Natural Hair Postpartum and Protective Styling
Since having my baby, my hair has been crazy!
The way my hair started growing back after postpartum shedding had me feeling like I did when I was trying to grow out my relaxer!
Here is the rundown of how it’s been for me growing out my natural hair, and where I am now at 16 months postpartum.
Postpartum Shedding
Of course I knew about postpartum shedding, and I experienced a TON of it. My hair came out in handfuls over the course of a couple months, omg! It was so much hair! Like a lot of women, my edges and the front of my hair got pretty thin so it took quite a while for that to start filling in.
What I wasn’t prepared for was what my hair would be like as it grew back in. My hair is natural and I’ve been relaxer free now for 9 years. Since I had quite a bit of shedding around my edges, when it began growing in, I had a small Afro around my edges, it got so weird!!
As I would wash, condition and detangle my hair, the detangle stage was a nightmare. My large tooth comb would slowly make its way through the thick roots of a section of hair, and then abruptly snap to the rest of the length of my hair.
Dry Scalp and Breastfeeding
My scalp is just a nightmare. It has calmed down some but the first year postpartum, it was horrible! It was so extremely dry, and I would get these monstrous flakes all through my hair. It was like dandruff on steroids!
I did research it and asked my doc about it, and yes, it was normal because I was breastfeeding. So basically I’ve been washing with a dandruff shampoo, and then I condition, oil rinse and then use my leave-in conditioner.
So I started chopping away at my hair because it felt freakishly close to what it felt like when I was trying to transition from relaxed to natural hair. With the way my comb would snap through my hair strands because of my thick roots, I decided to just keep my hair in braids to try and prevent any further damage to my new growth.
Crochet Braids as a Protective Style to the Rescue
I thought I’d only be wearing braids during pregnancy, but I decided to just keep my hair in braids as it grows out. So my style of choice has been crochet braids! They have been a huge blessing to me. They keep the dandruff hidden (although it has calmed down tremendously), and it keeps my hands out of my hair. They also don’t take forever to do like individual braids.
My beautiful Mom is amazing at french braids, so she braids my hair for me. Then I crochet the braids in myself, and viola! Carefree hair for a good few weeks.
The 2 styles I would mainly do during pregnancy was individual twists done with curly hair added into the twist, and crochet braids. After bubs was born, it was just way easier to stick with the crochet braids so that’s what I’ve been mainly doing.
Believe it or not, I’ve been buying my braid hair on Amazon! I’ve been loving the convenience, as my experiences at my local beauty salons aren’t always the best.
Pic 1 above is Spring Twist Hair, Pic 2 is Crochet Faux Locs, and Pic 3 is Mambo Twist Crochet Braids.
Check out my article on the best crochet braids to try here.
So this is where I’ve been with my hair lately! I really wanted to put this out there for anyone who was struggling with their natural hair postpartum. Protective styling has really helped me through this transition. Don’t be afraid to use protective styling to get you through.
I haven’t really tried any new products, my regimen is still really simple. I’ve just been focusing on keeping my hair out of the way and protected.
What are your favorite protective styles?
Here are more articles on Postpartum:
Practical Postpartum Help for First Time Moms
3 Ways to Help a New Mom Right Now
Breastfeeding for First Time Moms: Benefits, Challenges, Must-Haves + Tips
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Natural Hair Postpartum and Protective Styling
