LOSING HAIR AFTER GIVING BIRTH?
CONTROL THE SITUATION WITH THESE EASY NATURAL WAYS
Pregnancy hormones bring along a nice and unexpectedly sexy surprise—thick and lustrous mane of hair. But once you have your baby— poof! The magic seems to disappear! Most women get alarmed, even shocked, to find themselves losing strands of hair.
First thing you need to know is this: You are not going bald! In fact, you are not even losing unnaturally excessive hair. In order to understand this phenomenon, you need to understand how our body works.
In the normal cycle of hair growth, we lose some hair every day. However, during pregnancy women have increased levels of estrogen in their bodies which prevents the body from losing any hair. This way the hair that would normally fall out, stay put, resulting in thicker hair. After giving birth the levels of estrogen in the body decline regulating the original hair growth cycle. This results in all the hair that were resting (had not fallen out during pregnancy) start to fall out. Since the hair had not fallen for a long time, initially it seems like you are losing excessive amount of hair but that only lasts for a while until the cycle is regulated. This cycle differs for each woman however, on average postnatal hair fall lasts somewhere between six months to a year.
There are secondary factors that can contribute to the hair fall becoming unnaturally excessive and long. Here are some things you can do to make sure your cycle is regulated as soon as possible and there are no additional factors contributing to the hair loss.
HELPFUL TIPS TO MAKE HAIRLOSS MANAGEABLE
GET A NEW CUT
Get a fresh haircut that is suitable for your face and that makes your hair appear fuller and healthier. Usually shorter haircuts do the trick for most women.
DRINK MORE WATER, GET REST, MANAGE STRESS
No doubt it is difficult to set aside time for yourself while adjusting with a new baby. If you have other children, the challenge is even greater. But realistically speaking, it is all about the mindset. If you convince yourself that your health and wellbeing is your number one priority, you will manage to find time for yourself.
A simple way of keeping yourself hydrated is warm lemon water in the morning and lemon infused water during the day. Lemon water is hydrating, anti-inflammatory and detoxing. Not only that, it also helps you shed baby weight.
Stress is natural for the mother of a new baby, even if she had other children before. There are many ways of managing stress, one of the most important of which is to have additional help when needed. Whether it is your spouse, parents, siblings, nieces or nephews, older (enough) children, or hired help, don’t shy away from getting help. Let others step in and help out however way they can. Letting others share your load does not mean that you are a lazy or uncaring parent. It just shows you are a realistic person who knows that unless she is well rested and stress-free, she will not be able to care for her family the way she wants to.
If you are 100%, you can give your 100%!
EAT NUTRIENT RICH FOODS
Hair health is a reflection of your overall wellbeing. Just like our bodies need nutritious food to thrive and function properly, our hair need proper nutrients to grow. Include a lot of colorful vegetables and fruits in your diet, especially dark greens such as spinach and arugula/rocket leaves. Consume foods rich in iron such as legumes, red meat, quinoa, spirulina, pumpkin and sesame seeds, pine nuts etc. This will strengthen your hair and make them shinier.
Note: Iron is absorbed well when taken with Vitamin C. It doesn’t absorb well when taken with calcium. Plan your meals so that you don’t consume calcium and iron together.
CONSUME OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS
Omega-3 fatty acids are a woman’s best friends. They are healthy for the heart and brain, have anti-inflammatory effects on the body, and work as a tonic for skin and hair. If you can’t find high-quality wild-caught fish where you are, then make sure to take Omega-3 supplements or fish oil.
USE NATURAL FIBER HAIRBRUSH OR COMB
Brush your hair with natural materials like wood. It helps spread natural oils evenly across your scalp, massages your scalp as you brush, and increases blood flow. All of which strengthen the hair and prevent hair loss.
MASSAGE YOUR HAIR WITH OILS
Along with putting your body and mind in a state of bliss, massages increase blood flow and help drain lymphatic fluids. So, they actually help you remain healthier and younger looking. The same is true for your hair. Scalp massages increase blood flow to your hair follicles which strengthen hair, prevents hair fall and increases hair growth. Now add a healthy dose of nourishing oils and you have got yourself a winner. There is a wide range of oils you can use for your hair and scalp. These include:
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil
- Sweet almond oil
- Argan oil
- Pomegranate oil
- Amla (Indian gooseberry) oil
- Or a blend of 2 or more of these oils
You can apply the oil yourself and leave it in as long as you like. If you have applied a generous enough dose of oil and have massaged it in well, it feels heavenly to the point you would not feel like washing it off for hours. If you don’t feel comfortable walking around with greasy hair you can apply it at night leave it on overnight. But make sure to cover your pillow with an old cotton cloth or you will have oil stains on your pillow case.
APPLY NATURAL DYES LIKE HENNA
Conventional dyes are highly toxic and not at all recommended for anyone, and especially not for a nursing mother. But you don’t have to deprive yourself of a fresh look. Apply a natural hair dye like henna.
Its simpler than you think. All you will need is a good quality dried henna powder which you can order online or find at any ethnic Arabic or South Asian stores near you. Add some warm water to it to make a thick paste and apply it to your hair starting from root going out to the tips, just like you would a normal dye. Cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it on for up to 2 hours. Then wash it off as you normally would. You can mix henna powder with hibiscus tea instead of plain water for a darker shade, or chamomile tea for a lighter, blondish tinge.
You should not expect dramatic hair color change like conventional dyes since it is a natural herb dye and needs multiple applications in order to bring desirable results. What’s more, henna is a great moisturizer for your hair, helps eliminate dandruff and is soothing to the scalp.
The bottom line is this mommy, you will get your original hair back soon enough. Meanwhile give yourself the best. You deserve it!