Ashley Graham gives fans an update on her postpartum hair loss

Ashley Graham gives fans an update on her postpartum hair loss

Ashley Graham is letting her baby hair "run free" after giving birth.

The model shared a carousel of pictures on her Instagram showing her in a green dress and heels, with her hair pulled back in a tight bun. While her hair appears perfectly slicked back in the first few shots, the final image - a selfie of Graham - shows her growing postpartum baby hair in all its glory.

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"The best nights end with letting the baby hairs out... and a glass of wine," Graham wrote in the caption of her post.

The 35-year-old mother of three has been open about postpartum hair loss since giving birth to her first child, Isaac, in 2020. Months after giving birth to twins in 2022, Graham provides regular updates on her hair regrowth journey.

"Swipe to see my hairline coming in," Graham captioned a series of photos on Instagram in August, giving followers a close-up of her hairline.

Graham shared much of her first experience with hair loss after having her twins on her Instagram Stories. And after having her first child, her "whole hairline fell out," according to a 2021 interview with Parents. "That was more traumatic than even giving birth because I thought, 'My hair is falling out in clumps - what am I doing?'" she said at the time.

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While Graham seemed surprised by hair thinning after the first birth, postpartum hair loss is a normal, common condition for new mothers in the first few months after having a baby, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). It is caused by falling estrogen levels and is considered “excessive hair loss” rather than true hair loss.

It is normal to lose up to 100 hairs per day, but if you are pregnant you may only lose 15 hairs per day. That's thanks to increased estrogen levels, which keep hair in its growth phase longer than usual, Anabel Kingsley, trichologist and brand president at Philip Kingsley, previously told Shape.

After birth, hormones shift quickly and the drop in estrogen sends hair into a "resting phase," leading to hair loss, explained Shani Francis, MD, a dermatologist and chief wellness officer of Ashira Dermatology in Gurnee, IL. That's why it's normal to lose more hair after birth, but no reason to panic.

"You won't lose more than 50 percent of your hair," said Dr. Francis. "Even though it seems like you're going to go bald at any moment, you won't."

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Postpartum hair loss is temporary, but there are methods you can use to deal with it in the meantime. You can use volumizing shampoo and conditioners formulated for fine hair, and you can focus on applying conditioner to the ends of your hair rather than the scalp, which can weigh hair down, according to the AAD.

Graham also has a go-to product for dealing with postpartum hair loss. She used a scalp and hair serum from Kérastase Initialiste, the model shared on Instagram in 2020.

Although it's unclear whether she used the same serum after her last pregnancy, Graham seems to accept that it gets her going, which will likely make other new mothers feel less alone.