I am freaking out! Here is what happened.
I hopped in the shower the other day to do my regular co-wash and in shower styling routine I have grown to love. Everything was going fine. I just got a new Organix brand conditioner in the Nourishing Coconut Milk formula and was detangling my hair with my in-shower comb, when I noticed it. As I was combing through my hair large amounts of it was staying in the comb. I mean LOTS of it. I continued to comb through my hair (more gently) hoping it was just a one time thing, but it wasn’t. Large clumps of my beautiful curls were either in my comb or on the floor of the bathtub.
I was horrified! Immediately I thought, a) I’m going bald… b) I can no longer be a natural hair blogger. Who wants to listen to someone who’s fro is shrinking instead of growing… and c) (the hypochondriac in me thought) what disease is this that is causing my hair to fall out so rapidly?!?!?!?
Before I ended up having a panic attack, I stopped combing and rinsed my hair out. Instead of driving myself crazy over it, I decided not to worry about it and chalked it up to a one time thing, brought on by my refusal to do long-term protective styling.
But the next day as I was finger fluffing my hair upon waking up, hair was coming out AGAIN L!!! I was mortified.
Next day same thing! And by then I was really freaking out. I mean, my hair is literally all over the house. It’s all over the baby, the sink, the floors, the shower, EVERYWHERE!!! And just when I was about to burst into tears I remember something I read while pregnant about hair loss post partum.
Then the light bulb went off and I was able to relax (a little). I logged onto my favorite parenting website http://www.babycenter.com and typed in postpartum hair loss… and I was saved!
Turns out that what I am experiencing is not related to me taking poor care of my hair (or body for that matter) but just a side effect of having Shea Baby! Here’s what I learned.
“Normally, about 85 to 95 percent of the hair on your head is growing and the other 5 to 15 percent is in a resting stage. After the resting period, this hair falls out — often while you're brushing or shampooing it — and is replaced by new growth. An average woman sheds about 100 hairs a day.
During pregnancy, increased levels of estrogen prolong the growing stage. There are fewer hairs in the resting stage and fewer falling out each day, so you have thicker, more luxuriant tresses.
After you give birth, your estrogen levels take a tumble and a lot more hair follicles enter the resting stage. Soon you'll have more hair coming out in the shower or on the brush. This unusual shedding will taper off and your hair will be back to its pre-pregnancy thickness about six to 12 months after you give birth.”
Whew! What a load off! I am so glad to know that my hair is not rebelling against me. And although I am happy to know my hair loss is normal, it still sucks. I’m afraid to touch my hair now, for fear of how much hair is going to be on my hands when I’m done.
Being a woman is a tough job!
After you had your children did you experience this? Or were you lucky enough to walk away with all of your hair still in tact? And for those of you who have yet to have children, consider yourself warned. This is one of the things (out of MANY) that no one ever talks about when they discuss having babies.
Thanks for reading!!
~Sunshine
8 comments:
oh huney--i shoulda told you that you were going to experience that----i went through it also--it will grow back, i promise--get some rest and relax and enjoy shea baby!
I don't have any kids, but I read a thread on one of my natural blogs a while back where many of the women mentioned that they experienced hair loss after giving birth. It's definitely normal.
I don't have kids, but I recently stopped taking birth control and my hair is shedding like crazy! My former hair dresser told me that it's due to the decrease in hormones (estrogen), which is similar to what you said above.
Dagnabit! I didn't know that! My husband and I are considering haveing our 1st baby soon. I've always heard that you hair grows when you're pregnant! There's a WHOLE lot of things they don't tell you! Sometimes I hate being a woman.
I have a 14 month old and hair loss is VERY normal. To be honest with you, my hair is just now stabilizing. Epidurals and other medications that you receive after birth also can make your hair come out in clumps. Hang in there, it'll get better!
This very experience is what prompted me to go natural.. My dermatologist warned me of post partum hair loss and advised against continuing to relax while I was experiencing the hair loss. It's been 2 yrs and I haven't looked back.
nope i did have nay hair loss after my son! guess i was a lucky one
The exact same scenario happened to me 4 months post partum, right down to looking it up on baby center! When my son was 4 months it began and lasted a few weeks, afterwards my edges were so thin, it looked like I had traction alopecia or something. Now that my son is over a year old, my edges are back thickened up but they are significantly shorter than the rest of my hair. Like 3 inches compared to 12 inches
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