Let's Talk Hair Loss Due To Pregnancy

Hair Loss for anyone is never any fun. But hair loss while your pregnant is extremely bothersome and depressing. Every one believes that when you are pregnant your hair grows a lot, which actually isn't truth. Your hair enters into what doctors call a "resting phase" which leads you to believe your hair is truly growing. Simply put, about 10% of your hair stops shedding as often as your hair normally sheds, when not pregnant, on a daily basis. Your hair should shed about 100 strands per day. But during pregnancy the shedding phase happens maybe once every 3 to 4 months.  This is however not true for all pregnant women, but for the majority of pregnant women this is a pretty normal occurrence.

In my case (and many other women for that matter) my hair continually fell out during my pregnancy. And to make matters worse I started balding on the sides of my temples. Trust me it's not attractive at all. And before anyone ask, no I didn't wear any weaves or tight braids to cause the hair to break or fall out from trauma. I was concerned about my hair so I turned to my OB and my Internal Meds doctor for help. My Internal Meds doctor suggested seeing a Dermatologist (which I had been seeing for face issues already lucky me) and my OB order blood work for me. Well the dermatologist (who I saw before my OB ordered blood work for me) suggested that maybe my Iron levels were low and could cause hair to fall out and become thin.

The OB doctor soon came to the same conclusion and both doctors ordered blood work and that is exactly what had happened to me after having my newest bundle of joy. My Iron levels were below normal levels and were even lower than an anemic persons levels are. This however was easily cured. At the time I didn't think it would work but the Dermatologist just told me to have faith and to give it about 3 months. My Dermatologist gave me a prescription for Ferrous Sulfate 325mg twice a day for 6 months. My OB prescribed Vitamin D 50,000 IU caps once a week for 3 months then continue taking an over the counter version of Vitamin D at 2000 IUs. Yep you heard that dosage right. It's so strong you have to have a prescription for it and it can only be taken once a week. All and all this has worked greatly for me. I noticed my hair growing back on the sides and edges the 3rd month.

I also want to add that epidurals do sometimes cause hair breakage and thinning after pregnancy but it's temporary and you hair will be back to normal. So ladies continue to eat healthy through pregnancy and remember to take your prenatal vitamins. If something is bothering you call your doctors and have them go above and beyond to find the problem. That's what we pay them for anyway right?

SPF For Your Hair?!?

We all know that being in the sun can cause damage to our skin. But did you know that sun can also cause damage to our hair too?! I guess the thought has always been in the back of my head that it was possible seeing how my hair can get really dry in the summertime. So I started to do a bit of research to see what type of damage sun can cause and what I can do to protect my hair.

Did you know you can actually get a sunburn on your scalp if it is exposed to sunlight long enough? And in Texas it literally takes 15 minutes of sun exposure to cause you to get burned. I've found out the hard way about sunburns on the scalp. About a year ago my family and I decided to go to Turner Falls in Oklahoma and Lake Texoma (just North of McKinney) for a little swimming in the lake. I wore corn rows (for the first time) as a protective style and my scalp got sunburned so badly. If I had put more thought into it I would have put an SPF on my scalp but I had never heard of anyone doing this before that day.  After feeling enough irritation and itching my husband suggested that I put sunblock between the braids. Ah Ha! he is a genius. LOL my scalp felt immediately better. So that got me to thinking if it was safe to just put a bit of sunblock in my hands and rub into my hair. Later I found out that people do this all the time and by doing a little bit of goggling I found (thru womenshair.about.com) that there is an even simpler way to go about this.  But before I get into that recipe let me tell you how else the sun can damage the hair.

Causes of Sun Damage:

 -Dry hair

-Frizzy hair

-Split ends

-Fading hair color

Things you can do to protect your hair from sun damage:

-of course wear a hat or scarf when possible

- use an SPF shampoo and conditioner (which is not enough on it's own to protect your hair) and other products made for sun protection that is for the hair

Now for the recipe! I ran across this recipe on a women's hair care site. Dilute 2 teaspoons of SPF (it says SPF 25 but I never buy anything that low) with one cup of water in a spray bottle and simply spray the concoction on your hair and comb through hair with a wide tooth comb throughout the day while you are in the sun. Another rule of thumb when dealing with anything that dries out your hair is to remember to do deep conditioning treatments once a week to once every other week to maintain moisture in your hair.

This is me with my burning scalp

Hats and Shades are the best ways to protect yourself in the sun

My Hair ROCKS: Natural hair confidence

When it comes to finding confidence with your natural hair it's much like finding confidence in yourself. Think of it this way. You just bought a shirt that you truly adore and there are about 5 negative Nancy's out there that think your shirt is atrocious. But you truly love the shirt and in your eyes you look totally awesome in it so you continue to wear it and walk around with your head held high. Well that's self confidence and that's exactly what you are going to need to have while rocking your natural hair.

Unfortunately you will need a ton of confidence to wear natural hair. It seems everybody in the world has an opinion about natural hair. From why you decided to go natural to why you shouldn't embrace your natural hair. The thing to remember is even when you used relaxers people had an opinion on your hair and how you chose to wear it.

Find a hairstyle that best fits you. That you feel beautiful wearing (just as you would when you were relaxed). An Angela Davis Afro isn't for everybody and just because you are natural it doesn't mean you have to wear an afro. Granted when you first start out you will have to wear a TWA (teenie weenie afro) but it's not the same as daunting a huge afro. Hair accessories help and watching youtube videos on different ways to style your hair help as well. Join a couple natural hair blogs sites to get advice and inspiration and also ask some natural friends or relatives. I was very surprised, when I decided to go natural, to find out just how many people around me that I knew personally who are natural.

And if none of that works for you try watching this video a couple of times to help you feel great about your decision. Sesame Street Song: I Love My Hair

Natural Oils for Natural hair

Did you know that natural hair loves oil? Especially for curly, textured and coarse hair. Try these natural oils for softer, shinier and strong hair.

Moroccan Oil (Argan Oil):

Argan oil has many uses and benefits but as for hair, it is a great conditioner. Argan Oil is high in vitamin E (which acts as a UV protectant) and essential fatty acids. Argan Oil helps fight frizz, can help avoid split ends and restores damaged hair. This oil restores shine, prevents itching and dry scalp as well as increasing hair growth and fixing problems with thinning hair.

Black Jamaican Castor Oil:

Cleanses toxins from the scalp, nourish and thickens the hair, stimulates hair growth, moisturizes dry brittle hair, repairs split ends, and gives hair body.

Coconut Oil:

 Is great for preventing dandruff, promoting hair growth, moisturizing, strengthening hair, thickening hair, and preventing damage.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Also known as EVOO):

Is great for moisturizing, deep conditioning, improving hair strength, eliminating dandruff, and also has powerful antioxidants that can help fight hair loss.

Jojoba Oil:

Is a great moisturizer and develops new hair cell growth.  Jojoba oil conditions your hair and prevents it from being brittle and dull. And best of all, it can be used to treat scalp conditions!

Sweet Almond Oil:

Works great as a sealant.   Simply meaning it locks-in moisture.  It nourishes hair, smooths hair cuticles to control shedding, promotes hair growth while thickening the hair. Sweet Almond Oil also prevents hair loss, and boosts shine.

The Meat & Potatoes Of Transitioning

It's extremely easy to become a product junkie in the beginning because you have to find out what works best for YOUR hair. What works for ME may not work for YOU (or anyone else for that matter). Here are some basic things you should know about "going natural".

It can be a BIG adjustment and not everybody will like your decision to change.  You will have to deal with your friends, family and strangers judging your hair. For me that wasn't any different from being relaxed. LOL The sad part is most black women have been relaxed since they were little kids so they don't remember how their hair was when it was natural. Most only remember getting burned by the hot comb because they weren't sitting still, and also they remember the names they were called on the days that there hair wasn't all put together.

Looking back at family pictures I can tell a big difference in how my hair was then and now. Of course lots of things throughout your life changes your hair. I mean lets face it, even the sun has become more damaging since the late 70's and early 80's. But when I was a little girl, my hair was long (when pressed that is) and full. 

I'm the one on my Mom's lap :-)

Your hair will not react the same way it did when relaxed to the products you use when you are natural. The two different textures will get hard to maintain. Since you won't be relaxing your hair anymore it will tend to shed more and possibly break off if you continue to straighten it be it with a flat iron or a hot comb. So this is where protective styles come in handy and wearing braid outs and twist outs become detrimental. Protective style examples: braids, sew in and wigs.....you get the drift. That's what I did for almost a year. In between the "protective styles" I would try to work with the two textures by doing only natural hair styles and keeping up with my regular trims. The only time during my transitioning that I straightened my hair was only during the times that I had to get a trim. When you have natural hair you should not get a wet hair cut if you plan on also wearing your hair straight sometimes. Don't let any stylist make you believe that. Natural hair has to be cut while it is straight. If it's in it's natural state you won't get an even hair cut. You'll notice you'll have some curly hair in one section and some kinky hair in another section and you may even have hair that is more of a looser curl (even wavy). So if you were to get a wet hair cut and your hair is different in a lot of spots (which most everybody's hair is) you will have a messed up cut. Natural haircare product lines can be bought online thru the individual companies or you can go to Naturallycurly.com (they have all of the natural products there online to buy from all of the different hair companies). You also have the choice of checking out your local Target. They now have a "black haircare section" where they sale some natural hair products. Whole foods also has some hair products too. If you want to know how a particular product will do on your hair, either buy it, if you can afford to experiment, or go online and check out product reviews. Youtube has a wealth of information.  Simply search Natural hair products and you'll find a large amount of product reviews and videos showing you hair styles for transitioning or hair styles for when you are all natural.

Another thing to think about is how long will you transition????? I initially had planned on "growing out my relaxer" which simply means, no more perms, wearing natural styles, No HEAT (except when getting a trim), and getting hair trimmed every 6 to 8 weeks (more like every 8 weeks). In the beginning this helped me come to terms with going natural so that I could work up the nerve to do a big chop (I'll give you information about my adventures in the big chop later).  So my routine was deep conditioning once a month and finding a great moisturizer. My go to style (when I didn't have either a sew in or micro braids) was a 2 strand twist using water (great natural moisturizer by the way) with a rubber band at the end (because my ends still had relaxer on them so my hair needed help staying twisted) then I used a blue perm rod (bought at my local beauty supply store for like a dollar and change) to roll the hair less than half way up (to maintain a little length). This is done on wet hair then I put my bonnet on and go to bed. An this is the result:

 

Other transitioning styles are 2 strand twist outs. I liked this one the best.

And the last bit of advice I can give you on transitioning is to read up on natural hair. Read natural hair blogs, books and ask friends that are natural. Most importantly Embrace your natural hair, kinks, curls and coils. :-)

My Transition Story

Flat twist and ends twisted into bantu knots

Natural Hair Flat Ironed

I recently shared my transitioning story with Protecting Your Crown and Glory blog and thought that my journey would be helpful to others. A lot of people think that for your hair to curl up you have to have "good hair". Well that isn't the case with me. My journey was and still is a struggle sometimes. The beginning of my journey was a bit rough because I didn't see how my natural hair would start to form curls. And what I've learned is that once natural your hair goes through so many phases. But I'll get into that more later. Check out my question and answer session with PYCG:


Protecting Your Crown & Glory (PYCAG) would like to feature the transitioning tale of one of its most faithful subbies, Ashley. Ashley has been a true diva, consistently commenting and staying connected, which is why it is imperative that she take center stage today. Ashley originally submitted her transitioning tale to PYCAG two years ago, and her story somehow got lost in the sauce! This fabulous diva is now 100% natural, and we are catching up with her today to get the deets on her journey.

PYCAG: When you first submitted your transitioning tale in 2009, you were just two months into your transition. How long have you been natural?
Ashley: I have been completely natural since January 31, 2010.

PYCAG: How long were you relaxed?
Ashley: I was relaxed from the age of 11 to the age of 30, so 19 years. I remember begging my mom, 'Please let me get a perm,' because my hair was so tightly coiled that whenever water touched it, no matter how long it was, it would draw up so tightly that we couldn't even get a comb through it. There weren't many hairstyles that I could do unless my mom straightened it with a hot comb, and that of course was like torture.
PYCAG: What inspired you to go natural?
Ashley: I decided to go natural because my hair was shedding a lot, my edges were starting to thin and my hair was just out of control when it came to being dry. My hair had always been really healthy, but when I became pregnant toward the end of 2005, my head began to burn around the edges, for no reason. I'm not talking about when I would get a relaxer, I mean just on a regular basis. I wasn't using any different products, wasn't braiding my hair, or pulling it into ponytails. I told my stylist and she just said it was probably due to my hormones changing from being pregnant.

I also spoke with my OB/GYN at the time, a Black woman, about my hair, and she suggested that I cut back on the frequency with which I got touch ups. I eventually started to think it was the type of relaxer my stylist was putting in my hair. I didn't know she had changed up the relaxer she was putting in my hair. I decided to cut my hair off that summer and add some color. Bleaching my already fragile hair only sped up the thinning process...side note, if I don't like my hair for any reason or get bored with my hair, I am quick to cut it off, so after cutting my hair I decided to only let my stylist wash and style my hair, as I began applying sensitive to mild relaxers myself at home. Doing so actually saved me a ton of money, but that didn't slow down the thinning and breakage I was suffering. The doctor said it could have been the three epidural shots they had to give me during labor that started it, then the blood pressure meds I ended up on from being pregnant. Needless to say, I had tons of reasons to leave the creamy crack alone. Don't get me wrong, my hair didn't look that bad, but I knew it wasn't reaching its full potential.

PYCAG: Did you opt to transition slowly, or did you do the BC?
Ashley: I transitioned from April 2009 until January 31, 2010, and decided that day to cut my hair off. I just washed my hair, got my scissors while me and the hubby were watching the Oscars and started chopping off my hair. I admit I was shocked that I actually did this. My husband thought I was insane because I hadn't planned this at all, but I'm totally glad I did it. It's only hair and it grows back beautifully and healthy and strong without any chemicals.

While I was transitioning I wore a sew-in, left a bit of hair out in front and around the edges so I could style my hair any way I pleased. That lasted for about the first three months, then I started experimenting with twist outs rolled up on perm rods.

PYCAG: What products are you currently using?
Ashley: I used a lot of different things at the beginning of my journey, as I was trying to figure out what worked best for my hair. I was a bit of a product junkie, and truth be told, I probably still am just a tad bit ;-). Below is a list of the products I use.
Cleansers:

• Black soap
• Hello Hydration by Herbal Essences (when I need to remove a lot of product build up)
• Moisture Retention Shampoo by Shea Moisture

Conditioners:

• Hello Hydration by Herbal Essences (the one in the turquoise bottle has lots of moisture)
• Deep Treatment Masque by Shea Moisture
• Mixed Chicks Leave in Conditioner

Styling products:

• I make my own shea butter for my hair (check youtube for the many recipes and how to vids) Jane Carter Solution mango hair butter
• Curl Enhancing smoothie by Shea Moisture
• Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel
• Hair Milk by Mizani
• Moroccan Oil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sweet Almond Oil (I don't use all of these things at once but I do try to switch things up so that my hair doesn't get used to any one product. I use a lot of these styling products to achieve my two strand twist outs, bantu knot outs, wash n' go puffs and on days when I flat iron my hair. Currently I am laying off the heat for the summer so I'm not sure yet if I will get braids as a protective style or not. I'm really digging these two strand twist and flexi rod out styles)

PYCAG: What are your hair goals?
Ashley: My hair goal is to maintain this strong and healthy hair that is full of shine and bounce. I know my hair can continue to stay like this if I stay the course. I would like for my hair to eventually be past my shoulders while straightened and while in it's natural state I would like for it to be at least to my shoulders. I've noticed as I near towards the end of this pregnancy that my edges are starting to thin again, so I think the thinning is just something my body goes through during pregnancy. Other than that, my hair is very healthy and thick everywhere else and grows just fine.

PYCAG: Is there anything else you wish to share with the ladies?
Ashley: I will continue to get trims as needed and do my weekly deep conditioning treatments. I also forgot to mention that I am a huge fan of co-washes. Shampooing your hair strips too much of your hair's natural oils so if you don't have too much product build up in your hair opt for a co-wash instead. You will definitely notice a big difference in maintaining moisture in your hair. 


Check out Protecting Your Crown and Glory, she was my inspiration for going natural. Her blog has lots of tips for transitioning, products to use, makeup tutorials and fashion/accessories. 
http://glorycrown.blogspot.com/