No matter how many pregnancy and parenting books you read, there are many things about being pregnant and becoming a mother that you can’t fully understand until they happen to you. You expect to gain weight over the course of nine months but are surprised by how frustrating it can feel as your clothing stretches tighter and tighter across your expanding belly. You acknowledge that it could take months or even years to get your pre-baby body back but are angry that your pooch hasn’t deflated yet. You know that some women experience postpartum hair loss but are devastated when it happens to you.
In the weeks following Levi’s birth, I started losing more and more hair in the shower. My long locks were falling out by the handful, and my post-shower hairballs were the size of small rodents. Although it was annoying and a bit disgusting (strands of wet hair gross me out), I was expecting some postpartum hair loss to happen. Friends had warned me about clogged shower drains. But what they hadn’t prepared me for were visible bald patches.
I can’t remember exactly when I first noticed that my hairline was no longer symmetrical, but it might have been when I was getting my hair teased into an updo for a friend’s wedding last October. I recall complaining to the stylist about how lately I had been losing larger clumps of hair than I did before I gave birth to Levi. He explained that hair loss near the hairline was very common in new mothers and pointed out that many celeb moms get bangs after having babies to conceal these unflattering bald patches.
Because I only had time to wash my hair every couple of days, I frequently wore oversize buns and ponytails. It wasn’t until I looked at photos of myself, including ones taken at that wedding in October, that I realized the severity of my postpartum hair loss. My awkwardly receding hairline was quite the eyesore, and I became very self-conscious of it.
My hair is naturally wavy and frizzy, so when tiny baby hairs began growing back in they were curly and kinky. If I used the flat iron on them they stuck straight out. I hated how I looked with my hair pulled back, but I didn’t have time to style it straight every day. You know how having a bad hair day can just ruin your whole day? Well, imagine how you’d feel after having a bad hair month…or year. I was embarrassed of my reflection in the mirror. Call me vain, but I felt ugly, and my self-esteem took a beating.
Taking a cue from celebrity moms, I finally booked an appointment to get bangs. And to make those bangs easier to style, I also decided to get a Brazilian Blowout. I had a Brazilian Blowout almost two years ago and wrote the experience on my old blog, Somewhere in Middle America. Looking back at that post, I had almost forgotten how much healthier and shinier my hair appeared after the treatment.
Above is the inspiration photo I brought to the salon this past Saturday. It was from an InStyle photo shoot of an actress named Bella Heathcote, and I was immediately drawn to her thick fringe and blunt ends. Although I wasn’t ready to lose a lot of length, I was over my long layers, which were originally cut so I could style my hair curly. My hair won’t air dry completely straight now that I’ve had the treatment, but it will be a lot smoother and require less effort to straighten.
Have a Brazilian Blowout and blunt bangs fixed all my problems? Of course not, but they did address my primary concern: the bald patches at my hairline. Now when I pull my hair back, they remain concealed under my new fringe. As a bonus, JB remarked on Sunday that I appeared to be standing taller and even seemed more confident. I haven’t styled my hair wavy yet (maybe today), and I’m eager to see how it turns out. I also have to get used to having bangs again; it’s been several years since I’ve last had fringe, and I keep wanting to push them aside rather than let them hang straight down. They also get greasier quicker than the rest of my hair, so I imagine I’ll need to wash them over the sink on the days I don’t shampoo and condition my whole head. But that’s a small annoyance to deal with for a hairstyle that not only looks good but also makes you feel better about yourself.
Have you had a similar experience with postpartum hair loss?
{Top photo taken in February; middle two photos taken in May; bottom photo taken on July 9, 2012}
