Post-Pregnancy Hair Loss | Are Hair Extensions the cure, or a curse?

By Jennifer Pompa

Pregnancy changes almost every aspect of a woman’s physical appearance. Some changes are wonderful and welcome, some we could do without. Of all the changes, hair is one of the most noticeable, and for some women one of the worst changes to deal with because of its enormous impact on self-esteem. Most women love their hair during pregnancy, it’s after pregnancy that hair loss can become a problem. Using hair extensions to add volume and length post-pregnancy is an option. Whether or not this will ultimately be the right move for the health of your hair depends on the type of hair extension you choose.

Why do some women experience hair loss after giving birth?

We have hormones to thank for the beautiful, full, shiny head of hair we often experience during pregnancy, and we have hormones to blame for hair loss after pregnancy. To understand how hormones play a role it’s important to understand the 3 stages of the hair growth cycle.

• In stage 1 (Anagen) the hair is in a “growth” cycle.
• In stage 2 (Catagen) the hair is in a “rest” cycle.
• And in stage 3 (Telogen) the hair is in a “shed” cycle.

Under normal circumstances, each hair follicle on our head is it its own stage of the growth cycle, and hair should shed evenly from a healthy scalp. During pregnancy a dramatic boost in estrogen causes hair to remain in the Anagen or growth stage. After delivery hormones return to normal, and your hair growth cycle returns to normal as well meaning the hair “shedding” that was delayed during pregnancy may happen all at once causing women to lose a large volume of hair. Although this can be distressing, the good news is that this is temporary. The bad news is that hair can take 6-12 months to return to its normal growth cycle.

So do you just have to live with the loss? No.

Using extensions to get healthy, full, shiny hair again is a great option. Choosing the right method of extension is very very important. Some methods like clip-in, strand by strand, sew-in, or bonded extensions can put added stress on an already weak hair follicle and result in even more hair loss. Tape-in hair extensions are the preferred method for adding volume and length without causing damage. Not just any tape-in extension will do though.

It’s important to make sure that the tape-in hair extension method you choose is one that is weighted to hair replacement standards. When applied and removed correctly tape-in hair extensions are not only non-damaging, they actually promote healthy hair growth. An added bonus is that as hairs “shed” from the scalp they are contained in the hair extension attachment. This means you’ll see less hair hitting your pillow or falling out in the shower immediately. So while you’re waiting for your hair to return to its normal growth cycle post-pregnancy, give tape-in hair extensions a try and get to feel like your beautiful self again sooner.  

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