How to Deal with Postpartum Hair Loss and Restore Hair Growth

Pregnancy is that time of a woman’s life when her hormones undergo a dramatic change. The estrogen, progesterone, oxytocin, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), and prolactin rise. The blood volume also rises to as much as 50% than normal by the due date. 

As soon as you deliver, many of your hormone levels come down quickly in a span of 24 hours post-child-birth, including estrogen and progesterone. But, prolactin will stay high as long as you are breastfeeding.

How can pregnancy affect your hair? 

Hormonal changes are the main reason why your hair changes and you suffer from postpartum hair loss.

You are bearing the child, high levels of estrogen coupled with increased blood volume and circulation, causes your hair to fall out less than normal. So post-delivery, your hair makes up by falling out in bigger clumps than what it would normally have. The total volume of hair that you lose is just what you must have lost over the last nine months. The postpartum hair loss might go as long as a year, but that doesn’t mean it is time to panic. 

How can you prevent postpartum hair loss? 

Though there isn’t much about postpartum hair loss that you must be worried about, following a healthy lifestyle can be your best bet to not cause any further damage than what you are estimating. 

Exercise regularly may be light to moderate, or as is comfortable. Exercising enough can increase your blood supply, hence boost your hair health. 

Having a good diet. Your diet is the most crucial thing that you must very mindfully, take care of during and after pregnancy. 

Visit a doctor. Taking postpartum supplements can also help you prevent postpartum hair loss. But, this should be done only under professional supervision. 

How can you stop postpartum hair loss? 

• Reduce stress. 

Stress can make your hormones haywired. When you are trying to recover from the already existing hormonal imbalances, try to keep stress at bay. Try to indulge in things that make you happy, and at peace. Talk to your loved ones and include meditation, in the morning or at night. If you stress out, it will have a negative impact on the health of your hair. 

• Eat a nutrient-dense diet.  

A healthy diet can really help you in reducing hair fall and maintaining good overall health. Include iron and protein-rich foods like ragi, cumin, soy, nuts and seeds, jaggery, whole grains and legumes. Apart from this, include berries, sweet potatoes, fatty fish, green leafy vegetables, eggs, and local and seasonal fruits and vegetables. You can also include pearl barley, which is also typically good for managing postpartum hair loss. 

• Skip the heat.

Blow-drying or styling your hair can do irreversible damage to your hair. So, they are best avoided. Prefer natural air to dry your hair and keep its styling minimal. As heat can increase the amount of hair loss that you are having, and can also affect the quality of your hair. 

• Use DIYs.
• Fenugreek is the best to treat your postpartum hair loss. All that you need to do is, soak some fenugreek overnight and empty the soaked water in a spray bottle to spray evenly on your scalp. Massage it’s way inside and leave it for about 20-30 minutes. You can alternatively, make a paste of the seeds and apply.

• Curd is the easiest and the safest way to strengthen your hair and prevent them from falling. Just apply plain curd on your hair, massage it and leave it for 15-20 minutes before you rinse. 

• Coconut milk can also make your hair strong and manageable.

Over to you.

Postpartum hair loss is not something to worry about a lot. Just keep it as minimal as you can, use a good quality, chemical-free shampoo, oil and massage your hair, eat a healthy diet, take supplements asking your doctor, keep your well-hydrated, and exercise. Along with all these, pamper your hair 2-3 times a week with DIYs to reverse the hair loss.