I've got a halo of 2-inch baby hairs all over my head. I get flashes of Big Bird when I look at my hair every morning. So, I thought I would share some of the tips that I've found to be helpful with dealing with both the hair loss, and the regrowth.

Everyone is different, but most women starting losing their hair about 3 months postpartum. This is when hormone levels start to even out, and your body starts "going back to normal". There is a theory that pregnant women's hair is so full and luscious because the natural fall of their hair stops or slows down during pregnancy, and once the hormones regulate, the hair all starts falling out at once to catch up. There's not much you can do to stop the hair from falling out, but you can do a few things to lessen the sting:

1. Continue taking your prenatal vitamins! This is super important, as your body is already going through lots of changes, you don't want to deplete your vitamins all of a sudden. Also, everyone knows how good prenatal vitamins are for your hair!

2. Brush your hair each night and before you get in the shower. Do this over a trash can, or have a broom handy! This distributes oils, making your hair shinier, but also removes a good portion of the hair before you get in bed or in the shower (the two places I found my hair to be most prominently annoying as it was falling out). 

3. Play with up-dos! Wearing your hair up will keep the hair fall from being super annoying during the day. Just make sure to vary where you place your hair tie each day- if you wear a ponytail at the same height, you can cause breakage to your hair. You definitely don't want that!

4. As I said, everyone is different, but my hair started growing back around 7-8 months postpartum. I noticed a halo of light fuzz growing around my hairline and was so excited... little did I know that I would have to deal with 3 inch baby hairs for months! Since I have fine hair, one of the most important products for me is Argan Oil. Not only is it great for your hair's strength and shine, it weighs it down just a tad, which I find to be helpful for getting those tiny hairs to lay down, rather than stand straight up.

5. Try to avoid rubbing your hair with the towel when it's wet. Squeeze and pat instead. Rubbing will increase frizz, which will cause those tiny hairs to stand out all the more.

6. Also avoid blow-drying your hair upside down. You may have to sacrifice some volume, but drying upside down trains those tiny hairs to stand straight up, and then you end up looking like a Troll doll for the rest of the day.

This is exactly what I look like in the morning. Same PJ's and everything.

7. Utilize a good hairspray. Use a water-free formula that goes on sort of dry to reduce stickiness. I like Tresemme! Spray it on your comb, and then lightly brush down those tiny hairs that are still standing up. I also spray in on my finger and run it along my hairline to combat those little baby hairs that hide until it gets the slightest bit humid!

I hope these tips help you if you are dealing with postpartum hair loss or regrowth! Just remember, it's all worth it for those tiny little bundles of joy :)

Have a great weekend!