Postpartum hair loss impacts up to 50% of new moms in the US, including Christina Milian. During a recent panel with haircare brand Nioxin, the actress and singer shared her story. The Resort To Love actress, 39, recently welcomed her son Kenna in April with her husband Matt Pokora. She said she started noticing hair thinning and hair loss three to six months after her first two pregnancies with her daughter Violet, 11, and son, Isaiah, 1.
” I’m like, hey, you’re gonna get bloated after you have the baby, you’re gonna have this, you’re gonna have that,” Milian said during the panel and talked about the authenticity she keeps with her friends who are expecting. “I tell them everything that I wish that somebody would have told me ahead of time.”
‘May not notice it as much’
When it came to hair loss the “Dip It Low” singer added it was a shared experience. “A lot of my friends, especially mixed race, my Black friends or friends of color have experienced the same thing.”
Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Mona Gohara said postpartum hair loss may be a little hard to spot in women of color but it happens.
” They [Black women] may not notice it as much if they don’t wash their hair as frequently,” Dr. Gohara explained.
Since having Kenna, Milian has not experienced postpartum hair loss yet, but she is staying on top of the game by partnering with Nioxin and sharing her story in hopes to encourage others.
“New moms, listen up! The changes our bodies go through during and after pregnancy are full of ups and downs, including that dreaded postpartum hair loss,” she captioned her Instagram post on Aug. 11. “After my pregnancy with Isaiah, I lost chunks of hair and it definitely took a toll on my confidence. This time in my postpartum journey, I’m getting ahead of it with @Nioxin.”
Getting ahead of the game
“When you think about aging, you think about, oh, I’m gonna get wrinkles, I’m gonna get this, I’m gonna get that, but you don’t think I’m going to lose my hair,” said Dr. Gohara.
She added that it’s never too early to start practicing anti-aging methods on our skin and hair.
” I think we should start thinking about that [anti-aging] with our hair health,” Dr. Gohara advised. “And start doing things and using products like Nioxin to help prevent this kind of hair thinning that naturally happens as part of the aging process.
Milian is currently using the Nioxin System Kit 5, which comes with a Cleanser Shampoo, Scalp Therapy Conditioner and Scalp, and Hair Treatment. The new mom says she loves the peppermint oil and the simple steps make it easier to incorporate into her regular routine since she can’t spend a lot of time with her hair with having a new baby.
Dr. Gohara said keeping a healthy lifestyle postpartum can also play a part in combatting postpartum hair loss. When Milian had her son, Isaiah, she started to eat healthier. Although she is the co-founder of Beignet Box, a New Orleans-style dessert cafe in Los Angeles, you’ll find a lot of apples, broccoli, tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables in her kitchen.
“I make it a priority when I go to the grocery store that every time I go into that vegetable aisle I get a lot of stuff because we actually run out of it pretty quick because we eat it often,” she said.
‘Changed my life’
Postpartum hair loss is a symptom of postpartum, depression that occurs after women have a baby. CDC studies have shown that Black and Hispanic women are twice as likely to get PPD symptoms as white women.
Nioxin is available at Ulta and Amazon.
Despite the health and physical ups and downs that new motherhood can bring, like most moms, Milian wouldn’t trade it for anything. In her E! docuseries, Christina Milian Turned Up, she said motherhood changed her life.
“It’s like I see the world with new eyes: Not only is this my life to live, this is for my daughter,” Milian reflected on the moment her daughter was born. “If you really go into it with the mentality that you can do it and this has all been placed into your life for a reason at this time, then, hey, you gotta go with it.”
