Baby Hair Essentials

Posted by James on March 3rd, 2020

As you've found, not all babies are born bald-- some arrive on the scene with a shock of thick hair. While a couple of children come out with perfectly coiffed locks, the rest look like they're having a bad hair day, with a spiky mohawk, tufted spots, or the scraggly comb-over of a little Homer Simpson. No one truly knows why some infants are born with great deals of hair, though experts think it most likely has something to do with maternal hormones and the genetic lotto.

Whatever your infant's hairstyle du jour, do not stress too much ... or get too connected. Newborn 'dos are hair today, gone tomorrow. Here's what you need to understand about your newborn's hair:

Newborn loss of hair

If you were surprised by your child's massive mane, just wait: All that hair might disappear. Babies shed like a golden retriever in the first 6 months; some can go from luxuriantly coiffed to bald as a cue ball. This is a normal, physiological action to birth. Some specialists link it to plummeting pregnancy hormones (the ones that might have provided you terrific hair, too!), which start a phase called "telogen" in some parts of the scalp, causing great deals of hair to fall out entirely.

Newborn hair growth

Thankfully, the telogen stage is usually followed rather rapidly (or even concurrently) by brand-new hair growth. But the child hair that grows in may be nothing like your child's newborn locks. Color and texture often change-- so your child's thick, dark hair might make its reappearance a lot sparser and lighter. Red can give way to blond. Curly can go straight. But eventually your child's hair will grow in and she'll look less like a punk rocker and more like the coiffed child of your dreams. Exactly when that occurs can be anyone's guess (it's various for every single child). Some get a fantastic new head of hair by 6 months, some not for 2 or three years.

Until then, here's how to look after whatever hair your child does have:

• Don't wash your child's hair every day. Particularly with newborns, there's just no need. Go for a quick shampoo when you bathe your baby, which doesn't require to be more frequently than a couple times a week.
• Be gentle when you massage a tearless child hair shampoo into your baby's scalp. A too-brisk scalp massage can worry hair follicles and speed up loss of hair or breakage.
• Comb your baby's hair with a soft-bristle brush or a wide-toothed comb that won't snag on tangles or pull your baby's hair.
• Prevent headbands or ponytails that pull your child's hair back too firmly, which can harm it.
• If your baby needs a quick trim later to look nice, go all out. Simply do it when she's well-rested and fed so she'll be less cranky, and set her up with some toys to sidetrack her.
• In the meantime, cut off a lock of that soft, spiky newborn hair to tuck into the infant book, and enjoy it while it lasts. Your newborn's hair will look various soon enough.