Our hair is always growing, usually between 85 to 95 percent of our hair is in the growing phase, while about 5 to 15 percent is at the resting phase, after this stage the hair then falls off and is replaced by new hair (this process is called shedding). However during pregnancy the amount of estrogen increases which in turn prolongs the growing phase; therefore fewer hairs are at the resting phase which reduces the amount of hair that is shed and usually leads to thicker and fuller hair whilst a woman is pregnant.

However after giving birth your estrogen levels plummet and this results in a lot more hair follicles entering the resting phase which results in a lot of hair shedding (it seems that all the hair that did not fall out for 9 months decides it is time to fall out). This process usually occurs at about 3 months postpartum, the situation however usually resolves itself in about 6 to 12 months. It is therefore common for a lot of women to notice their hair falling out bit by bit or in clumps (this varies) about 2 or 3 months after giving birth. It is important to note that this is a normal process and usually resolves itself after a while.



Women however experience postpartum hair loss in many different ways. Some might not experience any hair loss at all; some might experience a great deal of hair loss while some might even suffer from hair loss whilst pregnant. A woman’s experience with postpartum hair loss may even differ with her different pregnancies so one should not feel worried about it, as it is a phase and will surely pass. I am currently experiencing postpartum hair loss and I am inclined to wait it out, however there are things I can do to improve the situation and I decided to share with anyone who might be going through something similar.
  1. Minimise shampoo usage: Due to the fact that many shampoos are harsh and stripping to the hair and scalp, this is a good time to invest in a sulfate free shampoo or shampoo with a less harsh sulfate simply look at the ingredients for one that contains sodium laureth sulfate which is not as harsh as the other sulfates. To read more on shampoos please read this post. You can also reduce the amount of times you shampoo your hair, so if you shampoo your hair every week or twice in a week you can reduce this to once in two weeks or once a week.
  2. Drink loads of water: I am sure everyone already knows about the 8 glasses of water a day rule. However you can always drink more water if you can because when you are breast feeding you need a lot of water to hydrate you from within and to boost your milk supply since your body needs water to stay hydrated. You will also need to drink water to boost the health of your hair so that it becomes less dry and as a result less likely to break/shed. 
  3. Be sure to deep condition your hair more frequently: At this time it is important to deep condition your hair more frequently always alternating between moisture and protein deep conditioners depending on what your hair needs. It is therefore important to listen to your hair, since your hair is shedding more at this period you may want to increase your usage of protein conditioners.
  4. Moisturise and seal your hair everyday: It is important that you make sure to moisturise and seal your hair daily. Due to the fact that our hormones are raging and are all over the place, hair can be dryer at this time. So put back the moisture that your hair really needs. This can be achieved by not slacking on moisturising and sealing and making sure to do so everyday.
  5. Minimise heat usage make sure you do not use blow dryers or curling irons very frequently you can limit heat usage to once a month or you can stop using heat altogether if this is possible for you.
  6. If your hair is relaxed, this is a good time to stretch your relaxers because this is not the time to engage in applying a lot of chemicals to your hair. Also other chemical processes such as coloring your hair, should be avoided if possible.
  7. You can also do black tea rinses to minimise the shedding/breakage. I have a post on that here.
  8. Be gentle with your hair, use a wide tooth comb to detangle.
  9. Make sure that you have a healthy diet.
  10. Keep taking your prenatal vitamin supplements especially if you are breast feeding as well as omega 3 fish oil and iron supplements if necessary.
Please note that it is not crucial to do every single thing listed here because as a new mum time is limited however do what you can. I intend to start incorporating most of the above into my regimen as I have seriously slacked in the hair care department. These tips would also serve as a guide in the hair growth challenge which I will post soon for us all to participate. 

Also note that these tips can be applied by people who are experiencing hair breakage/loss which is not pregnancy related. However you might want to substitute taking prenatal vitamins to just an ordinary multi vitamin.

TONKABELLE, xoxo



I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but my chief duty is to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble – Helen Keller