Pregnancy and Hair

One of the things that I was raised believing was that women get beautiful hair during pregnancy - it's shiny, grows quick, blah, blah, blah.  Now that I've completed one pregnancy and I'm 34 weeks through my second, it's time to talk about what actually changes in your hair during pregnancy.

Hair Growth and Hair Rest

The first thing to accept is that we all shed hair every single day of our lives - No, it isn't a sign you're going bald.  It's just a natural process of hair growth.  There is a typical pattern to this shedding, which is a ratio of growing hair and "resting" hair - this resting hair is the hair that is getting ready to shed and fall out.  Not all people are the same, obviously, but a rule of thumb is that most women of childbearing age have roughly 5 to 15 percent of their hair in the "resting" stage at any given time.

Pregnancy hormones can alter the ratio of growing/resting hair to cause much less shedding, which leads to the impression of thicker, fuller hair.  So simply put, your hair hasn't actually gotten thicker - it just isn't falling out as fast.  This changes again postpartum, where many women see an increase in hair shedding due to hormonal shifts back to your normal, non-pregnant self.

Excessive Shedding?  Texture change?  Facial hair??

That's not to say that all women are the same, however - Excessively shedding hair is sometimes a symptom of pregnancy, as well as changes in the texture of your hair.  Again, this is all connected to the hormonal changes occurring in your body.

One not-so-fun change in hair growth that some women experience during pregnancy is unwanted hair growth - such as on the face (thanks to lovely little hormones called androgens).  If you fall victim to this unpleasant pregnancy symptom, good old-fashioned hair removal may be your best best.  Temporary solutions like waxing can get you through your pregnancy until your hormone levels go back to normal.

Pregnancy & Hair Care 

So what can you do to make your hair as healthy as possible during pregnancy?  First, take your prenatal vitamin!  Many of the essential vitamins and minerals important to healthy hair are already in your prenatal - things like iron, zinc, vitamin D, and B complex vitamins.  Second, be sure you're using shampoos and conditioners that are moisturizing and renewing for your hair.

Several natural products exist that are extremely healthy for your hair at any point in your life, but especially important during pregnancy due to their restorative effects.   Coconut oil, jojoba oil, aloe vera, shea butter, and avocado oil - used organically or as primary ingredients in shampoos, hair treatments, etc - can increase moisture in your hair follicle and aid in preventing hair loss.

Hair care ingredients to look out for: Parabens are a no-no!  These are cheap preservatives that are sometimes put in beauty and hair care products to prevent bacterial growth and increase shelf life.  These just aren't good for you, period, end of story.  Many companies now make paraben-free products, so find those alternatives.  Sodium lauryl sulfate is another no-no (potentially causes birth defects), as well as phthalates (endocrine disruptors)

Coloring Your Hair

This is a controversial subject - some people would say absolutely do NOT color your hair during pregnancy.  Others would say that nothing's wrong with it.  Officially?  The Organization of Teratology Information Services (OTIS) has stated that we absorb so little of the chemical components of hair dye that you're likely okay to dye your hair while pregnant.  In a nutshell?  No studies have proven that hair color causes birth defects.