As a proud member of the fine, curly hair crew, I have to admit that the appearance of thickness is sprouting more high-fives and compliments from my friends.
As I enter my third trimester of pregnancy, there have been a few noticeable changes.
The obvious ones include the size of my belly and a larger bust. Many of my friends say I have the “pregnancy glow” but it’s hard for me to notice. Yet, the most talked about change–besides my belly, of course–has been my hair. People tell me how thick and long it’s getting. They also tell me it won’t last, here’s why…
Normal hair growth vs. pregnancy hair growth
According to the American Hair Loss Association, normal hair growth consists of three phases the anagen, the catagen and the telogen. The anagen phase is the active growth period for hair that lasts about 3-5 years. During this phase, the root is receiving the proper nutrients for growth.
When the catagen phase begins, the hair follicle transitions by shrinking and the hair slowly detaches from the dermal papilla (where the hair receives its nourishment”>. It is a much shorter period averaging about 10 days.
The telogen phase, also called the resting period, is when the hair actually sheds. This follicle will remain dormant for 2-3 months before preparing itself for another cycle of the anagen stage.
During pregnancy, the higher levels of estrogen causes the hair to remain in the growth phase longer while the shedding phase slows down but unfortunately, the results don’t last after delivery. The hair will return to the normal growth phase and the hair that didn’t shed during pregnancy may shed all at once postpartum.
How this is affecting my curly hair right now
Even though I know the growth phase won’t last, I am definitely enjoying the temporary perks. As a proud member of the fine, curly hair crew, I have to admit that the appearance of thickness is sprouting more high-fives and compliments from my friends.
In addition, my edges are back! Well sort of…
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this extended growth phase has kept them around. Prior to my pregnancy, I was persistent with scalp massages, oils and other growth serums. If I dared to stop my regimen, they appeared thinner. Now that I am more than halfway through my pregnancy, I have lost the patience to stick to a regimen yet my edges still stick around. Score!
Guess what else?
Hair is growing everywhere–in all the places you want them to, and even in the places you do not. Although it’s not too bothersome, there has been an increase in hair growth on my face, stomach, back, breasts, butt and toes. Every few days, my tweezers are out plucking the unwanted hairs.
The most unexpected difference has been the changes to my curl pattern. Some of my perfectly spiral curls have taken on a more S-shape. Also, my roots appear a bit looser. After a recent haircut, I expected my curls to spring back but this new curl pattern has remained. It’s difficult to tell if these changes will continue after the pregnancy or revert back. Only time will tell.
What changes have you experienced during and after your pregnancy?
Let us know down below in the comments.
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Let’s play a game. What do you think of when you hear the word “mousse?” If you’re anything like me, it may bring up associations with crunchy curls, the 80s, and drying alcohols, but you should know that things have changed. Hairstyles, techniques, brands, and product formulas have all evolved since the days of teased, crispy curls. But because we still get flashbacks when we pick up a bottle of mousse, we spoke with a few curly hair experts about when to use mousse, who should be using mousse today – and who shouldn’t.
Why use a mousse?
Brooke Michie, curl stylist and owner of Lyric Salon in Austin, Texas, first made me reconsider mousse when she used it in Grace’s wavy hair transformation. She loves using mousse on her curly haired clients because it’s “easy to apply, economical per use, has buildable coverage and hold, and can be layered with so many other types of products.”
Maya Smith, International Master of Natural Curls and founder of The Doux®, a haircare line she created specifically for naturally curly hair, says mousse can be used for “any style that requires definition and light hold. It can be used not only to set wash & go’s, but for twist outs and rod sets as well.”
As I’ve been starting to experiment with mousse more, I’ve wondered if I can use it on my dry hair as a refresher on second-day hair. According to Maya, “Mousse is best applied to wet hair for Wash & Go styling, but it can also be used to set a dry twist-out and to redefine the curl pattern. I wouldn’t recommend using it to replenish moisture on next-day hair.”
What causes that crunch?
Maya says, “It’s common for mousse to be combined with gel or cream because most mousse on the market contain alcohol to make the hair dry faster. They are also polymer-rich, which creates a sticky coating on the hair, much like a hairspray. This can leave hair feeling dry and stiff. We formulated our Mousse Def as an all-in-one solution for this problem. It creates the shine and definition of a mousse, yet leaves hair soft and touchable with no flaking.”
Maya recommends watching out for ingredients such as sodium laurel sulfate (SLS, Isopropyl, and Prolyene, which “have been found to cause breakage and dry out your hair). The best way to achieve healthy hair is to have that balance between protein and moisture.”
Brooke says it depends on the mousse, “lightweight, airy mousse or foam is great for wavy hair. Denser mousse is great for 2s and 3s and as a thin layer of added hold for more definition over a moisture foundation for well-hydrated 4s even!” For Maya, it depends on the hairstyle: “I recommend mousse for hair up to Type 4B, depending on the desired results.”
But before you rule mousse out for your Type 4C coils, Gerilyn Hayes, NaturallyCurly Senior Copywriter, loves using mousse on her 4C wash and go (like Camille Rose Spiked Honey Mousse). “I use about 5-6 pumps of mousse in my hair after shampooing and conditioning. I do this because I want to make sure that I’m starting with a clean scalp and curls that are free from any other previous products. And because my curls are very coarse and need lots of hydration, I make sure that my curls are soaked with water (which is why the shower is great for applying mousse to my hair).
To avoid product and water getting into my eyes, I flip my head over and scrunch my curls’ ends to my scalp. Although I do not have a lot of length, I still use this ends-to-root scrunching method to get the optimal curl definition. Sometimes I rake the mousse through my curls and then wrap them in a scarf, giving them more shine. Although rake versus scrunching may look similar to any onlooker, the textural differences are apparent to me!”
Who shouldn’t use mousse?
“Curls with moisture as the number one priority,” says Brooke, “or those who don’t need a product with general hold, but seek more of a product/product combo to hydrate than seal.” So if your curls are thirsty and your top priority is moisture, then you may want to opt for something like the LOC Method, which layers a leave-in for moisture, an oil to seal in the moisture, and then a cream for hold.
When to use mousse
Brooke prefers “the lightest weight mousse (she loves Bread Beauty Supply Hair Foam) in wavy hair for primary, general hold,” and this is how she recommends applying it:
On freshly rinsed detangled hair in the shower, glaze a small amount over the surface area of the hair.
Then flip and glaze another small amount over the underneath surface area.
Then, apply the majority of it via scrunching and distribute it in your palms, making sure not to flatten the airiness of the foam.
Before scrunching the ends of the hair up toward the scalp with a flat palm into a clenched fist motion, rotating your head to reach curls on either side.
Once a leave-in or moisture foundation is either combed through or scrunched in sopping wet hair.
Then add a little denser mousse by finger combing detangled sections, or for longer curls, scrunching as above.
“This will create a cast of hold,” says Brooke, but before you worry about the crunch, remember you need to break that cast by scrunching out the crunch. “Release the cast once hair is fully dry by touching curls gently, or scrunching once more to release the wet-looking hold that was necessary during the drying process to maximize definition.”
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