At wits end with fine, lank, post baby hair. Please help!

[MildredH]

Any advice gratefully received. At wits end with my hair.

7 months post baby, have always had very fine and straight hair. During pregnancy it was lovely- much thicker, shinier and fab. Was like a cruel joke as now is worse than ever just when your self esteem is not great anyway..

Have stopped losing hair, thank goodness, but my hair is just more thin, lank and lifeless then ever. I am still having it cut and coloured regularly with my dwindling mat leave bank balance and am wondering why I bother.

It's about shoulder length and naturally mousy highlighted to mid blonde.

Used to use volumising/ root lift products but have pretty much given up on products as the hair feels immediately greasy and looks almost damp still it's stuck so flat to my scalp. I shampoo and rinse well and am careful only to use conditioner on the mid lengths and ends. I currently have to use LOADS of dry shampoo- even from the time it's freshly washed so I am walking dustbag!!

So- where am I going wrong? Am willing to spend a bit of money if it will help as feeling totally rubbish. Any products? Should I try a different hairdresser? Change colour?

Thanks!

Hair and nail vitamins with silica and selenium. My gp recommended them after I complained that the post baby hair loss was continuing way too long. I couldn't believe the difference they made.

....also, the regrowth started to appear quite quickly after taking the suppliments.

Try the Loreal Fibrology shampoo, no conditioner, and spray the roots with dry shampoo if it feels greasy, between washes. You might not like the feel of your hair, but I bet it looks much better.

^ exactly what belinda said.

Will definitely try the fibrology- tho not sure I would get a comb through it with no conditioner at all?

Need to buy shares in batiste with the quantity of dry shampoo I use .

No need for a comb! Dry it upside down til 95% dry then worthier babyliss big hair or barrel brush to finish it off.

Worthier???? Finish it off with

If my hair gets too crispy or tangled, I rub a few drops of Argan Oil in my palms, and run that through the ends. My hair is long, though, and bleached. I would also recommend bleaching your hair as that makes it less floppy, too. I hope my hairdresser isn't reading this - it's basically how to dry / damage your hair to make it look thicker. I don't care - it looks better this way, and it's not actually damaged - no split ends.

Have you considered leaving the colouring/hair dye while you get it back to normal?

Coconut oil is really good for hair, it actually penetrates the hair and strengthens it unlike other oils which simply coat the surface... When I get time, I massage it into my hair (warmed up) an hour or so before I shower, then just wash out etc.

I

I have exactly the same problem OP, and have tried many combinations of products and techniques. I now think I have cracked it and my hair is better than it was pre-kids.

I'd recommend:

• a blunt cut. Layers just make the ends of my hair look straggly, thinner but hairdressers seem programmed to put them in regardless.

• put conditioner on before shampoo (MN tip). I use John Frieda luxurious volume which you can get everywhere.

• I then use a fancy shampoo: I love Kerastase Densifique Bain Densite which costs quite a it but even as I put it on I can feel my hair becoming more glossy. It feels different straight away.

• I then use Kerastase Femme Fetale blow dry gel - just rub in my hands then throuout my hair. I don't do anything fancy when I blow dry, but it comes out feeling stronger and thicker.

The Kerastase products are spenny but I'm sure they have made a world of difference.

OP, you could be me! Everything about your hair is identical to mine, and your post couldn't have come at a better time, I am hoping we both get to hear some positive stories here.

I'm sorry that I don't have any solutions for you just now (I wish I did), but I'll tell you what I'm doing currently. When I was pregnant, my hair was the best it's ever been, and I was religiously taking multivitamins every day. So today I bought some Perfectil (the bog standard one - it's pretty identical to pregnacare) and some biotin and I'm going to start taking that every day. It can't hurt. Also for the past month I've been washing my hair every day with Alpecin caffeine shampoo. No idea if this actually works but my DH didn't get on with it (it gave him headaches!) so instead of throwing it away I thought why not? I'm hoping that if I treat myself from the inside out more hair will grow back and I will get close to how it used to be.

I've tried loads of thickening products and they all temporarily work to some extent (some are better than others), however, I'd like to at least try and see if supplementing my diet can restore my hair to its former glory. I live in hope.

A word of caution about dry shampoos: I've heard that they can actually damage the hair follicle over time, leading to weaker hair growth. I'm not sure how much truth there is in this though, but might be worth checking if you're using loads of it.

Forgot to say, I tried the Fibrology shampoo and conditioner and wasn't impressed. I get more oomph with tresseme 24h body.

Sadly no way I could abandon hair colour without having to subsequently live under a rock!

Thank you Gertrude- I will look into the kerastase stuff..

MrsD- its so flipin annoying isn't it. I would take a supplement at a push but tbh chances of me actually sticking with it are slim. Had a call from gp this week to say iron still low on blood tests.. Had to fess up that the iron tabs are still in cupboard! In fact, as I write that I realise it may be a contributing factor!

Yes Mildrid it's rubbish. I am envious of just about everyone else's hair. How do you wear yours - up or down? I generally tie mine back in a scraggy ponytail every bloody single day - it looks rubbish! But it's better than it is when it's down. Sometimes I wish I had the courage to chop it all off.

Please take your iron tablets! They should help, if not your hair they will help you if you've been feeling tired.

I might try that Kerastase shampoo too, Gertrude

Grim, but underarm pads for dresses?

Sorry! Wrong thread

Haha thanks paloma- one problem I don't have!

Burnished what brand of hair and nail vitamins did you take? Are you still taking them?

Paloma