Pregnancy brings a host of changes to your body, and one delightful surprise for many expecting mothers is the lush, full head of hair that often accompanies it. Thanks to the hormone oestrogen, hair stays in the growing phase longer, reducing daily hair loss and giving you thicker locks. But what happens after pregnancy?
Normally, you can expect to lose 50 to 100 hairs a day! In pregnancy however, the rate of hair loss is less, leaving you with thicker than usual locks! The hormone oestrogen is responsible for this! Oestrogen makes the hair stay longer in the growing phase of its cycle, which means that less hair falls out than usual.
When can you expect to lose hair?
You generally lose the most hair around the 2–4-month mark after bubs is born and the general rule of thumb is that hair loss should slow down around the 6-month mark postpartum. However, some breast-feeding women do find that when your child starts to eat more solids, slowing down breastfeeding, that this is when hair loss can also increase.
What if I have excessive hair loss?
If you are losing more hair than when you fell pregnant or, if you notice patches of hair particularly around the crown of your head or down the middle part, then some further investigation is needed as there is most likely something else contributing to it!
There are a few tips to keep those locks looking lush and healthy.
- Try to use less heat on your hair - less blow drying, straightening etc.
- Continue to take your quality prenatal vitamin - it will give you the foundational nutrients to keep the hair in your head!
- Consider taking quality collagen - collagen is made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks to make keratin and connective tissue which are important for hair structure. We love Imbibe Miracle Collagen!
- Minimise washing your hair and getting it tangled up.
- Look at your protein status - are you eating enough quality protein? Your body will use protein to make essential things happen in your body like repairing your uterus, breast milk etc. Hair growth will be the last on the list of the essential things to grow.
- Omega 3's - These are needed to assist with the hair follicle. If you have no allergies, consider upping your intake of avocado, nuts/seeds and seafood - particularly small, oily fish!
- Iron - another nutrient to look into, particularly if you were low in your pregnancy!
- Talk to your practitioner if other symptoms arise - they can assess your thyroid function, hormonal imbalances and other likely causes to get to the bottom of what is happening & help luscious locks flow from your head again!
