Hair loss after pregnancy is a nightmare for every new mother. But it is also true that, becoming a mother is one of the best feelings in the whole world.
During pregnancy and after childbirth, a women face many challenges like mood swings, fear, labor pain, weakness, postpartum stress, sleep deprivation, degradation in health, and postpartum hair loss.
After pregnancy, clumps of hair fall out from the scalp, and it has become a matter of concern to the mothers to maintain their general health. Our motto is to give the best information about this problem, the reasons behind this hair loss problem and tips to control it with the help of this article.
Hair loss after pregnancy.
A brief explanation of postpartum hair loss?
After delivery, some of the mothers get so much engaged in taking care of their baby and cannot take care for their own health issues. So, they experience a storm of hair loss, which is very common in the first 3 to 4 months after childbirth delivery. Lack of proper diet, rest and postpartum stress are the primary reasons behind hair loss. Almost 90% of women face this issue. In medical terms, it is called telogen effluvium.
What factors are responsible for hair loss after pregnancy?
During pregnancy, the level of oestrogen and other hormones is very high; after pregnancy, there are considerable imbalance of hormones which take place in the mother’s body. Some other factors, such as low hemoglobin level and due to blood loss during childbirth, in the mother’s body, promotes anemia and these factors leads to severe weakness in mothers and hence, hair loss occurs. Another factor is thyroid hormone imbalance, this can also cause severe hair fall. Since the responsibilities are now increased after the birth of the baby, so the mothers remain stressed, which causes sleep deprivation. All these factors lead to hair fall.
What factors are responsible for hair loss after pregnancy?
Is hair loss permanent after pregnancy? And how long does it takes for the hair to regrows?
No, no need to worry about it. It’s an entirely normal and temporary phase. Most women notice a regrowth of their hair when their baby becomes a year old or so. All you need to do is to hydrate yourself frequently, stay stress-free and take proper rest. Taking proper timely meals is the most important thing to improvise.
Does this hair loss is caused due to breastfeeding?
Mother’s breast milk is rich in all nutrients, so during this phase, the proper diet of the mother is an essential aspect to be taken care of. However, breastfeeding is not responsible for postpartum hair loss.
What role do hormones play in postpartum hair loss?
From the second trimester during pregnancy hormones like oestrogen, progesterone, HCG etc., increases. Mainly oestrogen has a major effect on skin, hairs and sebaceous glands. During this phase, the texture of skin and hair get changed. Increased levels of oestrogen promotes hair to rest in growth phase; during this phase, hair growth is fast, and shedding is less. Suddenly after birth, level of oestrogen and other hormones decreases or become normal to their previous level as before pregnancy. Sudden reduction in oestrogen causes heavy hair fall after childbirth.
Tips to deal with the postpartum hair loss
There are specific tips that can be helpful to you in reducing hair fall:
- Be gentle while styling and combing your hair.
- Try to avoid heating tools.
- Do not use hairspray or other chemicals.
- Take multivitamin supplements as per doctor’s advice.
- Do not take stress; talk to your family members if possible and take their help.
- Use mild and good quality shampoo.
- Try to meditate and perform yoga every day.
- If hair fall becomes severe, consult a doctor.
- Ignore combing in wet hair.
- Do not smoke or drink.
- Drink 3-4 litres of water daily.
If you are a breastfeeding mom, consider using Lactomagic mix which is very helpful to restore nutrients lost during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Lactomagic – Lactation Supplement For Increased Breast Milk Supply
Essential dietary nutrients to reduce hair fall
Protein-enriched foods -
Protein is the primary component of hair; hair strands are made up of keratin protein. Keratin is a significant element of our hair, and it is a fundamental component that decides healthy hair growth. Some protein-rich foods are milk, yoghurt, avocados, egg yolk, salmon, sweet potato, soybeans, meat, beans, chicken, lentil, raw amla, nuts etc.
Vitamin A enrich foods -
Vitamin A is an essential component needed for hair growth. It is present in skin cells that form new hair follicles. Vit A promotes the skin to produce an oil known as sebum. It is the substance that maintains humidity of scalp and promotes healthy growth of hair. Examples are carrot, potato, pumpkin, spinach, kale, broccoli, beef liver, milk, yoghurt, cod liver oil, eggs, butter, mango, watermelon, papaya, apricot, guava etc.
Vit E enriched foods -
Vit E plays a beneficial role in skin and hair due to its properties. Vit E increases capillary growth in our scalp and prevent the breakdown of hairs and split ends. It has fat-soluble antioxidants which repair our hairs, it increases elasticity and improves shining of our hairs. It also helps in maintaining oil production on the scalp. Some Vit E rich foods are vegetable oil, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, green and leafy vegetables
Zinc-rich foods -
Zinc plays a vital role in preventing hair loss after pregnancy because it helps produce healthy cells. The most important part is it helps to regulate hormone imbalance. Some zinc-rich foods are seafood, beans, lentils, yoghurt, fortified cereals, legume, mushroom, crab, lobster, milk, dark chocolate, kale, potato, green bean, meat, seeds(pumpkin and sesame) etc.
Vitamin C enriched food -
Vit-C plays a crucial role in making our skin and hair brighter and shiner. Vit c is rich in amino acids. It promotes collagen production in the skin, and collagen is a very important part of hair’s structure. Some of Vit C rich foods are- chilli pepper, parsley, mustard, spinach, kiwi, broccoli etc.
Iron enrich foods -
Our hair follicle cells are reactive to the reducing iron level and are unable to grow in its absence. Iron-rich supplements help to improve blood circulation and carry oxygen to our hair roots, which help in hair growth. Some iron-rich foods are- leafy green vegetables, broccoli, beans, lentil, fatty fish, nuts, seeds etc.
Fat enriches foods -
Coconut, ghee, dry fruits, walnut, curd etc.
What role do Yoga and meditation play in reducing hair loss?
Yoga and meditation play beneficial roles in making our immune system more powerful and in relieving stress. Stress causes hair loss, affects the body’s immune system, becomes the reason for hair fall, and leads to slow hair growth. Yoga and meditation promote blood flow to the head and scalp region, which helps to reduce stress and ultimately reduces hair fall. Yoga and meditation also promote new hair follicles growth.
What role do Yoga and meditation play in reducing hair loss?
Some Yoga and Pranayam poses help reduce hair fall
Sometimes it happens that despite taking all the nourishing fruits and diet, hair loss doesn’t stop. The reason may be a lack of proper blood circulation to the head region. Pranayam and Yoga will definitely solve this problem out.
- Uttanasana(standing forward bend)
- Adhomukhasvanasana(downward facing dog)
- Prasaritapadotthanasana(wide leg standing forward bend)
- Sashankasana (rabbit pose)
- Balasana
- Sarvangasana
- Shirshasana
Home remedies that are effective for reducing postpartum hair loss -
Oil massage on the scalp promotes blood circulation near hair follicles on the head, relieving stress and promoting hair growth.
Aloe Vera Gel- Aloe Vera is a very beneficial ingredient for skin and hair. It reduces dandruff and gives smoothness to hairs. We can apply Aloe Vera gel 2-3 times a week for getting a better result.
Coconut oil- Coconut oil massage on the scalp reduces protein loss from the scalp skin. It can be applied on the scalp before and after we wash our hairs as per the texture of hairs.
Onion juice- Onion juice is one of the most essential ingredients which promotes hair growth. It is helpful in almost every problem of our hairs. Onion juice contains a high concentration of sulphur. It is a constituent of keratin protein that promotes hair growth. It is one of the most effective remedies for reducing hair loss and promoting hair growth. Onion juice is effective in female pattern baldness and androgenic alopecia.
Lemon- Lemon is very effective in dandruff problems. It enhances our hair quality and promotes growth. Apply fresh lemon juice on the scalp for 15 min before doing shampoo of your hair wash.
Fenugreek- Fenugreek seeds have hormones that promote hair growth. It also contains protein and nicotinic acid. It provides strength to hairs and prevents their breakdown.
Olive oil- Olive oil is composed of fatty acids and antioxidants. It promotes hair growth, provides strength and nourishment to your hairs.
Home remedies that are effective for reducing postpartum hair loss
Summary
All the critical information about Postpartum hair loss is explained in this article. I hope the mothers dealing with postpartum hair loss will find their solutions after reading this article. We learnt that hair loss is not related to breastfeeding; other factors are responsible for it.
Like and share this information with all the mothers who face such postpartum hair loss problems. If you have any query or want to ask something, then let us know in comments. Its advisable to visit a skin doctor if hair loss is severe.