"Try putting some breastmilk on his skin."
This is what was suggested to me when I gave birth to a beautiful boy; who from the get-go suffered from pretty severe eczema.
"Try pour some in his bath.. put it on your face, put it on his face." etc etc.
Some went as far as to tell me it is the BEST skincare ingredient.
Most recently I've seen a few Youtube videos and articles claiming it can be used on the scalp to stimulate hair growth.
So, should we all be praying for over supply do do some DIY home hair treatments?
Benefits of Breastmilk:
Breastmilk has long been acknowledged for the astounding benefits it provides for baby, but what about for Mom?
Breastmilk is a source of antibacterial properties, which have for some time been recommended to treat skin problems that develop postpartum.
These issues usually involve lactation and breastfeeding (nipples, areola area becomes cracked and dry etc & it can offer some relief).
More recently, the lauric acid found in breastmilk, has been studied and seen to treat acne and relief inflammatory skin conditions. With an absolutely simple application of just applying to the affected area and letting it dry you can achieve noticeable results in just one use according to many users!
There's also many moms that use breastmilk to treat cradle cap. Cradle cap is often an overgrowth of yeast in the babies skin. It looks like scaly greasy patches or skin flakes.
Moms in several cultures apply breastmilk to the baby's scalp to help diminish cradle cap and get hair growing again, in-spite of doctors telling most there is little to do to remedy the issue.
Ok. So if breastmilk can help alleviate the scalp conditions on baby and promote healthy hair growth again, could it work for mom?
Breastmilk for Postpartum Hair Growth?
With each postpartum (2 to be exact), I went through this period where my normally non oily strands would get really oily on the top and dry on the bottom.
It wouldn't matter what clarifying shampoo I used - the hormones really would do a number on me and completely disrupt my scalp sebum regulation.
I was left with hair that was just oily on top and dry on the bottom and me... well I was really overall frustrated with how rude my hair was being when I already wasn't really feeling myself.
Insert a spa I recently spoke to who claims breastmilk is "the best natural conditioner"
"It contains the appropriate amounts of protein and fat to condition your hair and reduce frizz," they said.
"It also packs essential vitamins and minerals that help combat dry hair. You can fill a spray bottle with breastmilk and spray your locks thoroughly form the sclap down- wait 15-20 and proceed with your normal hair washing routine."
With almost 40k subscribers, @suvisjournalism is showing in videos her using breastmilk in conjunction with her derma stamp on areas that have noticeably thinned and receded to help regrow some of the lost hair during the postpartum period while she is breastfeeding.
Her approach? Literally derma-stamping, and then pouring breastmilk out of a cup, into her hand and pressing it on her scalp.
According to her update two weeks after trying, she does believe she is seeing improvement and in her words "it's cheaper than prp injections."
In 2023 during India's version of the shark-tank, Dr. Pretty Maggo, a doctor from India shared breastmilk jewelry which was mocked by investors.
Since then Dr. Maggo has spoken about a treatment that was developed utilizing the benefits of breastmilk. Dr. Maggo claims the product has proven effective and beneficial for those with hair loss or damaged hair.
"Breastmilk is a rich source of antibodies, enzymes, and other essential nutrients that can nourish scalp and hair," Dr. Maggo stated.
She further endorsed the use of breastmilk being applied to the scalp and left for a certain amount of time before being rinsed off, to promote hair growth and the overall health of the hair.
I admit I'm disappointed to see there isn't a ton of other information out there in regards to applying breastmilk to the scalp to promote postpartum hair growth outside of a some personal youtube videos and a few tik toks. Would you try it?
For now I'm sticking to my postpartum hair vitamins; but I'm keeping my eye on this one.
Let us know in the comments if its something you've tried or will be trying!
