Wore braids my entire postpartum and now my sides are GONE

[u/TGA77]

Hi everyone

I’m super new here but I just came across a photo of myself that is making me have to face the music: my hair and hairline need some TLC.

I am 10 months postpartum and have worn braids the entire time because I haven’t been able to balance a new hairstyle + motherhood and my budget has me doing my own hair. So your girl got into a cycle of doing her own braids.

wearing braids for so long has led to some thinning in addition to breakage from postpartum. Im lowkey scared to take my hair own because I don’t know what I’ll find. However I can see my sides need some serious love. What are a few recommendations- product wise, or technique wise— that I can adopt to help out my thinning hair?

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[u/Agreeable-Roll-7062]

Thinning is natural so make sure to take your prenatal vitamins even now, especially if breastfeeding. Idk how long u til your postpartum hair thinning process will take but it’s brutal from what I recall😭😭😭

[u/t516t]

Don't be too discouraged! Losing hair along the hairline is very common postpartum. It's because of the hormonal shifts. During pregnancy your hair is mostly in the anagen, or growing phase. About 3 to 6 months post pregnancy your hair mostly goes to the telogen, or hair loss phase. It's possible that the braids didn't help, but it's not a scaring alopecia that is difficult or impossible to recover from. After my first child I lost my whole hairline from ear to ear. Receded back about 2 inches of incredibly thin and see through scalp like yours. I didn't do much other than cut my hair shorter so it looked less obvious and was easier to style. I was in a twa for about 2 years. I also continued to take my prenatal vitamins. By the time my twa grew out , my edges were more or less back to what I remembered.

My advice is to stop wearing braids for a while and try to leave your hair covered as much as possible. I wore satin scarves a lot when this was happening. Wash at least twice a month gently with moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, take your vitamins and stay hydrated. Try and be patient. I personally didn't do scalp oils since they make my psoriasis worse but they work for some people. Try and reduce stress, which is really hard as a new mom, but it really is important to take care of yourself so you can have the energy to take care of your child. Be well!

[u/Appropriate_Potato8]

Almost 8 months pp. What works for me is rosemary and clove water. My husband makes a big batch at the beginning of every month, and he sprays all of our head tops every morning. My hair is singing praises, my edges are thinking and my strands are stronger. Give it a try. Oh and instead of braids I've had mu hair in 2 strand twists.

[u/FinancialFii]

My sister has 3A hair and had the same amount of thinning. Even more after her second one. It’s normal. Continue the prenatal vitamins, and let your hair breathe without any tension for a couple of months with regular oiled scalp massages. Good luck and don’t forget to be nice to yourself, your body just went through a big change. It’s gonna take time to feel “normal”

[u/CapitalProgrammer110]

I recommend going to a dermatologist. They can do a full work up to see if there are nutritional deficiencies related to your postpartum hair loss, or provide treatments if it’s related to inflammation, PRP injections may also be helpful