Having a Baby & Hair Growth

Pregnant woman with very short hair
Photo: Wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock
Q: I cut my hair short 7 months after I had a baby. I used to have naturally very wavy hair but since I got it cut my hair is growing in straight. What I wanted to know is there any way possible to have cut the curl from my hair?
 
If I did, would there be there any way I can get it back? I've asked around, and people said I probably did because of the hormones of just having a baby! Why don't hairdressers tell you that before they cut all your hair off?

 
A: The important thing to remember is that your hair’s wave pattern is determined by the follicle from which it grows, and the hormonal changes the body undergoes during pregnancy can cause a shift in many aspects of the production of the hair: from the rate of growth, the duration of the different phases of the growth cycle, and the texture and wave pattern of the hair.
 
These changes are different depending on the individual. Some women have no change to texture or wave pattern, while others experience dramatic shifts. It truly isn’t something that can be predicted by your hairdresser.
 
On the positive side, many women find that their hair reverts back to their “normal” state once the upheaval of hormonal shifts caused by pregnancy have ceased. This often takes as much as a year or more after the delivery of the child (often depending on the duration of stages like breast-feeding which can further stimulate hormonal production).
 
There is no guarantee that your wavy hair will return, and there’s really no way to be certain that the change in your hair’s wave pattern was pregnancy-related. It could simply be a genetically programmed change that coincided with the pregnancy.
 
You might get additional insight on the matter by talking with your mother of other female relatives of previous and present generations who have undergone pregnancies. They may have had similar changes in their hair and can tell you what their experiences were. There’s no guarantee that your situation will mirror theirs, but there’s at least the possibility that you can gain some input that will help you understand what’s going on with you.
 
©Hairfinder.com
 
See also:
 
Hair and pregnancy
 
Pregnancy, thin hair and hair loss
 
The hair growth phases
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