How to Deal with Postpartum Hair Loss

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First things first, postpartum hair loss is completely normal and should be more or less expected after having a baby. During pregnancy hair, skin, and nails all grow stronger and are more healthy thanks to all the wonderful, extra hormones that are present in your body. Sometimes, though, this can lead to skin issues or problems DURING pregnancy since said hormones are changing all the time.

Every body and pregnancy is different!

Postpartum hair loss is very common and for some can be more than just an annoyance of having to clean out the shower drain more often than before. It can be extreme and as if it isn’t enough to be dealing with the new body changes after having a baby, feeling like you are going to be bald doesn’t exactly boost one’s self esteem!

So now that we know it’s normal and very common, here are a few tips to survive the season of hair loss!

Supplements like biotin or vitamins that promote healthy hair, skin, and nails will help. If you are breastfeeding, you must speak with your doctor before starting any new vitamins or regiments. Since healthy hair during pregnancy was impacted from the changes inside of your body, adding a vitamin to boost strength and growth from the inside will impact the hair as well!

A trim, or a few inches cut off the ends, can help you survive until your hair begins to fill back in normally. Even something as simple as balancing the length out with the new growth by cutting more off the ends than you cut off the layering can help the hair look and feel thicker. Tell your stylist about your problem areas and see if he or she has suggestions about haircuts that will make your hair look fuller in the meantime!

When the hair does start growing back in you may notice extra flyaways or frizz around your hairline near your temples, ears, or even the back of your neck. The easiest trick for smoothing down the new growth in these areas is to spray a boar bristle brush with a bit of hairspray and smooth the hair down. A skinny teasing brush like this one would do the trick as well!

I wish I could tell you a secret for avoiding the hair loss altogether but I’m afraid that is impossible! If the loss is particularly severe you can speak to your doctor about it and see if he or she has any suggestions on how to assist. A temporary solution would be to add thickening extensions to your hair. Extensions don’t always have to add length, they can be cut to the length of your hair in order to just add fullness. Something like this that can be worn anytime you want to would be the fastest and easiest way to feel better about your hair until it fills back in.

Personally I don’t experience dramatic hair loss as much as extreme dryness! My hair becomes brittle and fragile along the mid-shaft to ends, and I usually cut it off because it is so unhealthy and breaks off every single time I pull a brush through it! Using products like the Bond Repair from Alterna or a deep conditioner like Redken’s Extreme Mega Mask is vital to keep my ends as healthy as possible! This split end healer from Redken would also be a great option to help repair damaged ends!

p.s. See this post for tips on how to treat your hair better in the New Year!

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Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says · 01.21.19

I’m afraid to even think about what might happen to my hair after a baby – I’m not pregnant or anything but I already lose enough hair on a daily basis! Thank you for your tips!

Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com

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Marina Balkandzhieva says · 01.21.19

I’m still suffering! There was a time I thought I’ll just wake up completely bald one morning. But on other hand it is growing like crazy!!!
So maybe you’ll end up with thin, damaged, but LONG hair.
Pregnancy is one miraculous period of a women’s life. You’ll never know what’s waiting for you!

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Jenn says · 11.23.20

Get your thyroid checked 🙂

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Meredith says · 01.21.19

I have such thick hair that the hair loss isn’t that terrible… it’s the regrowth that’s annoying. But now at a year postpartum I’m weaning and getting dandruff?! I guess from the hormone changes? So weird!

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Emily Hambrick says · 01.21.19

7 months postpartum and my hair is just now starting to grow back in! The baby hairs at my hairline are hilarious! I’ve just embrace the frizzies as the new mom look. 🙂

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Cassie says · 01.21.19

Thank you for writing this! I had a baby girl born just before yours and I lost a TON of hair in months 3-6 post partum. Now I’m dealing with the baby hair regrowth stage. Good tips from a mom and hairstylist perspective!

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Jenny says · 01.21.19

This also can happen with fast weight loss. I have lost 35lbs. In 5ish months and around month 3 my hair stayed falling out like crazy. I mean a thick head of hair to see through thin. It’s been tough and trying not to freak out. Loss is slowing and am having some regrowth. It’s a blessing to know that you will not go bald.

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Kate says · 01.21.19

interesting! Almost everything that happens to your body can affect your hair!

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Amy Faulkner says · 01.22.19

I’ve had a similar amount of weight loss in about 4 months and was wondering why my hair was falling out again! Might be a good thing though, postpartum hair loss usually gives me great hair because I get a break from my incredibly thick hair for a while.

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Angela says · 01.21.19

Postpartum hair loss is the worst! I actually bought a drain cover from Amazon to catch all the hair because balls of it would come out in the shower. Cutting it into a lob helped make it feel thicker and more manageable for sure – great tips!

Angela at Blush & Pearls

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Eleanor Mullen says · 01.21.19

I wish I was only suffering postpartum hair loss. Mine is full blown female pattern hair loss 😕. Always had a lovely blonde bob but seriously the parting is so wide 😩. I take hair vits and liquid iron and have seen a Trichologist and Dermatologist. They both suggest Minoxidil (Regaine) but I just don’t get on with it! Any advice would be much appreciated 😊. Your hair always looks amazing!

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A Sparkle Of Grace says · 01.21.19

I’ll have to try the flyaway trick with my baby hairs.

A Sparkle Of Grace

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Megan says · 01.21.19

Have you tried Olaplex? I’m just curious if it would help your dryness and also bc I want to try it and would be interested to know what you think of it! I’ve heard good things!

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Molly says · 01.21.19

I had my last baby at 38. Couple that with thyroid problems and age, my postpartum hair never really grew back. I’ve been dealing with a mullet for years and hated it everyday. I started taking collagen 6 months ago, and what a difference! All that short hair on the sides finally grew to match the rest. Plus overall my hair just didn’t really grow anymore and I can’t believe how long it is. I cannot sing it’s praises loud enough!

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Jenny says · 01.21.19

What type of Collagen are you taking? Brand and amount.

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Molly says · 01.22.19

I use Vital Proteins. Target sells it as does Amazon but Costco has the best deal around. I only do one scoop in my coffee every morning.

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Jenny says · 01.22.19

Does it change the taste of your coffee? Thanks for the info.

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Jillian says · 01.24.19

I also started taking collagen during my second pregnancy and continued it while nursing. My hair loss has been MINIMAL compared to my first pregnancy and my hairdresser has raved about how much better my hair looks. I just add one scoop of Vital Proteins to my coffee in the morning (it doesn’t taste any different to me but I make a latte) and then another scoop in a smoothie in the afternoon on occasion. I agree Costco is the best price. I also do the Nature’s Bounty Hair, Skin and Nails soft gels from Costco as well as continuing my prenatal. I think all of these changes have totally made a difference this time around!

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Erin says · 01.22.19

After dealing with major PP hair loss with my first two, my hairdresser actually suggested to start using Nioxin shampoo/conditioner once or twice a week starting right before my third baby was born to get ahead of the regrowth cycle. I still lost a lot of hair, but it was less dramatic and grew in more evenly.

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Kate says · 01.22.19

Nioxin is great for hair loss!

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Amy Faulkner says · 01.22.19

Oh man. The hair loss. I have incredibly thick hair that becomes dang near unmanageable during my pregnancies (I’ve had 3). I got a big chop and debulk (6+ inches) as soon as I found out I was expecting this last time, and it helped a lot. The chunk of time after the falling out stops and before the wispy frizzies kick in are always the best hair of my life.

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Sindy Peña says · 01.22.19

I’ve seen shampoos that claim to have biotin in them but I always wonder if they would be any good. Have you seen or tried any?? What do you think about them? Thanks!

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Kate says · 01.23.19

I actually haven’t seen that around yet so I’m not sure how effective it is!

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Christina says · 01.22.19

I have always had very thick hair but lost alot starting when my baby was 3 months old. I felt my hair was thinest at the temples and forehead and found my brown tinted dry shampoo made those baldish areas much less noticable .

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Homeocare International says · 01.23.19

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Raj Ghatge says · 01.24.19

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Homeocare International says · 01.25.19

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Elaine says · 01.28.19

How into post-partumness did you start noticing hair loss? I’m two months pp and haven’t noticed anything yet. Is it to come? If so, anything I should do to be proactive in minimizing hair loss?

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Velvet says · 01.29.19

I suffered from a great hair loss after the birth of my two children. The peak was at nine months postpartum and the regrowth was just a nightmare! My hair still hasn’t quite recovered three years on…

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Layla says · 05.16.20

I’m a Mom of two boys. My first pregnancy i experienced such bad hair fallout. I had no idea what was happening. My doctor never told me that would happen, and when I brought it up she brushed it off like not to worry about it. I was super worried about it though! I already felt self conscious. I ended up cutting my long hair into a bob to try and make it look thicker, but it was still upsetting and i didn’t feel like myself for a long time. My second pregnancy I did alot of research and ended up settling on a hair gummy vitamin made for post pregnancy hair loss called Baby Blues (Babyblues.care). That really helped me replenish the vitamins I was losing. Now even two years later i use that and i use the lightstim red light therapy device ( I use it on my face and then run it over my scalp for 3 minutes). Hope that helps someone. Being a new Mom and experiencing hair loss is really devastating.

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Michalline says · 06.19.20

The Best thing I found to help with my postpartum hair shedding was getting recommended a postpartum hair vitamin meant to replenish vitamins shed after having the baby. I went through a period where I tried scalp oil drops (greasy hair), collagen in drinks ( I couldn’t get past the taste). And then my obgyn shared these with me and honestly its been a game changer. It has biotin, collagen, b12, vitamin a, folate, and a mineral blend — in a gummy form (thank goodness). I’ve taken almost 3 months and its helped slow the shedding and seems like the texture of my hair isn’t as thin or dry. They tend to sell out but I order the Baby Blues postpartum vitamins (www.babyblues.care) . Just sharing – i consider them my mom hack

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Thicktails says · 06.22.20

At the age of 60 I am experiencing an hair loss and I want my natural hair back. I took and try many hair growth but my hair stay the same as what I saw right now upon searching I saw found this link https://thicktails.com/collections/thicktails can anyone here give me more info?

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Christine says · 11.26.20

Could you please do a post on hair loss products that you recommend? This would be hair loss not related to pregnancy or illness. Thank you.

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