How hair behaves during pregnancy

During pregnancy, a woman's physical and emotional state undergoes major changes. Against the background of a hormonal surge, these changes can be both positive and negative. In particular, expecting the birth of a baby, expectant mothers may notice metamorphoses associated with their appearance, for example, with skin, nails and hair. Some ladies are more fortunate, their hair becomes thick, the structure of the hair shaft is strengthened. Other women complain about hair loss, loss of shine, or excessive sebum production. What other problems can you face during pregnancy? And how should you care for your hair to minimize risk factors?

How hair changes during pregnancy

An improvement or a sharp deterioration in hair quality depends on the balance of two main hormones in the woman's body - estrogen and progesterone... The production of estrogen is responsible for the beauty and youth of our skin, nails and hair, but at the same time, progesterone is simply necessary during the interesting position of the expectant mother, because it allows you to save pregnancy and carry the baby without any problems.

Let's take a closer look at the stages of pregnancy and its effect on the condition of the hair:

• In the first trimester of pregnancy, a woman's body experiences a powerful hormonal shock, all systems are rebuilt in a new way, often such an unpleasant phenomenon as toxicosis occurs. During this period, the pregnant woman cannot eat fully and variedly, due to which there is a deficiency of vital trace elements and vitamins. Therefore, it is not surprising that the problems that occurred before are exacerbated - dry hair becomes even more brittle and lifeless, and the oily hair that was previously oily increases.
• With the beginning of the second trimester, the general condition of the woman, as a rule, returns to normal. She begins to eat healthy and nutritious foods, including healthy foods, proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, and cutting back on sweets and fatty foods. This has a beneficial effect on the condition of the hair. In addition, at this moment, an increased production of the hormone progesterone occurs, due to which the life cycle of the hair shaft increases, they fall out much less often, so the hair really becomes thicker.
• The same can be said for the third semester. If a pregnant woman avoids stress, eats a variety of foods, and her condition proceeds without serious complications, then the hormonal background remains stable, the hair grows back by this time, acquires shine.

If during pregnancy there is a threat of miscarriage or a woman suffers from late toxicosis, then against the background of stress, dehydration and nutritional deficiencies, the skin, hair and nails undergo negative changes.

Why hair falls out during pregnancy

There are many factors that affect hair loss, not all of them are directly related to the interesting position of a woman. Here is some of them:

• regular stress, nervous tension, lack of sleep;
• deficiency of nutrients, vitamins and minerals;
• various violations in the work of internal organs;
• ailments associated with the functioning of the thyroid gland;
• decreased immunity;
• previous illnesses;
• exacerbation of chronic ailments.

In addition, hormonal changes that occur in the body of a pregnant woman are unpredictable. Due to this, the type of hair often changes dramatically: sebum is secreted more intensively, the shaft becomes weakened and breaks off, curly hair straightens, and straight hair curls.

During the period of gestation, the bulk of the nutrients go to its growth and development, the nutrition of the hair follicles is significantly reduced, which leads to a deterioration in the quality and loss of hair. Lack of calcium, zinc, iron, protein is especially acute in the 2nd and 3rd semester, not only hair, but also nails, teeth suffer, joint pains appear.

Is it possible to dye your hair during pregnancy

Hair coloring in period of pregnancy, like their haircuts, in ancient times were considered unacceptable. Nowadays, most will consider this a stupid superstition, but for many centuries people have endowed the hair with a kind of magical power, in which the life forces of a person are located. Any intrusion into subtle matter inevitably led to disastrous consequences - illness and even death. But does the ban on hair dyeing have any scientific basis?

Doctors also do not have a definite answer to this question. If you look at the composition of any coloring agent, then, obviously, we will not find anything useful there, because they are all a chemical product. Yes, during the staining period, harmful substances (resorcinol, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide) are unlikely to penetrate into the woman's blood through the skin, another question is that chemical vapors can cause severe poisoning and allergic reactions, and this will negatively affect the body, some even compare the vapors paints with cigarette smoke. In addition, the hormonal background of a woman during pregnancy is constantly undergoing changes, so the result of staining can become very unpredictable.

Tips and tricks for dyeing your hair during pregnancy:

• A radical change of image and experiments with appearance is not the best time during the gestation period, especially if you suffer from allergies and toxicosis.
• You should not take risks and dye your hair at least in the first trimester, when all the vital organs and systems of the baby are laid.
• Dye your hair no more than once per trimester, give preference to natural shades that are as close as possible to your color, so as not to worry about regrown roots.
• Give up for a while from persistent paints, choose more gentle products that do not contain ammonia, and natural dyes - henna, basma, as well as tinted shampoos.
• Before coloring, carry out a test - apply the product to the strand and evaluate the result after some time.
• Entrust the procedure to professionals, be sure to warn the master about your position so that she chooses the appropriate method of staining.

Is it possible to cut hair during pregnancy

In ancient Russia, women did not have a choice whether or not to cut their hair, especially when it came to pregnancy. The fact is that our ancestors sacredly believed that a certain force is concentrated in the hair that protects a person from ailments and hardships. There was also a sign that if a pregnant woman's hair was cut off, the child could be born dead. Now almost no one believes in ancient superstitions, because from a medical point of view, this is in no way justified.

For most women, the need for a haircut while carrying a child disappears altogether, because the quality of the hair improves, there is no need to cut the ends, the hair looks healthy and strong.

But what if you have a trendy haircut? Obstetricians-gynecologists assure that hair cutting during pregnancy does not bring negative changes in the development of the fetus, confirmation of this by numerous mothers who calmly visited the hairdresser, while carrying and giving birth to healthy babies. Therefore, a woman is free to do whatever she wants with her hair, as long as it brings psychological comfort and positive emotions.

How to care for your hair during pregnancy

Newly made moms often face the problem of hair loss and a sharp deterioration in their quality, the reason for this is all the same hormones. Considering that a newborn baby is unlikely to allow a woman to solve her problems in beauty salons, you should take care of the health of the hair during pregnancy, even if at the moment there are no visible problems

• If you want to protect yourself and your baby one hundred percent from the effects of chemicals, use a hair wash that does not contain sulfates, or prepare an egg shampoo at home. Otherwise, the recommendations remain the same - wash your hair as it gets dirty in room temperature water.
• When you don't want to wash your hair every day, but you want to freshen up a little, use solutions of tea or decoctions of various herbs for rinsing, which will help strengthen the hair and give a healthy shine.
• Nourish the hair structure weekly with special hand-made masks from common products - eggs, sour cream, honey. Add a decoction of herbs, essential oils, clay if desired. Before applying the mask, be sure to test the composition on a small area of ​​the skin.
• Concerning hairstyles, then during pregnancy it is better to provide your hair with maximum freedom, giving up tight braids, elastic bands and hairpins.
• In any weather, protect your hair from the negative effects of natural factors.
• To provide the hair roots with sufficient oxygen, comb your hair at least 5 times a day and self-massage.