Postpartum Shedding

Right off the bat let me start by acknowledging the fact that I’ve been MIA for a long while, a VERY long while! A lot has happened in the past year, including my husband and I being blessed with a precious baby girl. Life has gotten so much fuller, richer, busier… but I can spare a moment to say “Sup?” and catch up a little.

I hope you have been well and your tresses are flourishing. If not, hau soldier, what’s up??? But I get it, the struggle is real yo!

I had postpartum shedding. It is something I had heard of and read up on, so I was expecting it.  When I started noticing the shedding I wasn’t too bothered. Ok, just a lil’ teeny bit. Phela one day you have a nice full head of hair and the next, your hairline is staring at you in the face! For someone who doesn’t know what I’m going on about (I got you, Son!), postpartum shedding is hair loss after pregnancy, it happens between three and six months after a mother gives birth. It is totally normal; it has to do with the hair cycle (which I’ve referred to in a previous post) and pregnancy hormones. These hormones halt the shedding part of the hair cycle (the 100 strands per day) during pregnancy, then drops the hair like a hot potato after pregnancy when things go back to normal. Yikes!

I noticed shedding around my edges (deep sigh). Besides the postpartum shedding, I haven’t had the strongest edges anyway. Here’s what I’ve been doing to encourage thicker hair growth:

• Daily moisturising with water and a leave-in conditioner.
• Gently massaging edges (promotes blood circulation which stimulates growth) with a tiny bit of  Jamaican black castor oil – after the water and leave-in conditioner.
• Ensuring my satin doek is not tied directly on my edges but on my forehead when I sleep – no added stress needed on my edges. (Also, a satin or silk doek  is better than cotton for moisture retention)
• Not doing styles that pull on the edges. Miss me with the cornrows, etc! A loose bun is my go-to, even with that I’ll still section off by the edges and loosely flat twist towards my ears.
• Taking care of the inside, i.e. eating well. Pretty obvious, akere?  … for overall health of the hair.
• Continuing to take my prenatal vitamins.
• Exercising patience!

This doesn’t stop the shedding but will sure reduce unnecessary breakage, and aid in nourishing the new growth! If you are going through this yourself, keep calm and be gentle with your hair, and by the time your little one turns a year old, your hair should (hopefully) have fully recovered!

Postpartum shedding or not, incorporating some of the tips in your hair regimen may help restore your hairline if you too are experiencing some trouble there!