Dealing with Postpartum Hair Loss

At first I thought it was because I changed shampoo so I went back to my trusted brand but the excessive hair fall continued on. More than usual hair fall is not new to me. Actually, I have been battling this condition ever since I had my previously super straight hair permed for my college graduation ball.  That perming, I believe, is also the reason why my hair is now more prone to split ends too.

Me and my very curly hair.

Yet several months into pregnancy, all my hair problems seem to evaporate. According to my pregnancy related questions go-to-book What to Expect When You’re Expecting, I should be thankful to the pregnancy hormone estrogen. (Well, majority of the changes in an expecting woman are due to this substance!) While pregnant, women experience faster growth than normal of our hair and nails. This is what actually happens.

I just love my pregnancy hair. This was taken less than a month before our little Queen B''s birth.

In the outer layer of our skin are organs called follicles. Follicles produce hair. Each hair follicle has its own life cycle that depends on a lot of factors like age and any disease a person may have. A follicle life cycle has three stages:

•  Anagen – also known as the growth phase. At this period, hair grows about half an inch in a month. It can lasts between 2 to 8 years.
• Catagen – also known as the transitional phase. It is the period between anagen and telogen. It can lasts between 2 to 4 weeks.
•  Telogen – also known as the resting phase. During this period, hair stops growing and can lasts between 3 to 5 months. The hair is shed at the end of this stage and a new hair will grow thus starting the cycle again.

Estrogen prolongs the anagen stage of a follicle life cycle. Increase in blood circulation and amplified metabolism in an expecting woman also nourishes the hair thus the lustrous and thick locks we have.

But this is only temporary, unfortunately! Once our precious babies are delivered, estrogen levels in our system go down and all the hair that did not fall out will. This is what they call postpartum hair loss. Our hair will go back to its pre-pregnancy state between six to 12 months after giving birth.  Of course, like in any pregnancy condition it differs from one woman to another.

So what can we do? Here are some advices I have gathered on how to deal with postpartum hair loss.

1. Get a short haircut. Short hairs on the pillow are less worrisome than seeing long locks of hair strands. (Can’t do this because I promised J that my last short hair cut is my last!)
2. Maintain a healthy diet. Avoid low protein diet. Hair is made up of keratin, a protein.
3. Use a thickening shampoo and conditioner. (I’m currently using anti-hairfall shampoo and conditioner.)
4.  Avoid heat styling like using hair dryers, straighteners, and curling irons.  
5. Use wide-tooth comb to detangle hair especially when wet. (Will now diligently use my wooden massage comb that J specially bought for me.)
6. Do not tie your hair up or wrap it in a towel when wet. (Guilty of this!)
7. Relax and let nature take its course. Like a baby’s growth, this too shall pass!

My wooden massage comb. A friend of ours recommended this one to us as it helped her in her own hair fall problem.  

We, women, really do sacrifice a lot when we decided we want to become moms. From the aches and pains of pregnancy to the hardship of labour and recovery, we will just endure anything just to be able to have that cute baby. Well, as any mom will say it is all worth it!

You make everything worth it, my darling baby!