Pregnancy beauty is the stuff of legend. Before you pop, your skin is glowing from the extra blood circulating through your body and your hair is lush from those pregnancy hormones.

After the baby comes? Not so much. Between a lack of sleep, adjusting to your new post pregnancy body, and the postpartum hair loss that affects up to 90% of all women after they give birth, it can be easy to feel out of control.

Fortunately because postpartum hair loss is so common, over the years women have come up with a host of natural remedies that can help you regrow those lost strands. Here are some of my favorites to help you get your groove, and your hair, back, naturally.

My Personal Postpartum Hair Loss Journeys (Twice from my two babies!)

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I had thick, full and shinny hair. Both my hair and my nails grew quickly and looked the healthiest they’d ever been.

But after my daughter was born and I was about 6 months postpartum, I had the dreaded experience that many new mothers encounter. I was taking a shower and scrubbing my hair and scalp with shampoo, until I started to notice that large handfuls of hair were coming out on my hands.

I had an absolute moment of panic, because truthfully losing so much hair at one time can be a bit traumatizing. Especially since at the time I had no idea that hair loss was an unfortunate side effect of being a postpartum mother.

Of course I immediately started Googling hair falling out and I saw just recently having had a baby as a common reason for dramatic hair loss. Truth be told, I was rather irritated that nobody at my OBGYN warned me about this possibly happening. I often feel that us new moms have to blindly navigate through postpartum life in the dark without much help or guidance from medical professionals.

Fast forward three years to my second baby. I experienced even more postpartum hair loss than the first time, starting at 4 months postpartum. To make matters worse, most of my hair loss was at my front hairline, right above my forehead (sigh). When it started to grow back around 7 months postpartum, I had to deal with these annoying little cowlick hairs right in the front of my face. Needless to say, I was eager to grow them out and get back to my normal hair growth.

Top 10 Natural Home Remedies to Prevent Excessive Hair Fall & Quickly Re-Grow Your Hair After Postpartum Hair Loss

After doing extensive research and using myself as an example, I’ve compiled my top tips to help you prevent excessive hair loss and grow your hair back as quickly as possible.

Preventing Postpartum Hair Loss with Balanced Nutrition During Pregnancy

While there is no way to completely avoid having hair loss after having a baby, there’s definitely things you can do to hopefully minimize the amount of hair you lose during your postpartum months. Nutrition plays a key role, both during pregnancy and postpartum, in growing and keeping your lovely tresses.

I always follow the nutritional guidelines of Kelly Leveque, known as the wellness and nutritionist to the stars of Hollywood. She herself was pregnant with her two babies at the same time I was pregnant with mine, and she writes a lot specifically about the nutritional needs of pregnant and postpartum women.

In a nutshell, she recommends everyone eat three well balanced meals a day. By balanced I mean incorporating her combo known as “the fab four.” Each meal should have a protein, a healthy fat, fiber and greens. If you’re following this meal guideline, you are most likely going to be incorporating many naturally occurring vitamins and nutrients.

Why I Lost So Much Hair After My Second Baby

I mentioned above that good nutrition during pregnancy can prevent excess hair loss. I also mentioned that I lost much more hair with my second baby. Well the story behind this goes as such: I had a rough pregnancy and a much more challenging postpartum period with my second baby. Which ultimately led to poor eating habits and lack of nutrition.

My second pregnancy with my son I had terrible nausea and food aversions to vegetables, meat, and most sources of plant based protein. I pretty much only wanted to eat sugary carbs and full-fat dairy products. This caused too much weight gain and a lack of nutritional variety. So my body was depleted and working overtime to accommodate all the excess weight I put on. My blood pressure and my blood sugar levels went up, causing even more stress on my body.

My son was born at peak pandemic times, and I had to deliver him by myself in the hospital. To make matters worse, my husband wasn’t able to take a paternity leave so he was home with me for just a couple of days after I came home from the hospital. And then it was just me, the baby and my toddler home by ourselves. Talk about stress! It’s no wonder that I lost so much hair.

Keep Taking Your Prenatal Vitamins During Postpartum Months

We often think of prenatal vitamins as necessary supplements that help supply the minerals and nutrients we need to grow a baby. But when you continue to take prenatals during the fourth trimester of postpartum, you’re helping your body replenish all the nutrients you lost during the 9 months of pregnancy. Continuing to take prenatal vitamins will also aide in postpartum hair loss - both in prevention of losing hair and also growing back the hair you’ve lost.

Also, if you’re planning on having another baby, you should start taking your prenatal vitamins as soon as you start trying to get pregnant. Give your body a nutrient packed boost to prevent excess hair loss once you reach the postpartum phase.

Make Sure You’re Consuming Enough Calories

Unfortunately due to societal pressure, many women feel the need to diet after giving birth in order to get their pre-baby bodies back. But the postpartum period is when your body needs those calories the most.

The CDC actually recommends that breastfeeding women consume 300-400 calories more per day than they would ordinarily eat. Even if you’re not breastfeeding the demands of caring for a brand new human being burns more calories than you might imagine — and cutting down can have an impact on your health, as well as your hair.

When your body experiences a calorie deficit, your hair and nails are the first places to show damage. So if you suspect you’re not getting enough calories, put the diet on pause and make sure your body is getting the nutritional support it needs.

Add Nutrient Dense Hair Health Foods to Your Diet

Getting adequate calories is important, but of course not all calories are created equal! There are certain foods that are particularly good at supporting the health and growth of new hair, and adding them to your diet is a great way to help new strands thrive.

Here are some foods to stock up on if you suspect you’re experiencing nutritional deficiencies that are impacting your strands:

Nuts and seeds, such as almonds, cashews, sunflower, and flax seeds.
Hair health friendly protein sources such as bone broth, free range chicken and pasture raised eggs.
Foods high in iron, like leafy greens (the hair health super food!) and red meat.
Vitamin C boosting fruits like citrus, strawberries, and guava.
Foods high in omega 3 fatty acids, like fatty fish, walnuts, and chia seeds.
Foods high in zinc like chickpeas and other legumes, yogurt, and dark chocolate (yes really!).

In addition to these hair health supporting foods, making sure to “eat the rainbow” of fruits and veggies every day is the best way to make sure your hair is getting the support it needs.

Not sure how to schedule in all that nutritional goodness? Use my postpartum meal prep guide to make healthy food in batches and then freeze for the month. This way you'll always have healthy food options available in the house and you can avoid snacking on junk food when you're a super tired mama taking care of a newborn.

Top 10 Natural Home Remedies for Postpartum Hair Loss

Use a Natural Hair Growth Serum

Good hair health starts from the inside out—but external sources of support can provide a much needed boost! Using a natural hair growth serum designed to be safe for nursing mothers is a great way to add strand support to your daily routine.

I love this serum in particular because it’s formulated from natural ingredients, with no side effects causing chemicals or drugs you need to worry about exposing your baby to. It has a cult following with moms who claim it was the secret ingredient in regaining their pre-baby strands. Simply apply in the morning and evening, a five minute step that will make sure your hair is nourished from the outside in for maximal growth.

Prioritize Getting More Sleep

I know, with a new baby around it’s easier said than done! But there’s nothing worse for your body than a lack of sleep (I suspect most of you have discovered this first hand), and increased hair shed is one of the earliest signs that your body isn’t getting all the REM cycle goodness it needs.

So what’s a tired mama to do? There are so many products out there to help your baby through the sleepless stages, from smart bassinets to sound machines (for both of my babies we used the Shusher for naps and nighttime sleeping).

Since every baby is different, it’s worth trying out a few — and remember the old truism to sleep when baby sleeps. Naps should be a big part of your new post baby lifestyle!

It’s also worthwhile to have your partner take responsibility for some nights, or inlist a helpful bff or family member if you’re flying solo.

If none of this is working, don’t panic. Baby’s sleep will likely begin to regulate within three months, so if you’re suffering from sleepless nights relief is right around the corner.

Add Scalp Massage to Your Wellness Routine

Not only are scalp massages relaxing, they’re surprisingly effective at boosting hair growth.

Physical stimulation of your hair’s roots boosts blood flow to your follicles, ensuring that they’re getting an infusion of all the good stuff your scalp needs to support new strands, like oxygen plus the elevated rates of vitamins and minerals you’re pumping out thanks to your rainbow diet.

Even better? Scalp massages have actually been shown to increase feelings of closeness and bonding between couples, giving you and your partner a dose of feel good oxytocin that can help ease the tension of all those sleepless nights. Suggest a massage swap for the health of your hair and your heart, or invest in a scalp massager for a DIY approach. You won’t get the bonding, but you’ll reap all the physical benefits, and it will definitely help you relax!

Do Your Best to Cut Down on Stress

Speaking of stress, we bet you’re going through it right now. Having a new baby around is not exactly a spa day experience. All that crying, anxiety, and lack of sleep boosts cortisol levels, the stress hormone that controls your body’s fight or flight response. And of course elevated cortisol levels have been linked to excess hair shed, so if you’re feeling on edge your hair will suffer.

A certain amount of stress is inevitable for new parents, but try to be as gentle on yourself as possible. Remember that you just created a whole entire human life — a major achievement, and doing your best is all you can do. The earliest days are the hardest, and it will only get easier from here on out.

In the meantime, practicing self care is the way to go. Take a bubble bath while someone else holds the baby, or treat yourself to a relaxing online meditation or yoga class. If you’re really struggling, consider signing up for one of the many mental health apps out there that connect you with a virtual, but very real, therapist, so you can talk to an expert who understands what you’re going through.

Avoid Harsh Hair Styling Products

It’s a miracle if you have enough time to both shampoo and condition these days, but the products you use on wash day might actually be causing more harm than good.

The harsh chemicals in many drug store hair care products can stress out your strands, stripping them of the natural oils that keep them healthy and moisturized and introducing a layer of hard to get rid of sulfates that makes strands dried out and brittle. Check your labels for suspect ingredients, and consider making the switch to gentler, more natural products.

Shop These Shampoos & Conditioners Formulated to Stimulate Hair Growth:

Avoid Using Hot Tools on Your Hair

An even worse culprit is heat styling tools. Your beloved curling or straightening iron is frying your strands, and regularly blow drying without a diffuser can leave hair suffering. If you must style with heat, apply a protective product beforehand, and invest in styling tools with temperature gauges so you can ensure your beauty routine isn’t too hot to handle.

Get Regular Hair Trims

We know it sounds counterintuitive, but getting regular trims is actually one of the best things you can do to keep your hair looking fuller. With both of my babies, one of the first solo outings I took after they were born was getting my hair trimmed at the salon. It felt therapeutic to cut off a few inches after going through the 3rd trimester and then labor and delivery. Just like the Frozen song says: “Let it go!”

Getting regular trims helps nip split ends in the bud before they begin, preventing hair from getting even further damaged. Your stylist can also help add layers to your hair to increase the appearance of fullness, holding you over until your regrowth really kicks in.

Plus, regularly checking in with a hair professional can help ensure you’re getting an outside POV to make sure your growth is on track, and they’ll be able to offer personalized suggestions based on their in depth knowledge of your strands.

When All Else Fails, Talk to Your Doctor

Last but not least, if you’ve tried everything on this list and still are suffering from dramatic postpartum hair loss, it’s time to seek the help of a medical professional. A trusted doctor can help you explore solutions, or simply reassure you that what you’re going through is perfectly normal.