Hair Loss After Pregnancy

Dealing with Hair Loss after Pregnancy

Many women experience hair loss after pregnancy.  It is a normal occurrence, and doesn’t need any treatment, as your hair is simply returning to its pre-pregnancy state.

Normal Hair Growth

Hair normally goes through a cycle of anagen—the growth phase—and telogen—the resting phase.  Anagen lasts four to seven years, when the hair grows about ½ inch per month.  After the growth period, the hair goes into a resting phase, which usually lasts about three months.  Then the hair follicle enters anagen again, growing a new hair and pushing the old one out of the follicle, so that it falls out.  Some of our hair follicles are in telogen all the time, and we normally lose 50 to 100 hairs a day. 

Hair Growth During Pregnancy

One of the things that makes pregnant women beautiful is their thick, luxurious hair.  That’s because the hormones of pregnancy keep most of the hair follicles in the anagen state, or growing.  If you normally lose 100 hairs a day, and your pregnancy lasts 280 days, that’s a lot of hair that you get to keep during that time. 

What Happens After Pregnancy

When the baby is born, however, hormones change rapidly, and all those hair follicles go into the resting state, or telogen, at the same time.  Remember, telogen lasts about three months, so about three months after the baby is born, all 28,000 of those hairs fall out about the same time.

Unfortunately, all of your hair is falling out at about the same time you are experiencing a huge emotional letdown from pregnancy and you’re sleep deprived.  It can be enough to send a girl over the edge.

Taking Care of Yourself

When you have hair loss after pregnancy, it’s time to do something for yourself.  Have daddy or a friend take care of the baby for a few hours and get thee to a good hairdresser.

The most effective way to manage hair loss after pregnancy is to get an attractive new do.  Have your hairdresser give you a good cut, and maybe some highlights or new color.  Ask for a style that you can manage easily on your busy schedule, but that looks great on you. 

Try out some new volumizing hair products, too.  Shampoo, conditioner, mousse, and hair serum can make your hair look and feel thicker and fuller than it really is.  Pretty barrettes and clips help you feel and look prettier, too.

Hair loss after pregnancy is normal and natural.  You’re not going bald; your hair won’t all fall out.  You’ll just lose the “extra” hair that you accumulated during your pregnancy.  You are just as beautiful as a new mom as you were before you got pregnant, but you probably don’t have as much time to spend on your hair.  A new hairdo that’s easy to maintain can make you feel as lovely as you look.