Parenting & Lifestyle for you!!

Postpartum Hair loss : Hair fall after Pregnancy

For me, it was too much, the reason was not just the hormones trying to settle but the over stressed-out life made it more cumbersome. Handling the work, baby, and house all together single-handedly took a lot of toll on my health. To me, the hair loss after baby birth was for more than a year. Though now it has stabilized, I really feel a lot of hair thinning has already done disaster to my personality. I’m sure many mama’s would have similar problems of hair loss and thinning after baby birth.

Why do new mothers lose hair after Baby birth?

For a first time mom, getting lustrous and thick hair during pregnancy is all the more to boast upon. [This was my case too]. The simple reason can be pointed out to increased levels of “Estrogen/Oestrogen Hormone”. This hormone is responsible for less hair fall and more growth. This results in thickening and getting beautiful hair while you carry your baby. Further, since we take a lot of Iron, folic acid, healthy foods during pregnancy, this all sums up to lustrous hair in return.

What happens after Baby Birth?

That is where the toll takes, lol. Yes, the Estrogen levels after the baby birth change and come back to normal levels drastically. This is where many hair follicles enter the resting stage. Even the eating habits go for a toss slowly. And soon the hair strands come out in bulk. Instead of a normal 100 hair strand fall/day, after baby birth a mama can have more than 500 strands fall/day. Yes, I know that’s a quantum, but in some mama’s (like me), it really takes a toll and they give us more of the ongoing stress.

There is hardly much to do in this phase, but what we can do is to maintain the best of all nutrition for our hair so that the growth spree fastens up soon.   

Remedies to reduce Hair fall and Thinning after Baby birth :

1. Ditch Straighteners, Dryers, Curlers :

This is my personal experience. I was more on Dryers after every wash, due to no sunlight in the winter months just after my baby’s birth. And it actually blew me out. I stopped using dryers and straighteners after 4-5months and left my hair to dry on a natural course. They were much better actually and I had some less hair fall. I learned that heated devices on hair cause more damage than any betterment. So, try avoiding them unless necessary once in a while.

2. Avoid Colors :

That can be tough for many, but control the temptation for at least a year. Any chemical usage on hair after baby birth will aggravate the fall multiple folds.

3. Be gentle on your hair :

• Get hold of a better quality brush and wide comb for your hair.
• While wet, try not to comb with a thin sharp-edged comb, rather use a wide comb.
• Be gentle and use a Hairbrush, later on, to detangle once dry.
• Forget those styles which need hair to be woven tightly. Tight hairstyles lead to more hair loss.
• Often leave them loose and don’t play with them. Leave any tight clutches, braids, clips during that phase of hair loss and thinning.

4. Biotin Shampoos:

It’s the time to ditch your normal Sulfate and chemical-laden shampoos, mamas. Get yourself some good quality Biotin and Natural shampoos to pamper your hair. Biotin is known for hair growth. Also if you wish to condition them, just put the conditioner on the hair strands and don’t rub it on the scalp.

Register this site and get a list of good Biotin Shampoos in my upcoming blog post directly in your inbox.

5. Be happy and let the stress go :

Stress is actually a creepy thing. It does no good, we all know, yet a lot of our life gets entangled in it. We need to be reminded often to think of good things and try throwing stress out of life.

After pregnancy, the responsibility of taking care of the baby and mama’s health often gets stressful. Lack of sleep aggravates the condition. But do you know mama’s, that stress causes more hair follicles to enter into the resting phase, which means more and more hair fall. Make sure :

• Get some 20-25 minutes of fresh air by doing Yoga/ meditation. Get some fresh oxygen not just for your body but for the scalp as well to help hair grow.
• Get help from your better half, sometimes family, and try to calm down your life.
• Have a good 15minutes laugh daily.

6. Supplements :

There is no harm in taking supplements rich in Iron, Biotin, Zinc, etc., to keep your hair healthy. But don’t just pick yourself and take doses. Your gynaec or hair specialist should be able to guide you up on the supplements to take along with a healthy diet. Supplements with Vitamin B, C, E, Zinc, even folic acid can help counter the hair loss. There are some creams also available containing “Clobetasol propionate”, which can help curtail hair loss after baby birth.

7. Oils :

Various Oils have proven to nourish the scalp in a better way for mama’s struggling with Hair loss and thinning. Read-out my post on Hair fall essentials must after baby birth. Check out this post to give extra nourishment to your hair.

8. Diet :

It plays such an important role, along with the other pointers mentioned above. Remember, you need to manage all the points mentioned here to get that hair loss revived and curtail the thinning spree. Hair is made up of Protein, and eating some foods consistently shall help you out immensely.

Get some of the foods as :

Protein Rich:

If you eat a protein rich diet, do some body workout as well. Any excessive intake without workout will have other effects on your body. Proteins helps to keep hair strong. Try taking one Raw Amla (Gooseberry) early morning empty stomach for good hair.

Iron :

It is must for the body and hair recovery after baby birth. Include more of Soybeans, spinach, lentils, other beans (Kidney beans, black eyed beans),Tofu, peas, Mulberries. Beans and lentils are full of not just iron, they also have Zinc, folic acid and proteins. Folic acid is responsible for healthy RBC’s to supply optimum oxygen to cells and scalp.

Flavonoids and antioxidants :

They help maintaining the hair follicles, which in turn bind hair more strongly. Get on to foods like, Red Pepper, Strawberry, Oranges, Lemon, Broccoli, mango, papaya , garlic, herbal tea.

Foods loaded with vitamins B &C :

Legumes, leafy vegetables, soya, curd, sprouts, Banana, Broccoli, Dates and Nuts, Potatoes, Green pepper, lemon, Oranges, and so on. Apart from taking supplements, get your daily diet to have some of these vitamin-rich foods. You can even have their non-veg options. [Since, I’m a vegan, hence only Vegan foods which I have focussed on have been mentioned].

9. Other Important foods :

Eggs

They are a great source of Protein, Zinc, iron, and some other minerals as well. It is of utmost importance to have a boiled egg in breakfast for hair recovery. One can even condition hair with egg yolk (leave the application for 20-30minutes and then wash it off).

Walnuts

Fatty acids are of utmost importance to keep hair lustrous. Walnuts have a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids apart from Biotin, Vitamin E, all of which are very important for restoring hair health.

Curd

Apart from including curd in your diet, you can also apply curd as a conditioner to your hair. Leave it for 10-15 minutes before washing it off.

Sweet potatoes

Though they have iron lesser than the above-mentioned sources, they are rich in beta carotene. Beta carotene helps hair not to turn dry since they stimulate the hair glands to secrete the sebum, which nourishes the hair follicles. 

Fenugreek seeds

This herb is a wonder element. Soak it in the water at night, sieve, and apply the strained water on the scalp the next day. Leave the application for the next 1 -1.30 hours. They make hair healthy and strong if applied consistently.

Flax seeds

These seeds are rich in Omega-3, a must for skin and hair.  Essential fatty acids such as omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 are important for healthy hair. Fish oil in the diet is also a very good option for non-vegetarians.

Coconut

Not just coconut oil, using pure coconut milk on scalp reduces hair falls. Coconut milk is not coconut water, rather the milk extracted from grated coconut. You can DIY, by adding 4 cups of boiling water to 2 cups of grated coconut. When it cools down, strain the coconut and squeeze extra milk. Store it in the bottle in the refrigerator and apply.

10. Ample sleep and Be Happy :

Well, that can never be ruled out mama’s. We too need a good sleep, find out ways in between your baby’s naps to get your own. Get some happy hormones circulated in your body. This will keep your body, mind, and off course hair healthy:)

Hope you found this helpful. Do share some remedies which you tried and worked wonder for your hair. I’ll be glad to know about it!

Much Love,

Jhilmil