Since I can remember, I've been able to style my own hair with relative ease.  

I could manage a flat iron over my strands with precision for a sleek glossy look.  Perfecting curls with the curling iron no problem.  More recently I've been into the beach waver, where a simple clamp along my strands gave me much loved volume. 

However approximately 10 months after my most recent pregnancy I was left with hair that had me baffled. Spikey baby hair regrowth that had no interest in being tamed by any of my go to methods.

It took weeks of practice, a few YouTube videos, and some product trials later to figure out the best ways to tame the wild postpartum re-growth.  My weeks of trial and error is here for your benefit: 

How to style baby hairs as they grow out: 

One of the biggest problems with new baby hair regrowth is they are too short to do much with. You can't clip them up and usually they are too frizzy to just let be natural. Here are some of my best tried and true tips:

Hairspray: 

I'm actually not a person who normally uses hairspray on a daily basis but for the sake of taming baby hairs its one of the most effective products. 

Don't expect to just spray them down though. Using a small tool is key to this application.  I suggest a toothbrush or mascara wand. Spray the applicator brush or wand , and then slide that over the baby hairs.  For extra hold you can spray the baby hairs and then brush them into place.  I even watched a video of a woman using a child's paintbrush to do this with good results.  Basically, most small brushes will do, so use what you have. 

Limit heat styling, use cold air: 

You may have noticed your baby hairs tend to look finer than your normal hair.  Unless you have added biotin or collagen most postpartum regrowth tends to come in thinner than the strands you may be used to. 

You'll want to use heat sparingly when styling these strands and instead if you need to blow dry use the cool setting instead.  Pro-tip: hold the hair against your head with your finger and then use the cool button on your dryer to set in place. 

Use a styling cream or hair oil: 

For someone who typically styled their hair straight, styling creams were a little out of my wheelhouse, but I did find them to be effective when conditioning hair to lay down. 

Like I mentioned above, baby hairs are typically more fragile than your normal strands so you want to ensure you are not damaging them further with any product you apply.  Unless you have extremely thick hard to manage locks, you will want to look for a nourishing cream to set them in place.

For me the living proof no frizz nourishing styling cream worked really well. Moroccan Oil or the OUAI finishing creme were other favorites. 

Accessorize: 

An accessory or two can really be your friend during this awkward growth stage.  Anything from a cute hat to a headband can help keep the baby hairs down and somewhat hidden.  

I must admit I don't think I'd given a headband a second glance since the age of 7, but suddenly they seemed like an easy and stylish alternative to spending time taming my baby hairs every morning. 

I quickly got lost in the world of Lele Sadoughi, and suddenly I was a women who deserved a bejeweled headband, like a crown a top my head.  You can even get ones with a face mask that matches right now.. what a time to be alive honestly. 

Wide brim felt hats are awfully stylish right now, as are fisherman or pageboy caps.  It's kind of the perfect excuse to embrace one of the new trends. 

Grow it faster:

The best tricks and tips never beat the somewhat awkward hair you are struggling with, growing in faster.

For that my best tip is turning to your diet and vitamins. Adding protein to your diet is essential for hair growth, as your hair follicles are made mostly of protein.

Additionally some essential vitamins for hair growth are: Vitamin A, B Vitamins (biotin), Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Iron & Zinc. 

You can look to adding these in the foods you eat or by adding a supplement. 

My favorite for ensuring all these vitamins are taken to promote hair growth in the postpartum period are the Baby Blues postpartum hair vitamin gummies. 

Filled with all of the above vitamins + collagen and more,

I was lucky not to endure the new hair growth phase for too long as my new hair came in much faster while taking these to support faster hair growth. 

 

Hopefully this has provided you with a few tips on how to make it through styling that new growth in the 4th trimester.

Leave us a comment with your best tips so we can keep adding ideas!