How Long Does Postpartum Hair Loss Last?

The birth of a child is one of the most beautiful experiences in all of humanity. Although child birth can be very painful, and I mean very painful, it is a miraculous experience. So when you discover that you’re going to bring a beautiful baby into this world, you would probably never think of experiencing postpartum hair loss. However, women across the world are suffering from this very normal but alarming condition. So I am going to talk about the #1 question that I get from new mothers about their hair: how long does postpartum hair loss last?

But please know that I have given birth to two beautiful children and I experienced postpartum hair loss both times. This is how I felt after looking in the mirror at my postpartum hair loss for the second time:

So, if you feel this way, know that you are not alone. 

Why does postpartum hair loss happen?

It is important for you to understand why your hair sheds after giving birth. To answer the question of when does postpartum hair loss stop, you must first understand the 4 stages of hair growth. To save time, I will briefly explain. The active or growing phase of a strand of hair is called anagen and it determines the length of your hair. After a period of time, the hair follicle enters a transition phase called catagen before entering its resting phase.  After the transition phase the hair goes into telogen, which is the resting phase  of hair growth. Next, after telegen is the exogen  phase, which is when shedding occurs and then the process starts all over again.

Typically, around 85-95% of your hair is in the growth phase at any point in time, but the hormonal changes during pregnancy stimulate an increase in the percentage of hairs in the growth phase. This is why when you’re pregnant your hair appears to be thicker and fuller and you tend to experience less shedding.  However, after giving birth you experience and increase in hormonal changes and more hair follicles than normal enter the resting phase. Since the resting phase is followed by hair shedding and regrowth, new mothers can often experience greater than normal hair loss once the resting phase ends.  This is why post partum hair loss can be such a shock, due to the number of hairs falling out at once.

How long does postpartum hair loss last?

If you’re anything like me, you just want to look in the mirror at your hair loss and say:

Most women begin to notice hair loss around three months after birth. The amount of time between childbirth and the start of postpartum shedding corresponds to the length of the resting phase of hair growth, which is usually between 1 to 6 months. This however, typically occurs on an average of  3 months. Your hair loss can appear more severe if your hair grew a lot during your pregnancy or if you have longer hair. However, the good news is that most women will return to their usual hair growth cycle within 6 months, or at the latest, between 6 and 12 months after birth.

What Can I do about postpartum hair loss?

Here are a few tips about managing this difficult process.

1. You may find that modifying your hair care routine can help stop further hair loss. Try using a product that promotes hair growth and moisturizes your scalp.
2. Practice more heatless styling methods to avoid further damage that excessive heat can cause. 
3. Wear tension free hair styles that give your hair line (a common place for excessive postpartum shedding) a break.

If you’re suffering from postpartum hair loss and you are looking for a trusted product that can help you with getting back to full, healthy, and flourishing hair, then try our Voice of Hair PureFix Elixir. The PureFix Hair Elixir is a 6-in-1 hair and scalp treatment that works together to support longer, stronger and moisturized hair. This is what Robyn used, but please know there are no quick fixes. She used the VoiceOfHair PureFix Elixir for over three months. So, the key to using any natural hair care product are patience and consistency!

Key Takeaways

Here are a few key takeaways just in case you’re in a hurry.

1. The birth of a child is one of the most beautiful experiences in all of humanity.
2. After child birth women typically experience postpartum hair loss.
3. To answer the question of how long does postpartum hair loss last, you must first understand the 4 stages of hair growth. 
4. You may experience hair loss for between 1 to 6 months but things should start to improve after that.
5. The VoiceOfHair PureFix Elixir is a 6-in-1 hair and scalp treatment for stronger and moisturized hair.

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Brandelyn Green

Brandelyn Green is the Founder of VoiceOfHair, a platform to help women of color find the best hair care products, regimens and hairstyles! Since starting VoiceOfHair in 2014 she has grown the social media platform to over 1MM+ on Instagram and Facebook. As a natural who is also a salon goer, she wanted to create a platform where people could find the best products, hairstylists, advice and trends.

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