Almost all women complain of having problems with severe postpartum hair loss following childbirth. During pregnancy, they recognize that they have beautiful hair. But when their baby arrives, their hair looks sad and loses volume and peps. How do explain this phenomenon? And how to fix it? Here is the point on the hair after pregnancy.
What does the hair look like after pregnancy?
Unlike pregnant women, breastfeeding women generally have fragile, fine and dull hair. Looks like their hair lost its strength after giving birth. In addition, hair after pregnancy can fall dramatically. They are everywhere, as well on their pillow as on their brush and on their clothes. From where they have the impression that their hair disappears by handfuls.
If normal people lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day, women who have just given birth lose more than 100 hairs a day. This is why we speak of excessive hair loss or postpartum alopecia.
In addition, it should be noted that pregnancy hormones can also make the hair of breastfeeding women oilier, or on the contrary drier than usual. And in the worst cases, they can even change hair color.
When do you lose hair after pregnancy?
Postpartum alopecia appears right after childbirth and can last between 6 to 12 weeks. Some women even experience a problem of significant hair loss up to a year after their pregnancy. But this is a case that happens very rarely.
Six months after childbirth, women’s hair normally starts to grow again. Then, they return to the state they had before pregnancy about 12 months after the child’s arrival.
What makes hair after pregnancy so special?
Pregnancy is a significant event in a woman’s life. It affects both his mind and his body. In fact, it puts the woman under beneficial hormonal influence, since it improves both the quality of her hair and her skin.
In general, pregnant women have strong, thick, and shiny hair. They have dreamy hair. Yes, more beautiful, healthier, and stronger hair.
Unfortunately, they cannot keep this hair after pregnancy for a long time. Right after giving birth, their estrogen levels will suddenly drop. Which will lead to a massive and simultaneous fall of their hair and which will also make their hair sensitive, thin and dull.
What is the effect of breastfeeding on hair after pregnancy?
Breastfeeding and beautiful hair don’t mix. As specified above, hormonal imbalances take place during the lactation phase. Thus, it is therefore normal that young mothers to experience more hair loss.
In fact, the post-pregnancy hair that falls out is what she had to lose during pregnancy. But since they were retained by a good level of estrogen, they only come off when the latter drops, that is to say after childbirth.
Scientifically speaking, the telogen phase resumes and hair that hasn’t fallen out begins to fall out. It turns out that women have become accustomed to their new pregnancy hair and that the fall seems impressive to them, even a source of anxiety. But no, it is a normal phenomenon that will end after a few weeks and therefore cannot make them bald.
It should be noted that certain factors can aggravate postpartum alopecia . This is precisely the case of stress, fatigue and lack of sleep that often affect young mothers. And the same goes for a significant iron deficiency. This can be responsible for hair loss.
What solutions to solve the problems of hair loss after pregnancy?
There is nothing better than using natural remedies to prevent and treat postpartum hair problems.
A rich, varied and balanced diet to keep hair after pregnancy
First of all, breastfeeding women must strengthen their hair fibers with a rich, varied, and balanced diet. They must favor foods as a contribution to promoting the renewal of their hair.
Among other things, they need foods rich in vitamin B, zinc, sulfur, protein, iron, and magnesium. Vitamins B5, B6, and B8 are effective in helping to renew hair follicle cells. And zinc, sulfur, and proteins contribute to the production of keratin. Iron, on the other hand, allows the supply of oxygen to the roots of the hair. And magnesium is perfect for new moms prone to stress and fatigue.
Among the foods that must therefore be consumed, it is appropriate to mention: shrimp, meat, fish, chicken, egg yolks, soy, cereals, dark chocolate, fruits, and legumes. such as lentils, beans, and chickpeas.
A scalp massage
The resumption of a healthy and balanced diet must also be coupled with some good habits for the hair after pregnancy. Breastfeeding women should just devote a few minutes a day to massaging the scalp. This kind of massage activates blood microcirculation. This stimulates hair regrowth.
It can be performed both during hair washing and at any time of the day. And it can be accompanied by the use of anti-hair loss products or products that promote regrowth such as vegetable oils or essential oils.
A course of dietary supplements
In the event of a strong deficiency in a nutrient, breastfeeding women can take a course of food supplements. They must do an analysis to find out what they are missing. Then, they must turn to appropriate treatments: based on vitamins, magnesium, zinc, etc.
Nothing also prevents them from following a cure of brewer’s yeast in tablets or powder to stop the massive loss of their hair and to stimulate regrowth.
Homeopathy
Women who have just given birth can also consult a homeopathic doctor to obtain a basic treatment to prevent too much hair loss during breastfeeding. They can take the homeopathic medicines prescribed by this last morning and evening for two months and they can combine them with other medicines.
A good hair routine
Other gestures to integrate into the hair routine of breastfeeding women are washing and brushing their hair gently and also using the “fresh air” option of the hair dryer.
Young mothers must indeed choose their brush or comb with care so as not to attack their hair and promote hair loss. Other than that, they should avoid heat when drying their hair or combing their hair. The more they pay attention to their mane, the better!
What products treat hair loss after pregnancy?
During breastfeeding, hair care products that are too nourishing should not be used, as they may weigh down oily hair. Then, you should not opt for commercial products that have an alkaline pH.
Here, it should be noted that pH is a scale of acidity ranging from 0 to 14. 7 is neutral pH, 0 to 6 constitutes acidic pH, and 8 to 14 is considered alkaline or basic pH.
A mild, non-aggressive shampoo for post-pregnancy hair
In fact, the targeted products are hair care products that counteract hair loss and relaunch hair growth. A mild, non-aggressive shampoo, for example, could do the trick to taking good care of hair after pregnancy.
Otherwise, young mothers can also be interested in organic shampoos or solid shampoos made from natural ingredients, regenerating shampoos that have no side effects on them and their babies.
Read Also: Pregnancy Massage: 7 Benefits And Safety Tips
Anti-hair loss hair care for hair after pregnancy
Apart from shampoos, serums, ampoules, and lotions are also available in the market to treat the hair of nursing women. For example, the hair growth serum, its an anti-hair loss treatment serum, a natural formula based on roots and plant extracts with fortifying and anti-hair loss active ingredients and also essential oils of Lemongrass, peppermint and lemon tea tree.
Finally, there is the Creastim Ducray anti-hair loss lotion, a treatment that combines three essential active ingredients for the hair, including B vitamins, creatine and tetrapeptide. This product is effective in maintaining healthy and healthy hair. Then, it is also able to accelerate the telogen phase to enter the anagen phase more quickly and therefore to reactivate hair growth.
Vegetable oils and essential oils for hair after pregnancy
In addition, young mothers can apply vegetable oils directly to their hair to slow down hair loss and promote regrowth. Among others, they must favor castor oil, coconut oil, argan oil, sweet almond oil, and jojoba oil which are excellent for hair after pregnancy.
Of course, they can also use essential oils such as lemon essential oil, bay of saint Thomas essential oil, and ylang-ylang essential oil.
It is even possible to mix vegetable oils and essential oils to achieve a particular objective. To strengthen the hair and give it volume and shine, breastfeeding women can, for example, mix 10 ml of castor oil, 10 ml of coconut oil, 10 ml of jojoba oil, and 15 drops of oil lemon essential.
And to stop hair loss, they can mix 10 ml of argan oil, 10 ml of mustard oil, 10 ml of broccoli oil, 10 ml of sweet almond oil, 5 drops of the bay of saint Thomas essential oil, and 15 drops of ylang-ylang essential oil.
To deeply nourish and hydrate dry, dull hair, they can make a mixture of 10 ml of coconut oil, 10 ml of wheat germ oil, 5 ml of castor oil and 3 drops of essential oil. of sandalwood.
Finally, to balance oily hair and regulate sebum production, they can prepare a mixture of 10 ml of sesame oil, 10 ml of jojoba oil, 10 ml of hazelnut oil, 10 drops of oil essential oil of tea tree, and 10 drops of essential oil of lavender.
To use these mixtures, they must be applied in small quantities to the length and ends of the hair. Then, gently massage the scalp, then the locks, one by one. It should be remembered that the massage of the scalp and hair should be done with the fingertips and circular movements should be favored to properly stimulate blood microcirculation, facilitate sheathing and the establishment of the scales, and promote the penetration of oils.
After the self-massage, it is necessary to respect an exposure time of about thirty minutes while wrapping the hair with a warm towel. Then, you have to finish with a wash with a mild sulfate-free shampoo and a good rinse.
When should you consult a healthcare professional?
Consider consulting a specialist when postpartum alopecia lasts more than 6 months. It may indeed be that the massive hair loss is linked to other health problems that must be diagnosed by a health professional.
The thyroid problem, for example, is often linked to the problem of hair loss after pregnancy. And only a doctor is able to offer a suitable treatment to treat this pathology.
Conclusion
Also, pregnancy and the postpartum period can cause different changes to a woman’s body. Some are wonderful and some less so. In case of significant hair loss during the breastfeeding phase, do not panic. Young mothers may feel that their bodies, especially their hair, never cease to impress them. But soon everything will be back to normal.
