When it comes to pregnancy and motherhood, there is no doubt there are many highs and many lows. When I dreamed about being pregnant and all the different things that motherhood would bring, I can tell you that my hair wasn’t high on the agenda. I have to say that until I experienced it, postpartum hair loss wasn’t even something I was overly familiar with. Of course, like most things when it comes to motherhood, you never know if it’s going to be something that affects you. Well I can tell you, 2 years on, I’m still learning about and yearning for the head of hair that once was!

THAT PREGNANCY VA-VA VOOM

I have 3 boys, and after 3 hyperemesis pregnancies, no one was more surprised than I by the luscious locks that came with pregnancy. I have always had long dark hair. I’m a low maintenance kind of gal, but one thing I always had was a good head of hair. And even more so during each of my pregnancies.  I obviously went on to breastfeed each of the boys, and when the time came to wean each of them, so too came the time to bid farewell to my luscious locks.

THE LONG GOODBYE

That sinking feeling in the shower when you’re washing your hair only to watch literal handfuls of hair come away in your hands. My once full head of hair seemed to be lessening with each shower I had. I used to dread hopping in the shower only to see my beloved hair wash away. For someone who always prided herself in her hair, I honestly found it so upsetting. As the weeks went on my hair thinned even more and became noticeable when I went to style it.

I’ll never forget a couple of weeks after weaning Olly, a photo that my husband took of me with the kids in the run up to Christmas. He had unintentionally taken a photo of the top of my head and when I saw the bald patch on the top of my head my heart sank. My ponytail had wasted away and even when my hair was down it looked thin and sparse.

For me the most significant hair loss happened once I stopped feeding around the 12month mark, but everyone’s journey and timing will be different. Hair loss is just one of those things that affects everyone differently. This can be a really big issue for lots of women and not for others. Finding your feet after pregnancy can be hard enough. Adjusting to your postpartum body and life with a baby can sometimes mean that our hair ends up way down the list of worries and priorities. That said, for me it got to a point where it was upsetting me so much I needed to do something about it. I went to my doctors and had my bloods done just to rule out anything else. My bloods were perfect and I was reassured it just all part and parcel of post-pregnancy life and postpartum hair loss was to be expected.

THE SEARCH FOR A SOLUTION

Like anyone, all I wanted was to find effective hair care products (that didn’t cost the earth) to try and get my hair back to what it once was. It has been a journey, and tried and tested lots of products. But in the last few months, I discovered Alter Ego which has honestly been a game-changer in what I’m calling my ‘hair recovery journey’! Their range of bodifying products for thinning hair (not specific to postpartum hair loss but thinning hair in general) has honestly made such a huge difference to me. I’m slowly growing my hair and confidence around it back.  I’ve noticed a definite difference in the density of my hair, particularly around my roots, which I had become really self-conscious about.

The Alter Ego Bodifying range is suited to all types of hair, especially fragile thinning hair. The 3 products [shampoo – lotion – mousse], gives a boost of energy to the scalp resulting in visibly fuller, healthier and stronger hair. The ‘Made With Kindness’ range is made with 97% natural and organic ingredients. It’s free from sulphates, parabens and other nasty chemicals. Some of the benefits of the range:

• Stimulates the scalp and removes any impurity
• Suitable for daily use
• Strengthens hair and restores its natural shine
• 92% of natural origin products.

The code ‘scalp20’ will give you 20% off all scalp care products.