Postpartum Hair Loss/breakage

the same thing happened to me and the dr said it was actually new hair growth. I know it looks weirtd but it will grow out and look fine soon! :)

E. -

I experienced the same thing. Happened with me until my youngest was 11 or so months old (he's now 16 months). I had the swame thing with my "short bangs" as I called them...they were very annoying, but until they grew out, nothing could be done with them...I used a styling gel to try to get them to blend in with the other longer hair (I don't have bangs). It was a long time until they grew out and became less noticeable, but eventually it happened. Just be patient and use gel as much as you can to hold them back in place. Good luck!!

- K.

I am not a doctor or professional of this subject. However, for most of my life i had trouble with my hair and have witnessed every hair care disaster that one can't even imagine. Having said this, the most disastrous thing one can do with hair problems is use any alcohol-based products, or dye and/or perm their hair. Believe it or not, plain old sage tea grows hair. The smell is very strong and might be offensive to some. However, boiled and stored to reuse by saturating the bald spots will produce more hair without leaving your home. Another tea that grows hair is call linden bracs or tilo.

I had the same thing happen. I feel like I tried everything including a type of Rogaine shampoo that a salon had recommended. 1) The only thing that seemed to make a difference was using Arbonne's shampoo and conditioner. It is formulated to fight the things that cause hair loss/clogged pores. Of course, you are going to "shed" as long as your body needs to no matter what. I just found the shampoo helped it calm down a bit because it is gentle. 2) I would stop coloring your hair until it does settle down. I know the grey can be unnerving (I have it too) but I wouldn't be putting chemicals on my hair when it's falling out and breaking off. Give it a chance to get healthy and then resume. If anything, get it trimmed frequently. I found that really helped as well.

Hi E.,
I had the same thing, most likely these are not hairs that broke off, but more hair that fell out right after birth and is now regrowing. The hairline regrowths are just most bothersome as they are worst to tame. Even if I could tame the ones on top, I always had to bushes of hair sticking out right over my ears, it looked very flattering... :-)
They will grow longer soon and then they will be easier to manage.

It's most likely the new hair coming in. The hairline is the first place you lose it and it is the first place to notice it coming back in.
If you have been noticing the hair loss for 8 months, then it stands to reason this is the new hair coming in....and yes, it can be coarse as hell.
Your body has gone through such a huge change.
All that it had to go through to nurture this new life inside of you and then childbirth....I will tell you it will take 18 to 24 months before you really start to feel and look like yourself again. (depending on your age too...some will recover faster if younger)
It is a slow process and it can get to you on occasion, but hang in there...we all go through it.
I did have my thyroid checked though to make sure that was not out of wack..it was normal.
I also had anemia during and even after the birth b/c of fibroids and heavy periods, so that too has a lot to do with hair, complextion and skin condition.
Why not schedule an appointment with your Dr to make sure your blood values are ok.
Otherwise, hang in there.
Your hair will grow back.

P.

Hi E.,

This happened to me as well and mine were not new growth because my hair does not grow that fast ever. I was worried about it for a long time and they have grown back. Thankfully!

I stopped highlighting my hair and doing any damage that way. I believe that eating healthy and taking vitamins also helped me.

Also, I stopped using Pantene... someone told me that shampoo & conditioner was not good for some reason, so I tried switching to Suave or Tresemme...

I just had my 2nd baby in September and so far I have not experienced the same hair loss that I did with my first baby (girl, 21mos).

Good luck, hang in there & congratulations!
J.

It happened with my son and is now happening with my daughter who is 5 months old!!! It is DEFINITELY new hair that is growing back in!!!! Mine is just starting to grow back......I lost ALOT of hair starting about 3 months after the birth! The hair loss has slowed down a bit....but, just like with my son, the new hair is starting to grow and it is about 1/4 inch long ALL over my head!! I am starting to have little bangs again....but, it doesn't bother me as much as it did with my son(the loss of hair, not the new hair growth) I never realized how much hair i actually lost until it started growing back in!!! Probably close to a third of my hair! So, don't worry much....you will just have a new little hairstyle until it catches up and you don't notice it anymore!! I actually thought mine was kinda cute when it was a couple inches long! :) Take care!!!

Same thing happened to me, and it does stop eventually.

I ended up doing a few things: (i) since foils were used with my hair color treatment, I had them loosened prior to washing so that they weren't pulled out in the sink and potentially ripping more hair, (ii) I had bangs cut to help hide the breakage in front where it was the worst (which also gave my hair some style and body while it was growing back in), and (iii) I used hair products that protected my hair during blow drying and also helped keep the short hairs flat instead of standing up on end!

Good luck. The breakage does stop and your hair will grow back in time.

E.,
I know that losing your hair is the worst! Are you sure that the short hairs near your hairline are not new growth? That's what my hairdresser told me was happening with mine.

R.

I had the same problem after I gave birth to my twins. To this day, my hair is a totally different texture then it used to be. I think those little pieces on top are actually new hair growth as opposed to broken pieces (at least that's what I like to tell myself!) I use a little bit of a hair oil (shine is the name of the product). Just a tiny drop... I rub it in my palms and pat those little pieces down. I now also do keratin treatments, which keeps those short pieces in check.

It's new hair, my hair dresser called it baby hair. It's very annoying...I have a 15 month old and my hair around my hair line in maybe 3 inches long!

Has your doctor tested your thyroid function? It's very common to have thyroid problems after childbirth, and hair loss, dry skin, flaking nails are some of the symptoms of an underactive thyroid.

I had the same exact problem In fact, the breakage was so bad that it looked like I'd cut bangs! I had wispy strands sticking out everywhere...unfortunately I don't have advice other than: get regular trims, cut down on blow-drying, wash and condition every other day, don't pull your hair back in a tight ponytail, [if you do put it up, make sure the elastic or headband is stretchy and cloth covered,] keep taking the pre-natal vitamins (or some kind of multi), eat well (including plenty of good oils like olive and Omega 3s)...maybe look into a deep conditioning treatment at a salon? It will eventually get better--it took about a year for me :-P

The good news is that those hairs are not broken, they are just new. The bad news is you have 1/2 a head full of new hair! It makes for some interesting styling until they are long enough to be normal.

Talk to your stylist about a hair cut that works with them.

Congratulations on the baby!

Sounds like people have already said this but those little hairs around your forehead that look 'broken' are probably new hair growth. I had thin hair to begin with and now 6 months post-partum my hair is PATHETIC! I got it cut above the shoulders to give the illusion of body - long layers also helped to add a little fullness but unless I wash it everyday it looks like total 'wet rat'
B vitamins help (make sure you're not overdo'ing it with vitamins though if you are still nursing/taking prenatals) and hopefully eventually we'll all have our normal heads of hair back!
Oh! Also- Kiehl's shampoo - it's delicate, doesn't lather (takes a little getting used to) and is fantastic.

Good luck.

My daughter is 8 months old and I just colored my hair this morning to cover the gray! I had horrible hair loss for months. It has slowed down a lot. What you are probably seeing is the regrowth rather than breakage. I know my hair sticks up all over my hairline and part where it is regrowing. You actually may want to color more often because my stylist told me coloring does something to help coat the hair and make it lie flatter. I notice a difference already. Just another perk of motherhood :)