The Postpartum Hair Mistakes We All Make! What not to do!

Consider this your postpartum hair "what not to do list" :

I wish my older sister had given birth first so I would have had a road map of what happens postpartum; and what not to do. 

Luckily; I'm playing big sis for you; so avoid these super common mistakes and hopefully you can save some strands in the process! 

 

1. The Mom-Bun/Too Tight Hairstyles 

The go-to mom hairstyles are some of the worst for shedding/thinning strands. 

Tying your hair up repeatedly and too tight is just really really bad for your hair. 

In fact, most go-to mom styles cause tension in the hair follicles that lead to breakage & hair loss.

Notice your hairline receding or your edges thinning? This can be a tell-tale sign of tension hair loss. 

Using tight hair bands or positioning hair tightly with clips is a bad idea, opt instead for a low bun with a 100% silk scrunchie.  This is a gentler approach and allows your hair to retain thickness. 

 

2. Sleeping on a Cotton Pillowcase

One of the biggest game-changers for me in my mid-30's was switching from a cotton pillowcase to a silk one. 

Waking up to strands or breakage on your pillowcase?

Cotton texture and fabric is rough on your hair.  

Switching to a silk pillowcase ensures less friction occurs between the pillowcase and your tresses.  

Less damage to your hair when sleeping means less breakage and tangling. 

  

3. Your Hairbrush

The postpartum brushing scaries will be amplified by brushing with a poor quality hairbrush. 

If you are using a poor quality brush the likelihood of it snagging and catching your hair increases.

What to look for in a brush? Look for quality bristles (a girl can dream of a Mason Pearson); but I'm with you, over $100+ on a brush might be out of budget right now so look for options that include detangling bristles.

Some options around $20: The Dry Bar Lemon Detangling Brush, the Tangle Teezer, or the Dae detangle and style brush

Remember when brushing start from the bottom and work your way up. 

 

4. Not Taking Your Vitamins: 

So you gave birth and things got a little hectic.  Your coffee is cold, your sleep is haphazard, and self-care is a distant memory.  

One of the biggest mistakes new moms make is to stop taking their vitamins. 

Not only are your basic vitamins important like keeping up your prenatal/postnatal.or multi; but adding a vitamin specifically for hair and scalp health is incredibly important! 

Shared nutrients with the baby, recovery from delivery, fluctuating hormones, less sleep, and extra stressors that come with being a new mom; are reasons the body needs extra vitamin intake.   

Adding a vitamin with biotin and collagen for the hair and scalp ensures hair follicles are supported during this recovery period.

Remember in the postpartum period the body goes through so much, and this can create inflammation that depletes your average vitamin intake ; that say a postnatal would normally cover with sufficiency.  

Adding a postpartum hair vitamin like the baby blues maximum strength gummies with biotin and collagen ensures hair and the scalp is also supported.

Hair growth, health, and shine can be achieved with consistent intake of an extra hair boosting supplement. 

 

Playing With Your Hair/ Grabby Baby Hands: 

When my hair was falling out after my first son, I remember constantly running my hands through my hair; or touching my hair. 

I would fiddle with it looking for loose strands, or absent-mindedly check the weaning fullness of my locks.

My stylist stressed that I needed to ditch this habit.  Playing with my hair and pulling/rubbing it was causing additional friction and tension.

Couple that with a baby who thinks your hair is their favorite play toy and you start to see how this negatively impacts your already shedding postpartum hair.

As much as you can unravel those grippy hands away from your strands; and be conscious of how much you are playing with your own hair.  

 

Postpartum Extreme Dieting/ An Overly Restrictive Diet:  

You really do have to "feed your hair." 

A diet full of protein, iron, and healthy fats like salmon, mackerel, avocados, cashews, eggs, tuna, soy beans, and tofu etc, really give hair that healthy growth, luster, and thickness.

Unfortunately postpartum hair loss occurs during a time when many women are trying weight loss fads or overly restrictive diets to shed the lbs gained during pregnancy. 

Exercise, coupled with lots of water, and healthy food that fuels is going to be best.  

I know this can be tough and I've been through it myself, twice. 

In order to lose the weight in a healthy manner that won't further impact hair loss you do want to ensure you are getting enough hair healthy nutrients and not inhibiting growth with restrictive dieting. 

Restrictive dieting can cause further hair loss, breakage, dryness & overall weakening of the strands at a time when you want the exact opposite.

 

Have some other postpartum hair Don't's ? Let us know in the comments!