“I’ve had three babies in the last five and a half years so I’ve experienced postpartum hair loss a few times now. All three times, I noticed that the hair loss really began around two to three months postpartum. I have fine hair, and not tonnes of it, so I was freaked out that I would have no hair left on my head. At its worst, I was losing large clumps of hair when brushing and there was hair fall everywhere in the house. My 3-year-old would come to me crying because she would get my long hairs wrapped around her fingers. As with every other woman I was already experiencing all the other postpartum things: my body had changed, breastfeeding was painful and I was exhausted. Frankly, losing so much of my hair was the cherry on the cake.

Six months after I had my first, I was due to be married. Not ideal as I wanted to wear my hair down for the wedding and feel nice about myself but my hair was so thin. I used a spray that promised to boost growth but I don’t think it worked, maybe because I wasn’t treating the issue from the inside as well. In any case, I opted for clip-in extensions to give my hair some body, but I would have much preferred to have more of my own.

It got progressively worse with my second and third babies. The third time round was bad. I was experiencing a lot of stress caring for three little ones under five in lockdown whilst also trying to run my business which might have contributed to it. It got so extreme at one point that my husband thought I might have alopecia.

With my third baby, I immediately jumped on the Habitual Beauty Collagen Elixir bandwagon. The formulation is concentrated in collagen and also has added vitamins, minerals and omegas. Being time poor it’s great to have all that goodness in one sachet. Post-breastfeeding I also began Aéde Power Activist, which is specifically formulated for hormonal hair loss. It was created by a hair care professional and is all natural so I felt I could trust it. The combination worked wonders – my hairdresser could not believe the difference.

My biggest piece of advice is to get ahead of it to try to minimise the damage. Start on a breastfeeding-friendly supplement that contains collagen soon after you give birth. Then, if you decide to take a hair loss-specific supplement, choose one that targets hormonal hair loss. And finally, cut your hair! Trim it on a regular basis to allow for healthy growth. If your hair is not looking as good and thick as usual, a shorter cut tends to look better. After three pregnancies, I’ve come to the conclusion that some hair thinning is somewhat unavoidable but with the right supplements you can help it grow back quicker and healthier. Postpartum hair loss taught me to look after my hair from the inside out, to ensure it’s healthy and strong.

I am now 15 months postpartum and my hair is better than it was before having my three kids – no kidding! Not only do I have more hair now than before, it doesn’t split at the ends like it used to. I still take collagen once a day and the Aéde capsules and I won’t stop anytime soon because they make a huge difference for me.”

“I experienced slight hair loss around five months postpartum after washing my hair. I’d say I was losing roughly 10 strands per wash – it was nothing as bad as I was anticipating. I took the Habitual Beauty Advanced Skin + Gut Health Collagen Elixir daily as a preventative measure throughout my pregnancy and postpartum and I attribute my lack of postpartum hair loss to the formulation. [Ed’s note: it contains 10,000mg of hydrolysed collagen peptides per serve plus an array of other hair health-boosting ingredients.]

I’ve found that using a silk pillowcase and hair tie helps to reduce stress on fragile hair. I also highly recommend using a hair claw or clip as the impact on hair is similarly minimal. I’ve never been a hair clip wearer before but I love the effortlessly chic look it gives. I’m currently 11 months postpartum and my hair is better now than pre-pregnancy, both in shine and overall health. It’s growing at a record rate! Prior to taking the Collagen Elixir, my hair struggled to grow – it was weak and brittle with a fair amount of split ends.

My biggest piece of advice to someone going through postpartum hair loss is to focus on nourishing yourself from within in as many ways as you can. The season of life after having a baby is a period of immense change for a new mother and it’s extremely important to look after yourself. If you’re looking for a hair supplement, do your research and find a high-dose, science-backed formula that offers real results. A lot of brands market themselves as great for postpartum hair loss, but require you to take the product three times a day and still don’t deliver the same amount of collagen Habitual Beauty does in a single sachet. (Remembering to take three servings of anything per day is not exactly sustainable for a new mum either!) In addition to collagen, our Advanced Skin + Gut Health Collagen Elixir also contains 17 essential and non-essential amino acids and is fortified with a proprietary blend of 24 bioactive ingredients to further support your overall hair health.”