New Mom Hairstyle?

s_corrigall

I feel silly asking this as it is such a first world problem, but it's been swirling around my head as of late. I'm curious what other women did with their first pregnancy, in terms of their hair. Do most people switch to a more natural hair colour so the upkeep isn't as demanding? I figured I would have to cut off a few inches just to cut down on drying and styling time, but I'm going back and forth on whether or not I need to opt for a boring, low maintenance colour.

What have you ladies done in the past, or if you're a first timer like myself, what are you planning on doing?

SuperFudge00

I'd already done that long before I was pregnant. I dye natural if I dye at all. I have trained my hair to work using only a leave in conditioner that I'm able to apply straight out of the shower, brush through and go.

Idk how I can lower the maintenance on my day to day hair.

specialsn0wflake

I kept mine the same.  Medium/long length and I still got it done every 2-3 months like I do now (highlights, thinning, and a trim).  I'm thinking of cutting it, but I've been considering a long bob for awhile now, and the choice isn't baby related, just more of a 'time for a change' type thing.  

shayrenee86

This past summer I rocked a long, shoulder length bob that I LOVED, but I've tried to take advantage of the hair growing stage. My hair has never been super long so I'm seeing what happens. I try and be pretty low maintenance as it is, I color with demi-permanent color so it fades and doesn't leave a stark, grown out line.

Babykells3

I use to have long hair with an Ombré dye. It was super low maintenance, the colour never showed any roots growing out and I could throw it up into a pony tail. Then in May I got 14 inches cut off and LOVE it! I now have a short angled bob and naturally curly hair so all I do is flip my head upside down while my hair is wet, scrunch some pomade in it and go. Super easy and looks super cute!

s_corrigall

Good to know ladies, thank you! Stupid follow up question: I can completely style my hair in 15 minutes, 12 if absolutely necessary- will that be feasible once baby comes, or am I in for a rude awakening?

mamakeeg

If you do something, don't do it dramatically. Like chop off a bunch or dye it a color you might not like. Hair dye is definitely affected by pregnancy hormones with some women so keep that in mind too. I know around this time a lot of pregnant women do drastic hair changes, then after pregnancy regret it because your hair can keep changing (falling out/changing color etc). I know before I found out I was pregnant I got my hair done blonde like I have for years and years, but this time it turned orange and we didn't know why. Then found out I was pregnant! So just keep it minimal and if you still wanna change it up a lot do it after baby is here.

scaggsed

I cut off about 8 inches before ttc and it's just reaching about an inch past my clavicles. Good for pony tails! I do miss my fat buns though.

I'm currently fading my hair dye (pastel pink) so I can dye it a color that won't require root bleaching quite as often. That's my only change I guess.

Renate85

I have a pixie cut, which I tried to grow out when I found out I was pregnant (also stopped with the dye and highlights) but the odd mid length shape made me look like one of the Beatles and I couldn't stand it, so I had it cut again. So I'll just have to see how it goes when baby arrives. As a FTM I expect I'll be too tired to care what I look like.

knjzacher

I made the mistake of dying to a colour closer to my root colour, cutting off 6" and getting easy to style bangs after my first was born. I immediately regretted changing it at ALL. I did it cause the hormones were telling me I needed change and I hated it. Went back to blonde and grew the bangs out as quickly as possible.
I would say to wait until you've experienced how you will deal with your hair with a forced time constraint before chopping of changing it. During the first month or two or 6 I didn't style my hair much, if at all. Buns and ponytails. It didn't make a difference how easy it was to style (as I thought it would) because I wasn't styling it.

littlemissluc

If you want to make a change to your hair as a new mom, I recommend doing something simple and flattering in a way that you can just look good with a simple at home blow out or leaving your hair dry on its own. Go with a color that is either your natural(if you don't have any grays) or something similar so you don't have to get it done every month and still look good. I agree with the others on the length, leave it long enough to put it up, it is useful plus it can be very easy to make a simple up do and look cute and well put together. I have a medium long curly hair and I just wash it, put a bit of hair foam and leave it dry on its own. It looks good for days without having to brush it or even do anything. I guess that will be great when the baby comes.

Duffgurl

I've never colored my hair and don't plan to until I feel the need to. As far as changing my hair style or cut....nope. Still have long hair and wear it straight or curly.

lindsayanne14

s_corrigall said:

Good to know ladies, thank you! Stupid follow up question: I can completely style my hair in 15 minutes, 12 if absolutely necessary- will that be feasible once baby comes, or am I in for a rude awakening?

12-15 minutes is likely feasible. In the early days with DS styling my hair wasn't a top priority so I would often just wash it and pull it back. I went back to work after 3 mths and had no problem maintaining my hair, which is long with natural looking highlights. If you like your current style I would probably see how it goes before making a drastic change you might regret. Of course, it's just hair and will grow back eventually!

Pix3lle

I had hair down to my waist and when i found out i was pregnant i cut it above my shoulders. But that was mostly because it was dead and split halfway up.

AMShark

I go between very long and very short - and I've never dyed it because I like to donate it every couple of years.

In my experience, short hair can be more of a commitment than long hair. My hair is neither straight nor curly - it's sorta wavy. Wavy long hair can be left to air dry or pullled back & it looks decent, but wavy short hair must be styled, or your head will just look bumpy.

I'm in between short & long now with bangs. I'll probably grow it out longer, just because I'm on hospital bed rest. (I asked my mom to trim my bangs back when I was on home bed rest, & I sort of regret it - it looked a little Lloyd Christmas from Dumb & Dumber).
I think I can arrange with the hospital to get my haircut, but why bother when no one can see it & I can't do anything with it until I have the babies anyway?

redneckmomma25

I left my hair at a length I could still put it up. I'm going to have a trim in march but still leave plenty to put up.

I had time to do my hair sometimes but mine just takes 5 minutes to blow dry straight. You might not be able to do your hair every day but every so often? Sure.

demirhae

I just went to my hair stylist this past weekend and she told me that everyone she's had in her chair that requested a big change before their baby was born came back asking why she let them do it. I was asking for a long bob but we just cut a little more off of my mid-back length hair. I've donated my hair and from experience longer hair is easier (on me) because I can blow dry it and it lasts a few days or I can let it air dry and it's heavy enough to not pouf out. I'm not much of a pony tail person but I like that the option is there.

redheaded14

I'm actually growing mine out.  It sits on my shoulders now, but my "happy length" is about 1-2 inches longer.  I cut it short (above my shoulders) this summer and while I liked it, it couldn't get into a pony tail which was annoying.  

My hair is pretty low maintenance though, I wash it at night or in the morning when I don't have to leave the house (1x weekly is enough for me) and when it's dry, curl it with a 2" curling iron all over.  Finger brush and it's good.

BabyShanteau

I'd wait till you're 5 or 6 months PP to do something, after all of your hair has stopped falling out. I'd also stick with something that's easy and long enough to pull back.

ally3242

I had my hair colored a little more naturally, just because I wasn't totally sure when I'd have the time for hair appointments and decided to let it grow out with DS. I found it a lot easier to throw it in a top knot and call it a day. I've got really weird frizzy hair and it needs to be styled. I finally cut it again when DS was about 6 months old. Now I'm back to growing it out to save time and headaches when this baby gets here. 

kjuryfl

I have kept up my normal highlights and long hair since my daughter was born in 2011. It is still very possible to keep up with your hair with kiddos I kept her bouncy seat in my bathroom when she was a baby so I could bounce her with my foot while I got ready for the day.

kjuryfl

I should add.. I have naturally very dark hair and some grey, so I have to keep up with it or else... Lol

ScarletOflaherty

I'm going the opposite route and planning to highlight/color right before I deliver. I want at least my hair to look nice the first few weeks post partum when nothing else does, and it will force me to get out and do something for myself once little one is around 6-8 weeks old. 

yddk212

I have very curly hair and for my first pregnancy I cut it short. I cut it about 4 weeks before I gave birth and it was very low maintenance. I'm on my second pregnancy and I'm seriously thinking about doing it again. I would be cutting off about 8 inches

PinkDahLia44

I've always gone back and forth between very short and longish. So any hair style changes have nothing to do with anything except that I get bored easily. I will recommend, though, that if you plan to do something dramatic, do it while your baby is relatively young and won't notice. My son is 14 months old now, and I'm afraid to do anything drastic because I know he'll get upset at first when he doesn't recognize me. I don't think I could handle that reaction right now.

As for the time it takes to do your hair, I think it depends on your baby and support system. Babies generally sleep for more than 15 minutes at a time, so you should have time to do your hair if that's what you choose to do during that time. Otherwise, your husband (or mother or friend or whomever) can watch baby for you to refresh yourself a bit.

springlove59

My hair has grown so much during pregnancy. It's almost down to my butt now...I need to cut it badly! I probably won't go too short though. I am lazy and put my hair in a bun every day.

jmhansen11

I'm also planning to get mine done (normal trim, highlights) shortly before I'm due so it looks pretty for those first couple months. I have no plans to get a "mom" style now or ever, because I have the same irrational fear as @RHoPA1109‌ If it's long enough you can always do a bun or ponytail, and I agree with PP who said shorter hair can often take more time to style, especially if it's thin/wavy/etc.

hillbillywife

I'm another mom that prefers to have long hair and pull it up. I'm 23 and have a disgusting amount of gray hair so I try to just color it my natural color to keep up with it

HZ2012

I know for me, having freshly colored/highlighted hair made me feel really good, so I did it. (After ds was born). It was also a little time on my own to get pampered. It wasn't something that had to be done all that often.

As far as hair length, like some PP's mentioned, unless you're going pixie, make sure you can pull it back in a pony or throw it up in a bun.

jobotrobot

I cut quite a few inches off of my hair and stopped getting highlights. Cutting my hair was the biggest mistake since I think my hair rebeled and it's looked awful since September. I don't see the harm in coloring but I was over the maintenance.

nechmielewski

My hair is longer now than it was before DD was born.  It's not impossible to keep up with your current style, but you may need to find a few "quick and dirty" ways to do your hair so you feel your best. 

chicsugar

RHoPA1109 said:

I'm hoping to try to keep my hair the same--I have this irrational fear of becoming a mom and leaving the hospital looking like this:

Hysterical!

chicsugar

I am hoping to keep my hair as is. I have medium/longish blond (ok fine- dark blond now with highlights) that I prefer to wear straight, but can wear my natural curly hair. I am just anticipating keeping it curly most of the time for the first few months (it will be summer then anyway) and when I do straighten it, spraying the shit out of it with dry shampoo for a few days. Love Baptiste brand dry shampoo btw. I have tried tons of them, and it is by far my fav. 

be888

I never do anything crazy with my hair. I just color it to my natural medium brown to cover the greys. At the moment it is shoulder length. I plan on cutting it pretty short, once my post partum shedding is over, to start new. I have 3 different re growth of hair at the moment.

scoler7

I don't really do much with my hair I never have. But with baby number two on the way I would say its important to keep some of those little things around that make you feel good and make you feel like you. If that means doing your hair or getting it colored do it! It will give you a little time for you, which will be so important. Better yet if its a scheduled cut and color while someone watches the babe for you. When baby comes the day to day upkeep might not happen first thing in the morning but during her first nap of the day or while she is in a swing but it'll still be your time to feel like you.

taramanter

My hair is down to my butt and I refuse to chop it all off! I think it is so easy to put in a braid, bun or pony and if it was shorter it would just be more work.

JaneShops

Doing nothing, and actually my hair has been dye-free for at least 5 years. So it's not a huge shocker. I like to just shower, and go. So I may possibly do a hair treatment (Japanese straightening or Brazilian blowout) after the baby is born. Don't want to expose her to those chemicals right now.

emarsh0415

I've really been wanting to chop my hair into a long bob (but long enough for a pony) and I think you all just talked me into it :-). It's gotten so long, the ends have definitely seen better days and it takes so long to do!... Off to call my hair stylist.

wolowizard

I got married at 13 weeks pregnant an id been growing my hair out forever before then. The day after my wedding I cut off six inches. It was glorious but it was so long it wasn't that big of a deal. I've never colored my hair and I probably won't do anything before or after the baby is born. Maybe a trim but nothing exciting.

Scarlettg

Haven't colored my hair since the second line showed up on the pee stick.  Fortunately it was already dyed to pretty much my natural color so, except for the grays, you really can't tell.  I'm currently growing my hair out and I love that I can pull it back quickly and easily.  I suspect that will come in handy with a baby, so I'm not cutting it beyond keeping the ends looking healthy.