What is Post-Partum Hair loss & Why Does It Happen

Relax! Relax! Relax!

Your hair will come back. It’s just a matter of time before you get your pre-pregnancy locks.

You’re probably thinking, “I heard that hundreds of times from friends and family”. I didn’t believe them. Why would I believe you?

You don’t have to believe me! Believe the facts behind post-partum hair loss.

The reality of Post-Partum Hair loss

I know you’re not looking for more words of wisdom or inspiration. You’re here because you want facts. Keep reading mama!

Post-partum is the time when your body is normalizing, and all the hormonal imbalances are coming back to their pre-pregnancy level. This is about the time you’ll start to notice it, the hariloss you’ve heard so much about. This condition is known as Postpartum Alopecia (an extreme condition) or Telogen effluvium.

You might notice that your hair is falling into clumps and you are losing a lot of hair. Do not panic! As scary and stressful as it is, it’s normal and every post-partum mother goes through it.

Postpartum hair loss will not stay forever, it is just a temporary phase that will stay for a few weeks or months depending on your diet and eating habits. Remember, you will soon be back to having the same, incredibly lustrous hair. But why does it happen?

You might not be able to process the loss of such huge clumps of hair. During the pregnancy, your body is in an alarming phase, and the hormone levels go up. Soon after the pregnancy, the hormones that were previously increased start to fall back to a “normal” level. This triggers hair loss. Estrogen is one of the major hormones that play a significant role in hair growth.

I know you probably miss your pregnancy hair, that shiny and thick extravagant hair. Unfortunately, not everything good can stay. If at this point, you’re worried about going bald (You won’t) there are a few things you can do to try and stem the flow of hair loss.

• Make sure you take care of your diet. 

• Make sure you take your vitamins. 

• Avoid using blow dryers and straighteners. It will only weaken the hair. 

This will slow down the hair loss, and also help you grow your gleaming and beautiful hair faster. However, if you feel the hair loss is excessive, you can visit a doctor, and ask them for an opinion.

The hair loss may cause emotional turmoil. But you need to remember, now that your body is regulating and getting back to its pre-pregnancy self; You’ll have the beautiful hair back soon enough.

Don’t worry! Hair loss is one of the post-partum traits. Don’t stress too much about it. The more you think about the hair loss, the more it will consume your thoughts and distract you from anything else. Continue to take care of yourself and your little one. Enjoy your time while watching them grow and making memories with them.

The reason behind Post-Partum Hair loss

During the pregnancy, your hair was probably in the greatest condition it's ever been in. More than likely with minimal to no hair loss, maybe even some extra growth! That’s because your hormones have sky rocketed. Which improves the health and growth of your hair.

Not that you’ve given birth, you may be seeing large clumps of hair on your brush or even coming out in your hand when washing your hair. This is alarming and you’re more than likely thinking you did something wrong that caused this to happen.

Don’t panic! You are doing fine; you didn’t do anything wrong. Women naturally lose up to 80 pieces of hair every day, but a mother in her post-partum phase loses up to 400 pieces. This is your body's natural reaction to the rapid drop in estrogen levels.

You may be comparing your hair to how it was during pregnancy. Do you already miss the beautiful, thick, and shiny hair locks? Well, the main and the only reason is the high-level of Estrogen that makes hair grow faster, by strengthening the hair follicle.

Hair growth is a cycle of around 3 months or more. The strand of hair determines the length of the hair. Then the follicle transitions. Before it enters the resting phase, it goes through the shedding phase. But during pregnancy, the shedding is stopped. Once the shedding or the resting phase is over, you will see the hair growing back again.

But how long will it take?!

Losing those beautiful locks of hair may be unsettling for you. Don’t worry! You will grow them back. The duration of this hair loss cycle varies from 3-6 months depending on the individual.

Don’t freak out! I promise this phase won’t last. I’ll say it again, do not panic! You aren’t going bald, it will grow back. If you want to lessen the amount of hair loss eating protein rich foods could help.

By the time your little one is blowing the candles out on that first birthday cake, and starting to grow lots of hair themselves, you too will have that pre-pregnancy glow back, with the same healthy hair.

So, don’t stress out about the hair loss. Now, that your hormones are dropping (coming back to the normal level), you’ll start to feel your body acting more normal, just the way it used to. Normalize things for yourself and enjoy your routine with the little munchkin. However, if you are still in the hair loss phase, even after a year, you should consult the doctor.

Take Away

Postpartum hair loss is normal and temporary. Most women experience it. However, most times it is difficult to accept the loss of hair in such a great amount. But you need to know that, while you enjoyed the pregnancy glow, with the thick hair locks, the shedding process has stopped. With the level of the hormones normalizing after pregnancy, your body will also function normally. Now, the hair that has been sticking for a month, has to shed. So, the hair growth cycle can be renewed.