Postpartum hair loss – oh man, it was definitely one of the post pregnancy side effects that bothered me the most. Maybe just because I wasn’t sure how bad it could be! Let’s be clear, guys- it’s bad!
I’ll caveat this post by saying none of these things are going to totally prevent postpartum hair loss. Postpartum hair loss starts happening typically around 3-4 months after baby. During pregnancy, your hair doesn’t go through it’s normal cycle of losing some every day thanks to your increased levels of estrogen. This means that once baby comes and your hormone levels go back to normal, your normal hair cycle comes back in to play. It has to make up for all the extra hair that didn’t fall out over the last several months by shedding way more hair than you ever thought was humanly possible! While this is a bit of an an overreaction, it is how I felt sometimes (and definitely how MJD felt about the mounds of my hair on the bathroom floor), but if you really think your postpartum hair loss is overly excessive, you may want to talk to your doctor.
Almost everyone told me that you can’t stop postpartum hair loss and they are right. However there were a few things that I think helped to get the hair loss under control as well as jump start some re-growth to ensure my hair appeared better fast. Some of these tips came from my hair stylist, some from friends, others just trying stuff out! If you are a new mom reading this, trust me when I say there is light at the end of the tunnel and it gets better!
- Air dry as much as possible before styling. My hair stylist recommended this and while it was hard to get used to I actually ended up liking this a lot- I let my hair get as dry as possible before using the blow dryer. Of course this can add extra time to a morning routine so my advice is to do your skincare routine, makeup, get dressed, etc before drying your hair to give it the most amount of time to air dry.
- Find a good restorative shampoo and conditioner. I tried a few options and my favorite was OGX’s Thick & Full Biotin & Collagen shampoo. It’s a drug store/Target find, but it was fabulous! I also received a few recs for the Aveda Invanti line, but did not invest (and I actually mean invest- it retails for close to $100) so I cannot personally share results.
- Start taking Biotin or other hair growth support vitamins. Biotin was my go to and it got my baby hairs growing in fast! Collagen peptides would be another good option. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I am a fan of Vital Proteins collagen peptides (read more about why here) which have helped strengthen my hair in the past. If you are nursing, please be sure to check in with the doctor before adding any new supplements.
- Take a break from washing and styling your hair when possible. I noticed most of my hair was either falling out in the shower or when I styled it. For this reason I’d try to take a break of a few days between washing and freshen up with a little dry shampoo instead. My personal favorite dry shampoo is from Living Proof.
- Avoid towel drying. This ties back to the first tip and was another tip I received from my hair stylist, but towel drying can be very harsh on your hair and cause more to fall out- especially if you wrap your hair up in a towel.
Luckily at about 8 months postpartum I think the hair loss has stopped (or at least normalized). Now I just have to deal with my baby hairs growing in awkwardly!
Mamas, do you have any other tips for those dealing with postpartum hair loss? Leave them in the comments below so we can all share!
xoxo, Jenna
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I struggled with postpartum hair loss my first pregnancy. When I got pregnant again it became a driving source of anxiety that I was going to lose my hair. I had a somewhat breakdown in my obgyn’s office after I had my daughter and she recommended a postpartum hair vitamin supplement meant to replenish vitamins shed and it actually really ended up helping me. I take the baby blues one (www.babyblues.care) . Nothing is going to be a cure all but it has helped my hair not feel so thin and dry and with the regrowth. I will add in the vital proteins like you mentioned a few times a week —