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
Loved all the super tips .This is an important issue for women and a lot of confusion.Biotin shampoo sounds perfect!Just tweeted it too!
Thanks Buddy, I had such a worst and long hair loss experience after baby birth that I had to share it for all moms having this problem!
After two kids, I have lost almost half my volume of hair. Hope to try some of these tips to save whatever is left. Thanks for sharing. I know that fenugreek leaves, really do help. so that’s going to be my first experiment.
Oh yes fenugreek does wonders, I too use its water thrice a week.. Good start!
I know fe friends of mine who are dealing with the same issue post pregnancy. I am definitely going to share these tips with them.
Thanks , Do share to all!
I love your article, I am not a mom yet but definitely struggle with hair lost. Your tips are great, thank you for sharing
Great tips. I wish I had read this after the birth of my last child. I just decided to have it all chopped off instead!
This is the best post about hair fall. Once my friend asked me about some real tips, but I couldn’t find anything so good as your post. Thank you.
Great to know that:). Do share it with your friends if they need a support!
My hair has been thinning big time around the hairline and I’ve started following most of these tips. It’s only been theee days so far.
These are awesome tips. I had no idea this was a concern/problem after child birth. Thanks!
I am not a mom but my hair is constantly falling and it is getting annoying! I’m going to try you tips and see how it works
I never knew that it was normal for moms to lose their hair post delivery. Is this natural across all races? I ask this Because the hair of many of my friends who have had children seems to grow like wildflowers following delivery. I think it’s the prenatal vitamins. Perhaps.
Great tips! I will make sure to keep these tips in mind
Interesting tips. I didn’t know that losing hair after giving birth was a thing.
This is a great post. I had no idea what was happening when I started losing so much hair after my first. Thanks for the extensive list of things that can help.
Nice article. Will surely keep these points in mind.
Being a doctor myself , I can only say that you have covered most of the bases very well and most hairfall unless due to hormonal imbalance would respond to the above guidelines .
I loved reading your article. I have alopezia and my hair grew so much while I was pregnant but afterwards I had again enormous hair loss.
Oh, so why don’t you try some essential oils and Biotin shampoo? Can refer my latest 2 posts on these topics.
One of the best remedies you mentioned for hair fall, i was having this hair fall issues lately, i tried some home made remedies and i’m taking multi-vit and otehr herbs as well to full-fill nutrition to my hair.
Which multi vitamins and herbs have you opted for?
Great tips. I lost a lot of hair after my youngest baby, I had three babies in 2 years so my hair never had a chance to recover. Three years on and it still hasn’t recovered!
Oh, why don’t you try some essential oils and biotin shampoo’s? Can refer my 2 posts on these along with diet. Hope that could help you..
Even though this is more targeted towards new moms, I found so much help in this! My hair strands are super fine and so it struggles with breakage from time to time. Thanks for these tips!
Happy to know it helped you :). Can refer my essential hair oils and shampoo posts as well.
Perfect timing…my friend just delivered a baby..i’m sure it’s helpful for her and for my future reference too 🙂 🙂 thankyou
Great, share with her to help her plan on time:)
These are wonderful tips and ideas for new mamas 🙂
My hair thickness is 1/10 th of what it was earlier. I have been trying to take care of it but then let’s say none of that is happening. This post is an inspiration to me to start taking care of it. Thanks for sharing the tips.
Ya Shahira, try out some of the essential oils and biotin shampoo’s (mentioned in my other 2 posts) as well. Hoping things work out.
I lost plenty when in was pregnant but it did stop after delivery. Those darn hormones however are worse on some people then others.
Oh so it was other way round for you.. Hope they are strong now!
What an informational post! I wish I knew this information after I gave birth!
I was so nervous about hair loss, but luckily I didn’t experience much. Now that she is a toddler and pulls my hair when she is upset it’s a different story…..
ha ha, but you are lucky if your hair stood that phase.
I could only imagine the amount of stress mothers would go through even after child birth… This is such an informative piece even for people who are going through hair loss (like myself ?)Will keep this for future reference
Happy that this post could help you:)
I was actually reading info on natural remedies for hair thinning and this post it’s 100% accurate!!
Great it could be of help to you. Thanks
500 strands a day! omg! im not a mom yet, and im already worrying if i see hair falls after I shower.
Thanks for providing tips as well. i think if there are moms who’s experiencingvthis, its good to knw that they can do something about it..
Oh yes, do not worry, keep working on the tips, essential oils and biotin shampoo’s and your hair shall be happy:)
These were some really great tips. I experienced hair loss with my daughter as well. Stress can definitely take a toll, I make sure to eat healthy and take care of myself.
Beautiful post as sometimes we ignore ourselves after child birth. I was not knowing about such tips after child birth. So I lost many hairs. But now I am trying to ge them back through following these tips.
All the best, do take care if yourself mama…we have to go long:)
This is a really informative post for mommies-to-be. I am not one yet but I can see myself saving this post for future. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Kudos!
I’d never heard of hair loss after pregnancy, that is until it happened to my daughter-in-law. Once she started back on her vitamins and cleaned up her diet, things returned to normal after about a year. Crazy what our bodies go through in order for us to have our kids! x
Actually, for kids whole of mother’s body goes for a toss! Thanks
Thanks for sharing all such great tips. Would definitely want to try them.
You know the funny part is I didn’t suffer from hair loss post delivery much. But now the hair loss is in pretty bad state. Will try your tips.
Judy, you ought to be lucky that you didn’t lose then.. Ask me, my thinning spree took a toll:(. Try out some of these along with essential oils and shampoos(can read other 2 posts as well).
These are all such great tips for general hair care anyway (gentle treatment w/widetooth comb, not overprocessing/overstressing with treatments or products, etc.). I never knew there were dietary things one could do to help with postpartum hair loss- thx for sharing!
Thanks for coming by:)
Biotin Shampoo is something I need to try. During pregnancy I had the most beautiful hair but after the birth I faced major hair fall. Thanks for awesome tips!
It was same at my side Mayuri, we all have to care after baby birth!
I also have the same issues with hair loss after giving birth. And its really frustrating. Thanks for the list of diets that I should take to prevent this. Thank you so much.
Great, you can also check out my essential oils and shampoo’s post for hair .
These are great tips! When it comes to hair care or skin care, I feel too lazy to do anything! But now I need to follow some of your suggestions!
Most of us are lazy, even me too.. But when situation came, I had to work things out to support my thin hair;)
Losing my hair was the worst! When the hair grew back it was so itchy.
Can really understand!
I lost my hair after I had my daughter, I wish I had these tips then.
How is it now? Did you try anything then to support hair?
Nice article, very informative
This is a very important topic for new mommas. Hair loss is so stressful.
Thank u fr sharing.
My hair loss started in the last two months of my pregnancy and did not stopped until I was breasfeeding, no matter what I’ve tried 🙁 I took supplements I was caring for my hair very gently, but the hair loss was shocking. I had bald spots close to my forehead on both sides…. And now? Baby hair is growing CRAZY…I can’t handle how much and how strong the hair that grew back 🙂 If I’ll be pregnant again and experience hair loss, I’ll definitely use all your tips listed!
Pregnancy takes away our beautiful hair..but great that baby hair came back strongly!!
This is a very nice topic for all the new mommas out there. Hair loss after giving birth is such a stressfull thing. This will help new moms to overcome this situation.
I also experienced hair loss and thinning of hair after child birth.But a Biotene shampoo helped me to stop hair loss.I am not sure whether it helped me to regrow hair or not as I also concentrated on biotene supplements and other food too.
wow, that was great, Biotin shampoo’s work wonders, I have written post on that too. Which shampoo did you use?
Will definitely share this with my cousin in case she has any issues as a second baby is coming these weeks
Sending lovely wishes for her baby. Ya do share out all my 3 hair thinning posts with her, can help her for sure:)
I see you mentionned biotin shampoo, not sure if I missed it but I heard Garlic Shampoo/Conditioner also does wonders! Great post 🙂
Taiwo | http://www.madeinnigeria89.com
Garlic shampoo, well I’ve not heard. Shall research it out definitely.
I’ve been struggling with the post partum hair loss too. It seems to be never ending! I’ll check out some of these tips.
Ahh.. then you have the same pain as mine. Do try out the combinations of essential hair oils (another post of mine) and Diet to help you control it.
My hair got so thick and full during my pregnancy that the post partum hair loss was not unexpected and never really a problem.
You were lucky:)
I wish I had know this after I had my baby. Such great information.
What good tips! I think that everyone could benefit from these awesome hair tips!
This is such a helpful list! I try to reduce the amount of heat by not using straighteners or blow dryers. However, I’m definitely going to need to rethink my diet in relation to my hair also.
There is tremendous hair loss after I gave birth to my second child. There was no hair loss when I gave first baby child. Why is it so?
I had the same experience! After I had my baby my hair started falling out like crazy. After many doctor visits and tests, he recommended that I use a natural shampoo, because my post-baby body was now not having a good reaction to the chemicals in shampoos. He recommended the Made from Earth Tea & Protein Shampoo, because its all natural, and has proteins in it.
After about one week, I could see my hair getting stronger and filling out more. It has stopped falling out now. You will need a condtioner after using this shampoo, because it does make your hair like squeaky clean (from the tea tree oil), but its worth it because you get your hair back!
Great to know this, same was my history and I am happy now!
I had a really bad experience my first pregnancy with intense hair shedding and fall out. My second pregnancy I was recommended a postpartum hair vitamin from Baby Blues meant for New Moms to replenish the vitamins shed after having the baby. I tried everything from scalp oil drops (my hair just felt really greasy after) to collagen in my drinks (couldn’t get past the taste) but really the only thing for me that was effective.
these postpatum hair loss vitamins and making some of your diet recommendations have helped so much!
My sister has been complaining about her hair loss due to stress, which is why she’s thinking of taking vitamin supplements that may help address this concern. Thank you for sharing here this; I’ll make sure to remind her that she must not comb her hair if it’s still wet. I’ll also keep in mind tell her that she must use natural shampoos as much as possible.
The hair loss control system is awesome. When I was shopping and I came across this brand blackwood for men. Only tried it because the bottle looked cool but it helped my dandruff a lot (google them. I found it on Costco)
This post is really very helpful. When I was shopping and I came across this brand blackwood for men. Only tried it because the bottle looked cool but it helped my dandruff a lot (google them. I found it on Costco).
People have no knowledge of the fact that fast hair growth shampoos (obviously with no sulfates, no parabens and no DEA) even exist. Persons now may achieve longer hair and experience more possibilities. Surely worth considering.
When you’re assessing hair loss, hair damage, avoiding hair disorders, hair growth, hair health at large, similar rules apply.
For the most part, you should try to avoid hair products and treatments that contain chemicals like parabens, DEA and sulfates.
What’s beneficial for your hair is healthy for your skin also.
For obvious reasons your content on this page is so accurate for multiple reasons. It steers away from the common errors and errors so many fall into- using defective alternatives. Thank you!
Thanks for the simple and effective tips.