Help! My Hair is Falling Out!

The third child in and I am no longer afraid that I am going to go bald postpartum.  I can't say the same for my postpartum with the older two.  We hear that hormones play a part in obtaining thick and long hair during pregnancy, but that it will all fall out come postpartum.  Hair (and nails) are considered fast-generating cells, but hair is not exactly fast-growing/fast-generating in pregnancy if you consider that its growth and generation is through cycles.  If you want to read of these cycles, you can do so by clicking here.  The hair is thicker because it is not being shed.  So, in fact, its growth cycle is not generating fast because parts of the cycle are missing.  This is not to confuse each individual's rate of strand growth -- some people have hair that grows faster than others, which is controlled by certain hormones not exclusive to maintaining pregnancy.  The hormones that are needed in pregnancy also have a job in the fast-generating cycle of hair.  Hair doesn't normally grow through a follicle that is already taken up.  If hair doesn't leave the follicle (like in pregnancy) it won't cycle new hair growth.  The fast-turning for fast-growing cycle is missing parts for other temporary, and more important, reasons controlled by hormones.  In pregnancy, the body naturally and charitably trades the balance of hormones needed for self's fast-generating cells into a balance to fast-grow a baby.  When that process is complete, as true to the laws of weights and balance tuning with homeostasis, the body requires all that was borrowed to be repayed.  Hence, the postpartum shedding of your hair is the extremity of the fast-growing cycle of these cells, as the body's hormones teeter to the other end and finally balance.  What you see is hair that goes through the cycle faster than normal, to make up for the lack of cycle it had in pregnancy.  Of course this means fast shedding, as shedding is part of the cycle.

With the first two, I tried many things to slow the cycle down a bit.  This time around I've kept it simple.  I take solace in the fact that for every strand that falls out of the follicle, there should be a new hair in its place.  You are not going to go bald.  It's just that more hair strands than normal are going through the cycle faster than normal because scarcely any strands went through the cycle in the months prior.  A couple of things to remember:

Don't get a perm.  I thought it would make my hair look thicker.  However, common sense tells anyone that chemicals only aid in killing.  

No need for Nioxin.  I tried this with the first two.  It does aim to manipulate the growth a bit, but it is still filled with chemicals.  You can use other topicals that are cheaper.  

Do keep the follicles clean.  This means actually cleaning your hair.  I know, I know -- handling it in water makes you nervous because of all the strands that fall out.  Raw apple cider vinegar scalp rubs also will do the trick to clean clogged follicles.  

Do brush your hair.  This alone needs a balance.  You don't want to tug unnecessarily, which will agitate hair loss.  At the same time, you don't want dreadlocks.  I brush once a day with a bristle brush.  The bristles will help transfer the natural oil that sits on the scalp down to the strands for protection against the elements.  These brushses will also help remove points of breakage and split ends.  

Do promote scalp circulation.  One method of Nioxin's formula is to promote circulation, which promotes fast growth.  Without the cost and chemicals, you can achieve this effect through some essential oils.  Good ones are peppermint and rosemary.  Lavendar is great for relaxation -- it has had reports of being a good hair oil, possibly urging the fast cycle's shedding to relax a bit.  I also use coconut oil once a week for general hair health.

Don't strip the hair.  I did this with getting highlights soon after Amira -- bleach will strip, as we know.  This is more often accomplished in our daily shampooing, and also with the type of shampoo we use. Though you want to keep the follicles clean of build-up, you do need the oils for protection of the strands.  Again, there must be a balance.  I let water touch my hair every other day, sometimes a day extra.  I also don't use a sulfate shampoo, unless it is a coconut sulfate.  Simply put, sulfate is a degreaser.  It's that stuff that makes Dawn dishsoap a miracle worker on your pots and pans; but Dawn also makes your hands need lotion.  Sulfates strip...a little too well.

As with all things we aim to fix, the best fights are internal.  The B-vitamins in your prenatals are almost all of the help your body is going to allow.  This is because this isn't a fight.  Postpartum isn't chemo.  It is simply just the body's way of balance and cycles.