THE HAIR LOSS IS REAL!

So I have been on such a rollercoaster of a hair journey throughout my whole pregnancy and into motherhood! I am still going through one now! And I'm not talking just about hairstyles, I'm talking about horrific hormones and now the dreaded postpartum hair loss has kicked in! It's not something I've really spoken about till now. I've just been keeping my feelings and worries cooped up to myself,  which I know is not healthy! So here it is...

I have always felt really protective over my hair. When I was younger, I always dreaded going to the salon as I had such bad trust issues with hairdressers! They honestly used to scare me! I think also, having good hair is so important for me personally because, if you have a spot on your face, all you need is a bit of makeup and its covered up no problem! Bad hair day though.. and there is NO hiding! Plus, if you're dealing with a spot on your face, you want good hair to balance/counteract the spot.. You know what I mean ladies??!

Throughout my pregnancy I struggled so badly with dandruff, as soon as I hit the second trimester I was cursed with looking like I'd just been outside and it was snowing! (URGH!) I never had a flakey or sore scalp, just out of nowhere was this constant supply of dandruff! I felt so so miserable.. not only did my hair look crap, but I also had awful pregnancy acne (talk about bad luck!) Just give me one or the other?! Not both?! I just wanted to walk around with a paper bag on my head and cry!

After many many product trials, I finally found a combination that kept the dandruff at bay! I would first wash my hair with Neutrogena's T-Gel shampoo for sensitive scalp and then I would wash my hair again with The Little Goat Soap Company shampoo bar. This shampoo bar is actually designed to help with eczema of the scalp, but it totally did the job with my dandruff! I couldn't use ANY other products on my hair other than these two, and conditioners definitely didn't agree with me!

As soon as I gave birth, I had this incredible mane of glossy and dandruff free hair!! (OMG IT WAS AMAZING!) Okay, somedays my hair was slightly greasy due to Maddie being a newborn and me not having a lot of time.. but at least it was flake free! Or so I thought... At 12 weeks postpartum, I started to notice the dreaded dandruff coming back! I was so unbelievably frustrated! I had NEVER had a problem with dandruff my whole life, so now I'd given birth.. why the hell was I having problems again?! I thought those hormones had gone once I'd given birth?

Little did I realise.. This was the start/lead up to the dreaded postpartum hair loss..

I used to joke and say, "I know why women get postpartum hair loss, because the babies pull it out!" (at that point Maddie was 10 weeks old and started to pull and grab everything in her sight including my hair!) Inside however, I could feel my stomach tightening at the thought of loosing my hair. That protectiveness over my hair started creeping back inside of me. From 15 weeks postpartum to now, I have noticed more and more of my hair falling out. When I brush, wash, blow-dry, curl, or even run my fingers through my hair! Plus there's a little cheeky madam that also likes to pull my hair out - thanks Maddison! I have this constant stream of hair falling out all over the place! It really is deflating to see, because there's not a lot I can do other than condition and protect my hair with masks etc! I am lucky however that I have seriously thick hair (and a lot of it), so it's not noticeable. But mentally it's horrible to go through! I recently did treat myself to a colour change of my hair and had a full head Balayage done at Micheal John salon in Knightsbridge by the amazing Despina! It has made me feel more confident and better about the whole hair loss situation, and it was a change I felt happy with because no dye was applied to my actual scalp in the technique.

I believe hair is such an important part of your identity, for men and women! There are so many styles and colours you can have that these days to make you feel like you. So the thought of loosing part of your identity, something that makes you you, is just heartbreaking! I can't even imagine what it's like loosing ALL your hair through something traumatic like chemotherapy..

As hard and as deflating as it is to go through, stay strong mama's! I know seeing clumps of your hair fall onto the fall makes you want to cry (I've been there), but the good thing about hair is it WILL GROW BACK! Normally between 85%-95% of the hair on your head is actively growing! (Click here to read more about Postpartum Hair Loss from BabyCentre.com) And it's not like we are going through this for a negative reason.. What's a bit of hair loss when we have a beautiful baby in front of us?! Hell, I'd definitely take hair loss any day for my Maddie!! (Despite being an overly protective hair freak!)

I'm currently still going through the loss, so no idea when it'll calm down and stop! I'm hoping it'll be soon! I've read that women can experience it between 3-6 months, but that it should all go back to normal by 1 year postpartum! Anyone further ahead of me that has come out the other side of postpartum hair loss? I'd love to know!!

But like I said, remember ladies, it's worth it for our babies!! I have to tell myself that every whenever I'm feeling low about it!! Feel free to share your experiences below or contact me via the social page! Lots of Love x