SingaporeMotherhood | Pregnancy
February 2021
Postpartum Hair Loss: When Prevention is Better than Cure
Karen just had her baby and she’s in seventh heaven. Until she suddenly notices clumps of hair on her hairbrush and her husband teases that she’s shedding more than a Siberian husky in summertime! She remembers hearing something about postpartum hair loss during her pregnancy, but it didn’t seem that important then. Now she wishes she could have done something to prevent it…
What is Postpartum Hair Loss?
Like Karen, most women don’t think about postpartum hair loss until it happens to them. After all, with everything from morning sickness and in-utero education to gynae visits and nursery shopping to deal with, who can blame them?
Well, postpartum hair loss is caused by a condition called telogen effluvium. This is a temporary form of hair loss triggered by a major physiologic or hormonal change in a person’s body. And having a baby definitely qualifies, don’t you agree?
During pregnancy, elevated estrogen levels prolong the anagen (growing) phase of your hair. This explains why many pregnant mums have such luscious locks. However, with estrogen levels plummeting after birth, a disproportionately large number of hair follicles suddenly enter the telogen (resting) phase. Hence, about two to four months later, when those hairs inevitably move on to the catagen (falling) phase, the nightmare of rapid shedding begins. Talk about a vicious cycle!
(See also: 5 Worry-proof Remedies for Postpartum Hair Loss)
Prevent and Combat Postpartum Hair Loss
Thankfully, barring any other underlying causes, postpartum hair loss is usually temporary. Most women regain their crowning glory naturally within 6 to 12 months. Karen can also help encourage the process by practising a suitable daily scalp care regimen.
What’s that, you ask? Most of us perform our skincare regimen daily without question. We cleanse, tone, and moisturise our skin in a bid to show our best face to the world. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg — think antioxidant serums, exfoliating gels, detoxifying masks, sunscreen sprays, and so on. Similarly, a good scalp care regimen that you practise religiously every day can do wonders for the health of your scalp, which is needed for a healthier, softer, shinier head of hair!
For those of you still in the glowing mum-to-be phase, start taking care of your scalp the right way now, and help prevent or reduce the hair loss after birth.
PHS HAIRSCIENCE® FEM Fortify Daily Regime
A healthy scalp is integral to optimal hair growth cycles and is the foundation for beautiful hair, so it’s time to rethink how we care for it. But with baby on the way, our scalp care regimen needs to be quick and easy too. This is where the PHS HAIRSCIENCE® FEM Fortify Daily Regime comes in — just three simple steps:
Step 1: Double Cleanse
Start by shampooing with PHS HAIRSCIENCE® ADV Nutrition Shampoo, a powerful sebum and dirt remover. Containing rice stem cells and purslane extract, it deep-cleans and removes build-up to unclog hair follicles, improves barrier functions, and strengthens the scalp’s defence against oxidative damage and inflammation.
Follow up with PHS HAIRSCIENCE® FEM Fortify Shampoo, formulated for women with mild hair loss and thinning concerns. It gently cleanses, energises, and rehabilitates the scalp to reduce hair fall, and offers anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Walnut extract further provides hair follicles with essential nutrients to fight hair thinning.
Step 2: Moisturise
Next, apply PHS HAIRSCIENCE® FEM Fortify Conditioner to damp hair, making sure to avoid the scalp. This rich hydrator contains tomato stem cells and milk protein extract to replenish moisture and restore shine and vitality, smoothing hair cuticles for brilliant shine and lasting softness. Sweet almond extract also helps to strengthen hair fibres and prevent breakage.
Step 3: Treat
After gently towel-drying your hair, apply PHS HAIRSCIENCE® FEM Fortify Tonic to the scalp and massage it in with your fingertips. This powerful treatment tonic delivers vital nutrients to reinvigorate hair roots, reduce hair fall, and keep hair full-looking for longer. Lotus stem cells heals and nourishes hair follicles, while oat extract replenishes lost proteins necessary for hair tissue growth.
Don’t be a Karen. Find out more about how PHS HAIRSCIENCE® FEM Fortify Daily Regime can help prevent postpartum hair loss today, instead of fretting only when it happens. With your hair and scalp in tip-top shape, you can happily focus on mothering your precious bundle of joy!
PHS HAIRSCIENCE® products are available at #04-12 Wheelock Place, #05-25A/B Ngee Ann City, #04-34/35 Plaza Singapura, #B2-40/41 Bedok Mall, and Takashimaya Level 3. For online shopping, head to www.phshairscience.com, Lazada, Shopee, Zalora, Qoo10, eCapitalMall, iShopChangi, and KrisShop.
No hair was lost to bring you this post in collaboration with PHS HAIRSCIENCE®
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