Postpartum Dreaded Shed
Last September, I welcomed a beautiful baby girl and became an official member of the moms’ club. This past year was everything people said it would be, challenging, rewarding, emotional, and the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I’ve heard much about pregnancy symptoms and childbirth unpredictability. No one talks about postpartum effects. Postpartum shedding is often overlooked. As a stylist, this is one of my first thoughts when someone tells me, “I had a baby.”
After years of seeing it first hand on my clients and listening to their panic, “Oh my God, I’m going bald!” I was almost, dare I say, intrigued by what was going to happen to my hair. At 12 months postpartum, I’m here to tell you it didn’t happen to me. I got lucky, and I’ll chalk it up to all my years of hair service. The hair gods were on my side with this one.
The technical term for this type of hair loss is telogen effluvium, which means excessive shedding. I learned that postpartum hair loss occurs in 50 percent of women.
There are three stages of hair growth: 1. Anagen, or the growth phase. 2. Catagen is the transition phase where growth slows down, and the hair follicle becomes smaller. 3. Telogen, the resting phase where the hair doesn’t grow anymore and eventually falls out.
During pregnancy, your hair stays in the growth phase longer, meaning you shed less hair. After the baby, your hormones re-adjust to normal, triggering your hair to return to its normal growth cycle. Usually, around five months postpartum, you are shedding the hair you gained during pregnancy. The hair loss is so noticeable because it’s much more than the average 100 hairs a day!
I didn’t get to experience it for myself, but I have eight tips for you if you are experiencing it:
Be as gentle with your hair as you are with your newborn baby.
Avoid tight ponytails; use a hair clip or plush scrunchie to get your hair back. These two looks are also SO in right now. What a time to be a mother!
Take a break from the heat styling as much as possible (as if you have time to style your hair anyway.) 😉
Hold off on any highlights, straightening treatments, or perms until the shedding subsides.
Continue to take your prenatal vitamins and maintain a healthy diet.
When brushing, be super gentle; use a wide-tooth comb or wet brush.
Play around with a new hairstyle! Bangs?
Most importantly, it’s essential to know that it will stop; try not to stress about the hair in your hand because stress will not make things better.
By the time of your baby’s first birthday, your hair should have gone through this process; if you feel as if your hair continues to get thinner and doesn’t look to be growing back, discuss it with a doctor.
