Pregnancy can be a wonderful time in a woman’s life, as well as an incredibly stressful and troubling one. Waiting for the pitter-pattering of tiny feet brings its own unique challenges and joys. But once you’ve welcomed your new arrival into the world, the challenges don’t stop.

Unwelcome side effects

A very common postpartum symptom is hair loss. A lot of the time postpartum hair loss is temporary, but when it lasts longer than your baby’s first birthday that is the time to seek medical assistance.

Postpartum hair loss is caused by your hormone levels changing post-birth. When you are pregnant you have very high oestrogen levels.

The high level of oestrogen prevented your usual daily shedding of hair. The average woman loses 100 strands a day to make way for the new hairs coming through.

Perks of pregnancy hormones

However, when you are pregnant the increased oestrogen prevents your hair shedding in its normal amount. This is compounded by your increased blood volume and circulation, which also causes your hair to fall out less than normal. This is why thick, shiny hair is a well-known symptom of pregnancy and a fabulous contributor to that pregnancy glow.

Pitfalls that follow

Once your baby has arrived, your oestrogen level, blood volume and circulation all return to normal over the months immediately following the birth. This means that you could lose 400 hairs a day. It should be roughly the same amount of hair that you would have lost over the months that you were pregnant.

Don’t panic – it’s not permanent

However, we know that because it all happens at once it can look rather alarming when you look down at your hairbrush in the morning.

The good news is that this period doesn’t usually last for very long. It usually starts within five months of giving birth and starts slowing down about three months or so after that.

Boost from breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is said to help “some of your extra hair [to] hang on to your scalp until you wean.” It is important to seek medical advice if you are still experiencing significant hair loss one-year post labour as there could be another condition behind it.

If you are experiencing postpartum hair loss, then there is a lot you can do to help your hair. Today there are lots of vitamins that are targeted at new mothers to aid their recovery in all sorts of different ways. There are even some vitamins that are, “shown to yield impressive results in postpartum women.”

However, you should make sure that these are safe for you and your baby if you are breastfeeding.

Help with hairloss

There are lots of other things that you can do to stimulate your hair growth. Head massages are said to be fabulous to promote hair growth. Here’s how to do your own head massage:

1. Apply gentle pressure to the scalp with your fingertips, moving in small circles.
2. Work your way all over your scalp. covering the entirety of your scalp.
3. Do this for at least 5 minutes, several times a day.

You can also use a soft-bristled brush to stimulate the blood circulation in your head.

As with all areas of your health, a healthy diet contributes towards a healthy body and that of course includes your hair.

If you decide you want to disguise your thinning hair

Here are a few things that you can do to style your hair in a way that will convince people that you still have your shining pregnancy locks.

1. Get a new hairstyle
2. Change your parting
3. Change your colour
4. Use thickening treatments
5. Play with accessories like hats, headscarves, Alice bands, hair clips, etc.
6. Use volumizing mousses, shampoos and other hair products.
7. Get hair extensions or a wig.

We are always on hand to discuss any hair loss issue and guide you in the direction of the right product for you. Give Wigs4U a call on 01945 587584 to let us help you today.