Postpartum hair loss

If you are a new mom then this is going to be a very important topic for you, make sure you stay with us till the end of the blog. Pregnant women enjoy beautiful thick and lustrous hair and everyone enjoys glowing skin and beautiful hair but postpartum hair loss becomes a huge issue.

A lot of new moms do not know but postpartum hair loss is natural and happens to everyone, a second-time mom can guarantee that it gets better with time and a proper hair care routine.

During pregnancy, our human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG hormones see a huge rise which also indicates a pregnancy. We also see a rise in estrogen, progesterone, oxytocin, and prolactin post-pregnancy. We see a sharp decline in these hormones which causes hair fall and other problems in a new mom.

Causes of postpartum hair loss

Our hair strands are always in a cycle. The active hair growth stage is known as anagen which helps in determining the length of our hair. After some time, our hair follicle enters a transition phase called catagen, after the catagen phase we enter the resting phase called telogen, and lastly, the shedding occurs in the exogen and the entire cycle starts all over again.

During pregnancy, we see a boost of hormones and as soon as the pregnancy ends we see a huge loss of hormones, during the boost period women notice that their hair is becoming thicker, healthier, and growing at a much faster rate. Postpartum hair loss happens due to the change in the hormone levels post-childbirth.

Postpartum hair loss is also known as telogen effluvium. This condition is also referred to as postpartum alopecia, this affects nearly 50% of women within a few months of childbirth.

During pregnancy, our body increases the amount of estrogen and it sends signals to more follicles to enter the growing phase than the resting phase of the hair growth cycle. This is the time when you may experience faster hair growth.

However, post-childbirth, estrogen levels drop sending signals to the hair follicles to enter the resting phase, almost after being in the resting phase for 100 days your hair starts to shed, this is completely normal and all women face this so do not worry.

Estrogen and progesterone both are hormones responsible for hair loss postpartum, the hair fall begins after 2-4 months of childbirth, if you are consuming enough nutrients post-birth then you may not even notice a huge difference but if you aren't then you will face a heavy hair fall.

How to prevent hair from falling after childbirth

After knowing all the causes for postpartum hair fall let us look at some of how you can maintain healthy hair even when your hormones drop.

You may not be able to stop postpartum sometime soon but by following some methods you may be able to control the adverse effects of it.

Maintain a healthy diet

Maintaining a healthy diet is essential for a healthy body and mind but it becomes even more necessary postpartum. Women need to follow a good and healthy diet after childbirth as all their nutrients have been utilized. A healthy diet will also help in a quick recovery.

It is essential to consume a balance of vitamins and nutrients that can be obtained from vegetables, whole grains, and fresh fruit. It is also essential to drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated, you will need it even more because you have a new-born to manage and take care of.

Supplements

A lot of doctors recommend supplements post-childbirth and they can help you in getting your strength and hormone level back up. Here are some of the supplements you can take postpartum:

Vitamin B complex and/or biotin (B7)
Iron
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Zinc

Use natural products

It is great if you can switch to natural shampoo and conditioner for a few months, if you are already going through hair fall using chemicals is not advised, this can set in your scalp and can cause irritation and itching. So it’s better if you switch to an all-natural shampoo.

Oil massage

Oil massage is a traditional practice to reduce hair fall, it may not show results within a day but regular oil massage can make your hair grow back faster and healthier.

You can choose any oil of your choice , almond, coconut, olive, make sure you leave the oil overnight on your scalp so it provides it with utmost benefits.

Reduce stress

We know taking care of a new-born baby can be stressful but try to indulge in self-care to reduce extra stress and tension. Often stress can alleviate hair fall so make sure you are stress-free.

Take Away

We know being a new mom can be stressful, but it is essential to take care of yourself. Follow all the steps we have mentioned above and keep track of your hair fall cycle. Eat homemade nutritious food and restore all the lost nutrients. We hope this article has been of help to all our pregnant women out there.