Naturalista Update ~ Erica: being a new mom, her natural hair progress in photos and dealing with postpartum hair loss

Hi everyone! This blog post is more of an update on one of my favourite naturalistas, Erica. Back in April 2011, I did a blog post on Erica and her natural hair journey - Nappy, happy and luvin' it.

Erica was also the winner of the .::Naturaleza::. Summer fun giveaway which was sponsored by Tomoka's Twists. She has since had a baby girl and is doing quite well, enjoying motherhood.

Flashback to December 2010

Fast forward to January 2012

Erica's natural journey one year on!

Erica's hair growth can be described in one word: PHENOMENAL!

I am so encouraged whenever I see her. She continues to keep her hair regimen very simple. 

She now uses products from the Giovanni and Carol's Daughter lines:

1. Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo, the 50/50 Balance Conditioner and their Leave-in Conditioner
2. Carol's Daughter's Healthy Hair Butter and Leave-in Spray

In addition, Erica freshens her twists with jojoba oil and uses castor oil to seal in the ends of her hair and to add shine.

Dealing with Postpartum hair loss

I know intimately from my own pregnancy how demanding the physical changes can be on a woman's body. The wobbly walk, digestive problems and burgeoning cheeks :) One of the upsides was that my hair grew so much thicker and blacker. It was a lovely thing! And at that time, I was not a natural yet. And yes, every hair strand was in place ;)  You can see from the photo that I walked around with my DICA antacid liquid. My hair did not shed the way Erica's did as you will read shortly. It just got thinner especially in the middle and back of my head. I do not recall when it cleared up or how. I just know that it stopped.

Me about 3 months into pregnancy '08

Erica's plight is somewhat the same. She, too, has been learning how to deal with a myriad of postpartum issues. From soft and tender nails to digestive complaints, hurting joints, fatigue and of course, hair loss. 

Erica's postpartum hair loss has been a little daunting. In her own words she shared: "Looking down in the shower and feeling as though it had grown hair!" This was her sentiment when it first began and as it continues even today. She stated too, that she is also experiencing thinning at certain points along her hair line. She mentioned that she is surprised there is still hair left after she combs or brushes her hair, as there is so much in the comb. At times, she says that she only needs to run her hand over hair and their are strands waiting to come out. But, even through this experience Erica stated: "Even though it's shedding, I am still seeing growth." 

Erica's plight might be similar to what you have gone through or maybe experiencing right now. I made a check of the site Babycenter.com, a site I read frequently during my stages of pregnancy. 

During pregnancy there is an increase in the level of estrogen in a woman's body. Estrogen causes the hair to remain in a growing phase and stimulates hair growth. Once you have given birth, the estrogen levels drop which causes the hair follicles to remain in a prolonged experience in the resting stage. Hence, the shedding. 

The American Pregnancy Association's website is another gem of a resource that I used extensively during my pregnancy. It suggests that postpartum mothers supplement their diet with and among other things, Biotin and Vitamin E. Please visit this site for further recommendations on hair management during and after pregnancy - americanpregnancy.org

Final words

If there are any words of encouragement that you can give to mums who are a part of the .::Naturaleza::. community or even for those who visit this site, please leave a comment in the box below. I truly appreciate your feedback. There is so much that we can do to help each other understand how our bodies behave during and after pregnancy.

My advice to anyone (be that limited as it may) is to stay calm. It is a natural stage after having given birth. If for whatever reason you believe things might be getting worse or that there are extenuating circumstances contributing to the shedding of your hair, please visit your healthcare provider.

Thank you so much for reading!

Tasha