Thicker Hair
Now I mentioned this earlier but some of you might be wondering how thicker hair could possibly be a problem; after all, it means increased volume which is a foundation for some voluminous styles that those who worship at the big hair altar can appreciate.
The skinny on thicker hair during pregnancy is this:
More follicles come out of the resting phase (catagen) during pregnancy, resulting in fuller, thicker tresses; so some women enjoy thicker hair with minimal shedding throughout the entire length of the pregnancy.
If you love big hair you might be tempted to mess with your hair a bit more. Especially since during this time sometimes we tend to overcompensate, in that because our body is changing, we try to doll up the hair so we can feel more beautiful rather than ‘fat.’
If you are not a fan of thicker hair you can become impatient and increase breakage – ultimately tearing off the inches you gain- by yanking that hair out through rough handling. You might even be tempted to whip out your heat styling tools more often.
If your hair is thicker than you’d like, perhaps you’ll have to slightly tweak your regimen since the products that worked before might be ineffective now. Perhaps you might need to treat the hair as though you are transitioning, for really, that is what pregnancy is; a transitional period.
The solution is to keep your hair in low manipulation and protective styles. If you like to let your hair breathe full protective styles might not be desirable to you so we suggest a mixture of these; low manipulation styles for those times when you won’t be doing your twists or braids.
If you can’t stand dealing with the thicker hair, take on a staggered protective styling approach. Either way, just remember that if you are into maintaining the health of your hair and retaining length during your pregnancy, you have to continue to observe healthy hair care practices. Unless you are among the fortunate few who retain the thickness postpartum, it will return to normal.
Don’t forget to share your experiences, tell us if you had hair loss during pregnancy and how you dealt with it. Next time we’ll look at the postpartum dilemma as it pertains to hair care, in the meantime live well, and love life.
Eva Filamba says
Wow I never knew people lost hair during pregnancy, mine got thicker n longer
Marsha Buchanan says
@ Eva Filamba
Most persons experience incresed thickness and growth since more follicles come out of the resting phase during pregnancy, but pregnancy can be stressful for some and the stress can manifest through shedding, especially if diet and rest are not on point. For some, it doesn’t help that the hormones at this time are all over the place. For the most part though, rough handling ( which can happen because of impatience with thicker hair) can cause hair to be pulled up from the root or ripped mid-shaft. I think I ripped my hair out quite often (Prior to my hair journey of course), but this time around I have resorted to top buns and loose twists so I’m not risking any dammage. I just leave it alone for the most part.
Tiana Obey says
Mine too.. and it wasn’t the vitamins because I never took them.. lol
Camella Rose Jones says
No
Ifeanyi Henrietta Ofodile-Okoye says
My hair became thicker and longer!
Kimberly Champion says
i lost it a couple months after my 2nd pregnancy. the hair just came out in giant patches. that was the beginning of my natural hair journey though now 6 yrs ago. no more kids for me. they do my body NO good