5 Of The Most Important Things To Do For Healthy Hair After Giving Birth

In preparation for the birth of my second child last year, I set out to find ways to keep the hair I had been growing securely on my scalp.

There was no way I was going to be caught off guard by postpartum shedding; no siree! I wanted to keep as much of the lush growth that came as a result of the pregnancy and I was determined to do so come hell or high water.

So I set out to find the secrets, the gems of information that would help me stave off baldness and what do you know, I could scarcely find enough information. What little I had found I had already shared and I couldn’t find articles or tips that told me “do this for healthy hair after giving birth.”

Well if there are any among you in the same dilemma let’s see about hooking you up to the most important things you need to do for healthy hair after giving birth. Don’t panic it will grow back but how quickly depends on how proactive you are, so:

Eat lots of Fruits and Vegetables

I know you’ve heard countless times how fruits are vital to the proper functioning of the body blah blah yada yada…all of it is true! It’s best that the fruits and vegetables are eaten without too much cooking better yet see about eating them raw.

Make smoothies, juices, salads just make sure you get in all that good stuff and be sure to load up on water. The best way to help the follicles remain strong is to nurture them from within.

For the Love of God Let The Hair Be

We love our hair but sometimes we get a little too touchy feely; stretching that, smoothing this, twisting braiding, combing. Stop! Put your hands away this minute.

If you want to keep as much of it on your head as possible,  it is vital that you refrain from handling it too much. While it might have been the norm for you to re-twist at night, find a protective or low manipulation style that you can leave in for the entire week yet still be able to moisturize.

I recommend loose twists or loose buns. The emphasis is on loose; it is important that you do not put tension on the roots. Right around this time the hormone levels from the pregnancy are starting to fall, rendering the follicles a little weaker as the body tries to put things back into balance.

For this reason regular preening won’t do the hair any good as you are likely to pull out hair prematurely even with gentle pressure since follicles are more likely to give up hair now that the hormones are out of wack.  You may also experience a bit more dryness than usual which can lead to breakage

Retire Your Detangling and Styling Tools For A While

Try to finger detangle exclusively during this time and only when it is absolutely necessary like on your wash day. By using just your hands you will be better able to retain the inches you grew.

Remember that the hair may be a bit more dry to the point where they are brittle and brittle hair and combs or brushes don’t go well together.

Heat styling tools are likely to do more harm than good at this time so rest them for a bit (I believe this tip made a huge difference as I was able to have 100% length retention; I added 6 inches to my hair for the duration of the nine months and kept all of it. I must say that 22 inches isn’t bad for someone with slow growth; never mind that it’s just the middle section).

Do Tea Rinses Before You Even Start Seeing Evidence Of Shedding

No need to wait and see if you are going to lose the hair. If you’ve gone through postpartum shedding before then you’ll already have a good idea that there’s a likelihood of you losing some hair again this trip so get to rinsing.

If this is your first pregnancy, all the more need to get your rinse on before you see any definite signs you are losing hair.Tea rinses are meant to significantly limit hair fall and also to stimulate re-growth when the hair does fall.

Line Up A Good Hair Re-grower or Fertilizer

For those who will experience shedding you will start to notice bald patches within a few weeks of delivery (For me it was two months after).

Whether  you make your own fertilizing balm or you buy a commercialized one, mix it with a carrier oil and massage it in at the site at least three times per week- if not weekly- then seal it with the oil of your choice (My mix included ORS Hair Fertilizer, melted cocoa butter* – food grade type- olive oil*, coconut oil* and castor oil*).

Whip out your rosemary oil*, castor oil*, emu oil* or whatever growth stimulating oils you choose. If all goes well you should have a noticeable fuzz at the site signifying regrowth within three weeks of doing the massages.

I hope these tips help and even if you aren’t the one facing this issue, float it over to a friend who is. If you know of any other helpful tips for keeping your hair healthy in the midst of postpartum shedding, do share them with us in the comments down below.