Our Director, Natalie, talks about Postpartum Hair Loss and pregnancy.
At Hair Solved we believe that we understand hair loss in all its forms. Not just because of our many years of experience working with women of all ages and with all hair loss conditions. But because many of our team have very personal experiences of the conditions we frequently see in our Salons. Our Regional Director, Natalie, recently returned from maternity leave and is keen to share her experience of Postpartum hair loss after her pregnancy.
“Many women experience changes in hair texture and growth during pregnancy. Hormones can make your hair grow faster and fall out less, but these hair changes aren’t usually permanent,” Natalie says.
Many women experience Postpartum hair loss.
In fact, many women lose some hair in the Postpartum period, usually around three months after the birth. Hair loss can seem more extreme if hair has become thicker during pregnancy. But most women will return to their usual growth cycle 6-12 months after the birth of their baby.
Natalie with happy hair and a happy baby.
“During my pregnancy my hair got thicker and thicker due to the fact that my hair stopped its usual shedding, I believe this is common in a lot of pregnancies. My hair didn’t get as greasy, so I didn’t have to wash it as often which was handy.
Over the years I have become quite addicted to having the thickest, longest hair possible, and of course working with hair as I do made this easy. I just think that lovely thick hair really makes you look glam and younger and would often use extensions to add extra length to my hair.
However just before I went on my maternity leave I had my extensions removed. I normally have them put straight back in as I can’t bear to be without them but this this time my hair looked nice and full, so I decided to leave them out. This made sense to me because between giving birth and having a baby I would certainly not have time to wash and dry and be glam for the foreseeable future.
It was also a lovely hot sunny spring and summer and of course babies are renowned for yanking hair. So, I had my hair trimmed and coloured and I felt my hair was pretty good thickness with it cut to below my shoulders.
My labour was quite traumatic.
I think I had quite a traumatic birth (forceps and a blood transfusion) but I know people have worse experiences. Of course we are very lucky to have gotten through it and we are alive and well. From experience I have seen many women have hair loss from stress or traumatic events in their lives. This can cause hair to fall out roughly 3 months after the traumatic event. Most of the time it does come back but not always. Anyway for a few months my hair was the least of my worries I got it trimmed and coloured regularly and it was looking good. This was a great relief as I was a tired mess.
I think that if your hair looks good then it’s not so bad if you don’t wear make-up or a best outfit. But if you wear the best clothes and a full face of make-up and your hair isn’t good you just don’t feel great.
My hair loss started around three months after I’d given birth.
Despite Natalie’s professional experience, she still worried about her thinning hair.
Roughly three months after I gave birth my hair started to shed for the first time in a long time, I first noticed it in the shower when I was conditioning my hair. My hair was coming out in my hands and not just a few hairs, but a lot more than I had ever been used to. It was horrifying even though I knew it was Postpartum hair loss relating to my pregnancy.
It was the same when I brushed my hair, the brush would be full of hair. If I wore black, then my blonde hairs would show up everywhere. Sadly it made me quite emotional and tearful as you tend to be after having a baby. I tried not to think about it and the fact that Hair Solved could help me if I needed it, kept me sane.
I considered myself very lucky to know about the Enhancer System. Especially not having to think that I might need a wig or delve into the online world of hair loss solutions. When I was having my hair washed at work one of the girls was shocked. She couldn’t believe the amount of hair coming out when she was combing through the conditioner.
It was so sparse you could see my scalp.
The sides of my hair seemed to be very thin and you could see my scalp at the top. I got my hair cut into what they call a “Mum Bob” to make it look a bit fuller and healthier. I keep in touch with the girls from my NCT classes, but nobody else seemed to complain about their hair. This worried me too.
Thankfully after about a month the extreme shedding seemed to stop, and about a month after that I could see lots of new short hair coming in. My hair looked immediately thicker at the top. What a huge relief! I now have lots of short hairs that stick out and make it harder to style but I am just happy it came back.
At the moment, I’m growing my hair and managing without extensions. But I’m sure they’ll be back in the future when I eventually get my social life back! At the moment I am just thankful for having my hair the way it is.”
Natalie is based at our busy Manchester Salon. She is available for consultations no matter what the cause of the hair loss. From Trichotillomania, to Alopecia to Genetic Thinning and of course Postpartum Hair Loss we can help you. Our Manchester Salon is easy accessible by public transport and by car. Get in touch on 0800 065 4501.
Helpful advice about Postpartum Hair Loss