You want your baby to have thick, silky hair. But is shaving baby’s head the answer? Find out here.
What can you read in this article?
- Is it necessary to shave baby’s first hair?
- When does baby hair grow back after falling out
- How to make baby’s hair grow thicker
Our hair is considered our crowning glory. This is why from birth, we take care of our baby’s hair, using only the gentlest products to ensure that the hair will grow to be healthy and lush like we wanted.
But sometimes, our excitement gets the better of us. We are so eager to see our baby’s hair grow that instead of just letting nature (or hormones) take its course, we literally put the matter into our own hands and start shaving our baby’s head.
Across many Asian cultures, it’s a common belief passed from mom to mom: shaving your baby’s head will make her hair grow longer and thicker.
Many moms swear by the importance of shaving to make way for healthier, silkier tresses. My own mom has often regaled me with tales of how ugly my newborn hair was (complete with photo evidence). At a few months old, what little fuzz I had was thin and patchy until she took me to the hairdresser’s.
Is shaving baby’s hair good or bad?
So is this cultural practice backed up by science? The bald answer: no.
The texture of your baby’s hair is genetically predetermined from birth, according to Leonica Kei, director and senior trichologist at Singapore’s Philip Kingsley Trichological Center. Babies are born already possessing all the hair follicles they will ever have.
Simply put, hair follicles are pockets of cells beneath the scalp surface which produce hair. The size of the follicles determines the thickness of your baby’s hair — the bigger the follicle, the thicker the hair strand.
The number of follicles, on the other hand, determines how much hair your child will have. The higher the number of follicles, the more hairs possible to be formed.
Shaving, of course, doesn’t change the hair follicles rooted in your baby’s scalp. This means it’s your genes, not shaving, that can take credit for your child’s gorgeous tresses later on.
The risk of shaving baby’s head
So, it is really necessary to shave baby’s first hair? The answer is no. In fact, experts advise that parents might want to delay shaving their babies’ heads, for fear of injury.
“A baby’s scalp is very tender,” Kei says. “The top of his head, called the fontanelle, is especially soft because his skull bones have not fully knitted together.”
Moreover, according to Dr. Jennifer Tiglao, a pediatrician from the Makati Medical Center, not only does shaving your baby’s head not helpful in making it grow thicker, it also puts him at risk for infection, which could be dangerous for newborns.
“There is no medical explanation that when you shave your head, it will grow back thicker. There’s no truth to that. Hair is genetic. If you were born with thick hair, if your ancestors had thick hair, there is a possibility that your hair will be thick as well,” she explained in Filipino.
The risk in shaving a baby’s head is the infection. Because you’re removing the layer that protects baby’s scalp, so his hair follicles will be irritated. He might even get folliculitis, which are tiny wounds in the scalp and can be a source of infection,” she added.
Different stages of baby hair
At first, the baby has no hair, or he is born with hair but will thin out during the next couple of months, only to grow back again. What’s the deal about that? And when does the baby’s hair texture change?
This hairy situation can be mind-boggling at the start, so it helps to know that your child will go through three stages of hair growth for the first two years.
Stage 1 – When your baby is born, he may have lanugo, a soft, thick hair that grows all over your child’s body and head. This starts to grow at around 5 months in pregnancy. Some babies completely shed this before they are born (absorbed into amniotic fluid), while some are born with lanugo still attached. However, expect that your baby will also shed this in the first few weeks.
Stage 2 – After your baby sheds off the lanugo, the vellus hair which is short, fine and poorly pigmented, starts to grow. This explains why your baby’s hair seems so thin during the first year.
Stage 3 – As your baby grows, his hair follicles mature and ushers in the third phase, the terminal hair, which are long strands of hair with tapered ends that grow from terminal follicles in the skin.
When does baby hair grow back after falling out? By the time your baby is two years old, your baby will have shed all the vellus and replaced with thicker, longer and darker hair.
READ MORE:
Newborn Guide: 10 things you need to know about Cradle Cap
Baby’s first haircut: Kailan dapat gawin at paano ito paghahandaan?
6 recommended baby shampoo ng mga Pinay moms
Why do babies lose their hair?
Another common worry that parents have is uneven or patchy hair. Infant hair loss may be the culprit in this case, and it’s a natural part of baby development, according to LIVESTRONG.
When your baby is born with no hair, you will notice that he will start growing hair, albeit thin strands at first, for the first few months. But when your baby was born with a good head of hair, seeing it become thinner can cause parents to worry that it might be related to an abnormality or a health condition.
But the truth is that falling hair is normal in infants. According to Healthline, during pregnancy, some of the hormones will cross the placenta and circulate through your baby’s body. But shortly after birth, these hormone levels start dropping, which also causes your baby to lose some of his hair.
The same thing happens to new mothers when their lush locks (which they had during pregnancy) slowly disappear after giving birth. Then later you may see a lot of hair falling at once. This is due to telogen effluvium, the process by which hair is lost three to four months after a stressful event.
While how your child’s hair grows depends heavily on hormones, there are other factors that may affect why your baby loses his hair.
Also known as seborrheic dermatitis, cradle cap is known as the thick layer of sebum that you can see on your newborn’s head. You may notice these whitish or yellowish scaly patches on your baby’s head in the first couple of weeks. It’s kind of like dandruff, but it’s a condition that is common in newborns and babies up to 3 months.
While cradle cap is normal and usually clears away on its own within a few weeks, the problem lies when parents can’t help but pick on it or rub the sebum away using their bare hands, which can cause damage to your child’s hair follicles, resulting in hair thinning or hair loss.
Do you tend to notice how a newborn’s hair can tend to be so oily? Again, this has something to do with the mother’s hormones at birth, which produce sebum. For this reason, it is important to wash your baby’s hair regularly with a mild shampoo. Why? It’s because the accumulation of dirt on your baby’s scalp can cause dryness, which can slow hair growth.
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Sleeping position and tying baby’s hair too tight
If your baby’s balding is occurring in spots, this may also be caused by sleeping and sitting positions. According to experts, babies who rub the back of their head against a baby seat or mattress often lose hair in that spot.
To reduce hair loss from too much time spent in the same position, you are advised to give the little ones more tummy time. Alternatively, you can switch up which end of the cot you lay your baby’s head during sleep time.
We know you’re excited to put cute clips or tie your baby’s hair in a tiny ponytail, but tying your baby’s hair too tight can also damage their hair follicles and cause hair loss.
How to make baby hair grow thicker?
As mentioned earlier, majority of your baby’s hair texture, thickness and even color relies heavily on genetics. So there’s really nothing you can do but wait for it to unfold and grow. Shaving your baby’s head hardly does anything to help. In fact, as experts said, it can even be harmful to your infant.
However, there are some ways that you can keep your child’s hair follicles healthy and promote hair growth.
For starters, maintaining proper hair hygiene is important. Washing your baby’s hair regularly can prevent the scalp from being dry which slows hair growth. Just remember to use a mild shampoo that’s specifically formulated for babies and stay away from harsh chemicals that can destroy hair follicles.
“If you know that your baby has thin hair, then all the more that you should avoid shampoos with strong chemicals. Remember, if the shampoo has too much fragrance, the more stronger it is. If it doesn’t have much fragrance or scent, it means it’s gentler on your baby’s scalp,” reminded Dr. Tiglao.
Also, massaging your baby’s scalp gently using a soft washcloth or a baby brush with soft bristles can help prevent the damaging effects of cradle cap and can improve blood circulation to the scalp and hair follicles.
You can also veer away from tight hair ties or hair clips and instead use silk baby headbands that won’t tug on your little one’s hair.
Though you should consult a doctor if you’re concerned about your baby’s hair growth, there’s usually no need for you to do much. Just let nature run its course. Meanwhile, enjoy your little one’s adorable hairdo, tufts, thin hair and all!
Republished with permission from theAsianParent Singapore
Additional information from Camille Eusebio
Source:
Heathline, SCMP
