So here's a well kept secret for you...POSTPARTUM HAIR LOSS!
Yup, you read that right.
Not heard of it? Neither had I...and I had a good 4 years of all things pregnancy and motherhood research behind me.
Turns out this is a pretty common phenomenon whereby, a few months after having a baby, your hair picks up and leaves, not to return until baby's 1st birthday party preparations are well under way (if you're lucky, it'll be back in time for the smash cake photos)
Ok, I may be overplaying this, but it is a real thing and here's what you need to know.
Around 85% to 95% of your hair is growing at any one time. The remaining 5% to 15% is in a resting state.
It's this resting state hair that falls out...during your shower, when brushing your hair, and throughout the day as you go about your business (leaving a Rapunzel-like trail in its wake)
Aside from being the enemy of your Hoover, and the cause of the 'bloody stupid roller' getting tangled and needing to be freed every 30 seconds, you'd never notice this loss. The average woman loses around 100 hairs a day (anyone hear that? I think it's the sound of the volumising hair product companies' profits soaring)
During pregnancy, those pesky hormones give you a nice little present (we'll call it rent for their stay as the worst houseguest in history - sickness, tears - you may not be invited back, hormones)
Oestrogen levels increase and that convinces your follicles to hold on to those lovely locks by upping the number that are growing and stopping the ones that are resting. This is what gives you that fabulous mane (to match your tiger stripes)
After you've had your baby, the oestrogen sticks around for a little while. At some point, however, it gets bored and decides to evacuate.
Cue hair loss.
This is generally during the first few months of your child's life. Some women don't even notice it, often these ladies didn't notice much of a change to their hair during pregnancy either.
For the rest of us though, it's time to hit the hairdressers. There is no treatment to hold on to your tresses, but a clever bit of camouflage in the form of a new hair colour or shorter style, should see you through until between month 6 and 12, when your hair should start to normalise to its old, pre-pregnancy state.
I'll be heading to the hairdressers tomorrow. Until then, though...has anyone seen my hat?
Yup, you read that right.
Not heard of it? Neither had I...and I had a good 4 years of all things pregnancy and motherhood research behind me.
Turns out this is a pretty common phenomenon whereby, a few months after having a baby, your hair picks up and leaves, not to return until baby's 1st birthday party preparations are well under way (if you're lucky, it'll be back in time for the smash cake photos)
Ok, I may be overplaying this, but it is a real thing and here's what you need to know.
Around 85% to 95% of your hair is growing at any one time. The remaining 5% to 15% is in a resting state.
It's this resting state hair that falls out...during your shower, when brushing your hair, and throughout the day as you go about your business (leaving a Rapunzel-like trail in its wake)
Aside from being the enemy of your Hoover, and the cause of the 'bloody stupid roller' getting tangled and needing to be freed every 30 seconds, you'd never notice this loss. The average woman loses around 100 hairs a day (anyone hear that? I think it's the sound of the volumising hair product companies' profits soaring)
During pregnancy, those pesky hormones give you a nice little present (we'll call it rent for their stay as the worst houseguest in history - sickness, tears - you may not be invited back, hormones)
Oestrogen levels increase and that convinces your follicles to hold on to those lovely locks by upping the number that are growing and stopping the ones that are resting. This is what gives you that fabulous mane (to match your tiger stripes)
After you've had your baby, the oestrogen sticks around for a little while. At some point, however, it gets bored and decides to evacuate.
Cue hair loss.
This is generally during the first few months of your child's life. Some women don't even notice it, often these ladies didn't notice much of a change to their hair during pregnancy either.
For the rest of us though, it's time to hit the hairdressers. There is no treatment to hold on to your tresses, but a clever bit of camouflage in the form of a new hair colour or shorter style, should see you through until between month 6 and 12, when your hair should start to normalise to its old, pre-pregnancy state.
I'll be heading to the hairdressers tomorrow. Until then, though...has anyone seen my hat?