Changes in the appearance / condition of hair is very common after birth, it is usually short term only but can be quite distressing during that time.
Symptoms:
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Hair loss usually starts within five months of giving birth and starts slowing down about three months or so after that.
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Hair may appear more brittle, less shiny, more frizzy or dull (compared to how it was before or during your pregnancy).
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There’s nothing you can do to stop the process of hair-loss but being gentle with your hair and experimenting with hair products and styles can help get you through it.
Causes:
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After you give birth, your oestrogen levels decrease which results in your hair follicles entering a resting stage, this triggers the hair shedding three to five months later.
Here is what the evidence says about the treatment options:
Silk sheets / pillow cases – The use of silk sheets, hair bobbles, hair wraps and pillow cases is on the rise. As it is a fairly new ‘trend’, there are not a lot of studies available to assess the actual effectiveness of silk on hair. Those that are available appear to have been carried out by the manufacturer / funded by the manufacturer and involve very small groups of participants (therefore hard to rule out any bias). There have been lots of proposed benefits to using silk;
- Helping to protect new hair growth.
- Hypoallergenic.
- Regulating body temperature.
- Reducing frizz, knots and protecting curly hair.
- Helping to reduce appearance of acne and wrinkles.
Unfortunately we cannot say for certain how likely or unlikely any of these benefits are. There only thing we can go off at the moment are reviews like these, which are really promising.
Vitamins / Probiotics – Diet isn’t usually the cause of hair loss after giving birth, it is usually hormones. Therefore, adding probiotics and vitamins to your diet is unlikely to make any difference. There is NO evidence to show that taking supplements helps slow or stop hair loss.
Diet – This may have an impact on the appearance of your hair (as opposed to hair loss). A healthy diet for hair includes plenty of lean protein as well as fresh fruits and vegetables to provide antioxidants and hair-supporting nutrients like biotin, vitamin E, vitamin C and iron.
Hair products – There are hundreds of hair products out there. It’s impossible to say what works and doesn’t as it is down to personal preference and also your hair type. A personal favourite are these products by Olaplex. We have found that they can help a lot with dryness and lack of shine.
What to watch out for:
If you are suffering with hair loss and it is not improving after 6 months then please speak to your healthcare provider as there may be a different underlying cause that needs addressing.