Your hair does not grow all the time. Instead it goes through a cycle, with some hair grown and some lost each day. During pregnancy the hormones that control so many changes to your body stop the cycle of hair loss so that the hair grows faster and thicker.
Many women like the changes to their hair during pregnancy, enjoying the thick and shiny quality that it develops. Others discover that their hair becomes unmanageable, growing thick and long far too quickly.
During pregnancy you may find trying a milder shampoo will help control your hair. Apply the shampoo only once, lather and leave for thirty seconds before rinsing. If you find your hair is really uncontrollable you may want to try a shorter, simpler hairstyle during your pregnancy. And if you like it you may end up keeping it after your baby is born!
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After your baby is born, the your hair enters a resting phase during which the extra hair you have grown during pregnancy is shed. This resting stage may last anywhere from a few months to a couple of years. While it may seem like you are losing a lot of hair, there is no cause for alarm. Pregnancy does not cause baldness and your hair will reestablish its regular pattern of growth and loss.
Many women worry whether its safe to color their hair or have a permanent during pregnancy. There is a theoretical risk that chemicals placed on the scalp may be absorbed into the skin, but there is no proven risk that coloring your hair during pregnancy will cause problems.
Most doctors will recommend waiting until your baby's organs have developed by the end of the first trimester. By then your morning sickness should have subsided and you face less risk of the fumes making you nauseous. Tell your hair colorist that you are pregnant and only want to use vegetable dyes such as henna instead of chemical dyes containing heavy metals such as copper, lead and nickel.
Of course you may decide that you would prefer to celebrate your pregnancy by showing your roots. But if you want to do something for your hair and are worried about the risks, you can always get highlights, a treatment in which no chemicals touch the roots.
The hormonesA complex chemical substance created in a part or organ of the body. When released it initiates or regulates activity in an organ or group of cells in another part of the body.
Hormones secreted by endocrine glands are transported through the bloodstream to their target organ. The amount of hormone secreted is regulated either by other hormones, by neurotransmitters, or simply when an excess of the organ's activity indicates a need to reduce the amount of the hormone produced.
Other hormones are produced locally by the organs themselves and are common in the digestive tract.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. that encourage hair growth during pregnancy will probably have the same effect on your body and facial hair. Don't be alarmed if your body hair grows more quickly and darkens in color.
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