I’ve always taken pride in my hair. I love being a blonde, and I love having long hair. My long thick hair has always been one of my favorite physical features. I remember going to get my hair done in college, and my hairdresser would always comment on how much hair I had, and I loved it!
I think my favorite stage in my “hair lifetime” is my pregnancy hair stage. My hair grows super fast, and so long and thick! I remember hearing about postpartum hair loss and not being too worried because of how much thicker my hair got during pregnancy. After I had my first baby, one month passed, two months passed, three and four months passed, and I never had any hair loss. I thought I had avoided the postpartum hair loss side effect and breathed a huge sigh of relief! All of my friends experienced their hair loss right after having a baby, so I thought I was out of the woods and just got lucky. But five months after having my baby was when my hair started to fall out, and it was way worse than anything I was expecting. I remember trying to go as long as possible in between washing my hair because it was so hard for me to see all the clumps of hair that fell out with each wash. I was mortified! My long thick hair was not so thick anymore, and I ended up cutting off quite a bit of length to get it looking healthy again. When I got pregnant with my third baby, I did everything I could to try to prevent my hair from falling out. I took my prenatal vitamins and biotin consistently all throughout my pregnancy, and every single day after having Eli. Sure enough, five months after Eli was born, I watched my thick hair morph into thin hair again.
The regrowth process is a crazy process as well! Once my hair started coming back in, I had hundreds of tiny hairs all along my hairline that were only a few inches long. I joked with Garrett that I should just stick some gel on my baby hairs and spike them! Crazy baby hairs were everywhere, and I had to get creative with my hairstyles in order to hide them and keep them tamed (one trick I learned was to spray an old toothbrush with hair spray and brush down the front tiny hairs to hold them in place. Genius!). I was mentally prepared to have to trim my hair shorter than I was used to because it was the best way to keep my hair looking healthy. I talked with my hairstylist and she gave me a few tips and tricks for styling my hair. I got clip in extensions that I could add to my hair when there were hairstyles I wanted to achieve that required thicker hair. I finally got comfortable with my postpartum hair because I looked for ways to embrace it, instead of focusing on how different it was.
With each of my pregnancies, I knew this hair loss process would happen. A new baby is most definitely worth any frustrations that come with postpartum hair loss, but I think it wasn’t until after my third time dealing with it that I mentally accepted that this hair change is a natural part of life. And it is okay for me to be emotional about it. My hair is a lot of my physical identity, and of course I was sad to see it fall out, but it always grows back. Herbal Essences is running a campaign that encourages all women to embrace changes like this in their life. It took me three rounds of postpartum hair loss to truly embrace my change, and I love that the mission of this campaign helps women to cope with their own hair journey at whatever stage they might be in. Hair change can be a great start to a new beginning: a new baby, a new relationship, a new perspective on life, etc. You can find out more information on Herbal Essences new campaign about hair change in this video.
Did you have a hard time with postpartum hair loss? I remember telling a friend who recently had a baby “when your hair falls out so much you start thinking ‘this isn’t normal!,’ just know that it is totally normal.” Did you have to change up a new hairstyle/routine to deal with your baby hairs? Let me know in the comments; I would love to hear your experience!
in partnership with Herbal Essences and POPSUGAR | photography by Felicia Lasala Photography
Not only did I have PP hair loss but I also stared getting a ton of build up on my hair. I would get out of the shower and it would already be looking greasy at the scalp. Two years after having my second child, I still have to use a clarifying shampoo and get a scalp treatment once every eight months or so to keep it in check
Hmm..this scalp treatment sounds interesting, I might need to try it! Maybe dry shampoo would help a bit? I need to find some good clarifying shampoo too!
I find a charcoal clarifying shampoo and conditioner at Walgreen’s of all places. I was getting alot of build-up and even breakouts on my scalp. It has all gone away AND my hair is super shiny! Just feels like my hair has been de-gunked.
Oops…the brand is “Hask” if anyone is wondering. 🙂
Sara! I went and bought this shampoo and conditioner, thank you for the recommendation! My hair definitely feels striped of so much product and much healthier.
Currently in the postpartum hair loss phase for the second time around! I have a lion’s mane of baby hairs around my face that I definitely need to try your toothbrush trick on. I can’t wash my hair at night anymore or it’s totally unmanageable when I wake up!! I think I also developed a new annoying cowlick with my new growth! Worth it 🙂
haha! Yes, 100% worth it! But also….we still have to find a way to help the lion’s mane right? 😉 Isn’t it funny how the new hair that comes in can be different too!? Mine got a lot curlier I think. I hope that toothbrush trick helps!
I am going through postpartum hair loss for the 4th time!! I don’t get a ton of baby hairs except for little short ones around my ears. I have thick hair too and it is crazy how much is falling out, but my hair is so thick it still stays thick!! I really hate how my hair is everywhere though right now.
I love that your hair stays thick! That sounds dreamy, haha! But yes, hair EVERYWHERE. I hear you girl!
My baby is 5 months old now and I’m dealing with postpartum hair loss. This is also the third time I’ve gone through this. I naturally have very fine thin hair so to see what little hair I have fall out in handfuls makes me ache! I, like you, have learned this is just my process of what happens when I have a baby and I know it won’t be this way forever. But it does help to hear other women have dealt with and are dealing with the same thing I am and I’m in good company.
You totally are in good company! I couldn’t believe how much hair I lost! It really does help to share stories with other women who have gone through the same thing. Makes me understand how many women struggled with it! Thanks for sharing Whitney!
Your story sounds like mine! My mom had some postpartum hair loss issues after babies, but when I didn’t lose any the first 3-4 months the first time around, I figured all was good. Ha! Little did I know. I lost huge golf ball sized clumps from about 3 months-6 months pp after every shower. I have curly hair, so I got it cut shorter and tried to style it in ways to hide the troubles. I’ve gone through this three more times since. It literally takes a couple of years before it really looks and feels normal again. And, it does seem every time I lose a little more curl (which kind of makes me sad). I’ve never really accepted it, mostly just been irritated by it. My kids are worth it…but…arrgh, why me? Anyway, thanks for sharing!
Yes! I thought I was home free after 4 months..but it was around 5/6 months when it started falling out. And my hair just gets wavier with each baby. Isn’t it crazy what our bodies go through!?
I am currently experiencing this after having my son in February. He almost 8 months old now, and I am still breastfeeding. It is so disheartening to see it come out by the handful in the shower; I also wait as long as I can between washes too ha! SO glad I am not alone – it drives me insane. My question is, when will it stop?! Glad I am not alone.
My hair fell out for about 6 weeks before stopping completely. And the new short baby hairs are a whole other side to have to deal with. I’m so glad we can talk to other moms going through the same thing, it really helps!
My hair loss came via a viral infection. I went from thick bouncy beautiful long curls to about 1/3 of what I had previously.
It was horrible and blood tests didn’t help identify the cause. Neither did people help by commenting on how thick it once was. It will be ten years this year since it happened. It took a lot for me to refind my identity but I did. The majority of that was down to my husband who was then my boyfriend and my mum, who had been through similar. Without my close family (mum, dad, sister and aunts) and my husband and his parents it would have been so much harder. I had just forgotten to remember we are all beautiful in our own way.
Wow, I am so sorry! I can’t even imagine how hard this must have been. I love that you were able to find your identity after going through this and that you had the love and support from loved ones. You are so right! We are all beautiful in our very own way, and so much of our beauty has nothing to do with our physical appearance! What an example you are to me!