Post-pregnancy can be such a beautiful yet stressful time. With your newborn baby taking up every second of the day (and night), it gives you zero time to deal with the changes happening to your hair and body. Often due to the huge fluctuation of your hormones and the initial stress of the newborn, you can experience postpartum hair loss. Many women will see thinning of their hair, but some can experience significant hair loss. This is mostly down to hormones.

During your pregnancy, your Estrogen and progesterone levels will increase drastically. Estrogen, is a key hormone for your hair health. When it skyrockets, typically during your second trimester, most women experience their hair becoming thicker, growing faster and becoming stronger, this is because Estrogen effects the underlying growth pattern of our hair. The excess of Estrogen encourages the hair to stay in the growth phase of our hair cycle which leads to more hair growth and less hair shedding, thus leading to added thickness.

However, post pregnancy, your Estrogen levels drop to pre pregnancy state, but your cortisol (stress hormone) will stay high, leading to a complete hormone imbalance. This hormonal imbalance can cause your hair to remain in the shedding phase of the hair cycle for longer. The polar opposite to during pregnancy. Naturally because of this you can expect to lose hair. For some women the loss is quite drastic.

Here are our top tips for protecting your hair postpartum.

1. Minimise stress
Easier said than done, we know. But stress can cause further imbalances to your hormones which can do more to your body than just hair loss. Try taking 10 minutes a day to sit a meditate. By reducing stress, you will decrease the Cortisol hormone.

2. Take post-partum vitamins
This is the easiest step in prevent hair loss which doesn’t require much action. Simply invest in some new mum hair vitamins that will provide your body with all the essential vitamins and minerals to prevent that post-partum hair loss. We recommend our very own New Mum Vitamins that contain: Biotin, B Vitamins and Folic Acid. All the essential ingredients for maintenance of healthy hair growth whilst pregnant or breastfeeding. The vitamins work to visibly improves fine or thinning hair, prevents breakage and encourages stubborn hair to grow. They are also scientifically formulated and safely measured and are suitable for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding

3. Be gentle with your hair
Time is so sacred once you’ve got a newborn and any second spare with ether spent with the baby or trying to catch up on sleep, so we understand hair care isn’t your priority. When you do, try and avoid brushing your hair when it’s wet or pulling it away from your face with tight hairstyles. Swap to wide tooth combs and silk scrunchies. That way you can focus on your newborn rather than worrying about your hair!