Nail and Hair Care for a Yummy Mummy
Looking After Your Hair and Nails during Pregnancy
Aug 13, 2009 Andrea Seren Charrington-Greene
With all the hormonal changes that a pregnancy brings it is not hard to predict that it will have an unpredictable effect on your hair and nails. Some women will benefit from more vibrant and luxurious hair during pregnancy whilst other women will complain of the exact opposite. The same can be said for nails whilst some women will experience brittle and dry nails others will benefit from increased strength and growth. Whatever effect pregnancy is having on your hair and nails you will want to keep them in peak condition whilst avoiding the chemicals that can be found in many commercial preparations. Pregnancy can be a wonderful time to indulge in making some simple home made remedies.
Many women experience greasier hair towards the end of their pregnancy this is due to the increase in progesterone in the blood that stimulates the sebaceous glands on the scalp. Whilst previously dry hair may benefit from this change those who have benefited from normal hair may find such changes difficult to live with. You will probably find that this increased oiliness leads to your hair looking lank. A wonderful recipe to keep your hair looking lustrous is this natural shampoo recipe:
Natural Shampoo:
Ingredients:
- 2/3 Cup liquid Castile Soap
- 1/3 Cup distilled water
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 drops Lemon Essential Oil
- 5 drops Orange Essential Oil
- 4 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
- 4 drops Camomile Essential Oil
Instructions:
- Combine the first two ingredients
- Stir in the salt and essential oils.
Recipe Tip:
This natural shampoo mix will keep for about 6 months and a little goes a long way. Store your natural hair-care shampoo in a tightly sealed container in a cool place out of the way of direct sunlight.
Directions for use
- Massage into scalp and wet hair.
- Rinse with warm water.
Your hair is likely to become thicker during pregnancy and one of the reasons for this may be that more than ninety per cent of the hair on your head is thrown simultaneously into a growing phase. Outside of pregnancy ninety per cent of hair is growing and the remainder is resting. Therefore, most women experience an increase in the thickness and strength of their hair. This excess hair is lost naturally after pregnancy. This can go on for up to eighteen months after the birth of your baby and can be quite alarming at first, but rest assured that your hair will recover. A vinegar hair rinse keeps the scalp healthy and hair conditioned and is great to use during and after your pregnancy as a general hair tonic. Try this easy recipe to give your hair a real shine of vitality:
Vinegar Hair Rinse
Ingredients:
- Four or five sprigs of chosen herb
- Small bottle of cider vinegar
Instructions:
Firstly make herbal vinegar, by adding a four or five sprigs of your chosen herb, (sage to darken, camomile/lemon to lighten, parsley to clear dandruff or rosemary to ease dry, thin or falling hair) to a small bottle of cider vinegar. Dilute 1tbsp. of herbal vinegar with 250ml/8floz of water. Rub thoroughly in hair; leave for five minutes and then rinse.
Splitting and breaking nails is another problem encountered by many pregnant women. It is important to remember to wear rubber gloves and apply hand lotion to protect the nails. Your nails will return to normal after the birth but you can make a wonderful nail balm that will help to condition your nails whilst pregnant. This is also useful for women whose nails have improved throughout the pregnancy as this usually indicates that they will lose their condition after the birth.
Conditioning Nail Balm.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup
- Beeswax - 1/4 ounce
- glycerine - 1 tsp
- 10 drops of lavender essential oil
- Heat the oil and beeswax until the latter melts.
- Remove from heat.
- Whip with an electric beater until it becomes creamy.
- add the glycerine and essential oil
- Stir well
- Store it in a dark glass, screw top jar.
- Keep in a cool place out of direct sunlight.
Whatever changes your hair and nails experience during pregnancy try not to get too frustrated and demoralised as this is a wonderful time to indulge yourself in a little pampering and a great excuse for trying out new recipes and products.
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