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Contrary to popular belief, hair loss is not a problem that only affects men. Around 70% of women over 70 experience hair loss, and 40% experience hair thinning after menopause. Postpartum hair loss is also widespread and impacts up to 50% of women in the United States alone, including Christina Milian.
According to the New Jersey-born Afro-Cuban actress, singer, and songwriter, she noticed she was shedding a lot of hair between three to six months after giving birth. An experience that caught her completely off-guard. “I wasn’t expecting it when it happened because nobody ever told me about this,” she told HOLA! USA. “I was in the shower. I remember the day because I went from having full, beautiful, long hair to looking at my hair going through the drain.”
For the 39-year-old mother of three, losing her hair and not knowing the reasons caused an immense shock. “I didn’t know where it came from. And then, instantly, from that point on, it took a toll on my confidence. I couldn’t figure out if I were stressing out or what was wrong. I was having a perfectly happy pregnancy.”
Milian revealed that after having her first baby, she noticed that her hairline started to recede. “Especially in my temples. My hairline was going back, back, back, back. That’s when I first noticed my postpartum hair loss,” she recalls.
It is typical for men and women to shed a small amount of hair (around 100 strands) daily; however, according to Dr. Mona Gohara, hair loss or thinning occurs because pregnancy causes physiologic stress. “Hair loss is the technical term for telogen effluvium, a long and fancy name that means that 90% of the hairs on our head are in a growing phase and 10% are in the shedding phase,” she explains to HOLA! USA. “What happens after pregnancy is that they cycle shifts, so the shedding outpaces the growing.”
There’s also a difference between hair loss and shedding. Dr. Gohara explains there is an autoimmune form of hair loss, called alopecia areata, in which people “actually can get bald patches on the scalp.” However, shedding and hair loss, despite their differences, are considered alopecia across the board. “The trick is that when the hair is shedding, you can see the little piece of skin at the end of the hair —this it’s called a club — here you can see that it’s shedding at the root. Most of the time, this is more of a shed than another form of alopecia,” she notes.
Like Christina, many moms experienced or are experiencing the effects of postpartum hair loss, Dr. Gohara assures that there’s nothing to be scared of. “This is correctable,” the expert says.
To promote hair growth and correct her hair loss, Milian started implementing Nioxin in her haircare routine. “I started using the three system kit of Nioxin,” the singer and actress said. “I use system five. Perfect for adding moisture to my curly hair and avoid breakage. The system helps to keep my hair dense and healthy.” Nioxin system kits are tailored to suit different hair needs.
Milian’s routine consists in washing her hair with the Nioxin Cleanser Shampoo from the Nioxin Hair Care System 5 Kit for chemically treated hair. The shampoo removes dirt, sebum, and other environmental residues from the scalp and hair. After rinsing, she applies the Nioxin Scalp Therapy Conditioner, a lightweight conditioner that helps provide hair resilience and hydrates scalp and hair from root to tip.
Christina finishes her routine with the Nioxin Scalp & Hair Treatment. A refreshing foam for the scalp that increases the hair volume of every strand. You can also compliment your Nioxin Hair System Kit with Intensive Care products like the Nioxin 3D Intensive Hair Booster.
“The products have peppermint oil,” says Christina adding that it gives the best sensation in the scalp. “I focus on my temples and the areas where I tend to part my hair more often,” she explains. “My hair is nice and full right now; I’m not wearing tracks or pieces in my hair, this is, this is the real deal. I‘m running away from his hair loss.”
The singer advises that having an overall healthy lifestyle should also be part of the routine. “ I feed my kids a lot of vegetables and fruits, so I pretty much eat what they eat, I work out, I drink water, I take my vitamins, so, there’s a combination of things,” Milian says.
As a Latina, Christina also tried to recreate homemade remedies passed down from generations. “I’ve seen it all, an avocado for moisturizing and eggs. If we go the old school route, It gets super messy, so I like to use something that I know is efficient and really does work, and it’s less of a mess like Nioxin.”
According to Christina, she was the first in her circle of friends to have babies; therefore, getting advice or information on what was happening to her was challenging. Now, she has become the go-to person for her loved ones. For the same reason, she doesn’t discard the possibility of launching a blog or vlog to share more insight about female hair loss. “I would love to. I just don’t know where to start when it comes to blogging. So I don’t know, maybe one day I’ll do it.”
Milian says her number one mission is to keep fighting hair loss and educate other people who think the condition is reserved for males. “I would love for women to know that we experience this; it’s not just a problem for men. Whether it’s for age, or after having a child, or you might be stressed, but there’s definitely a solution to help you grow your hair back,” she assures. “Don’t be hard on yourself. If there’s anybody who could tell you it’s me, I experienced it. My confidence was way low when it happened, but you know when you’re searching for a solution and knowing that there is actually an answer for the problem. It makes you feel a lot better, so I’m here to convey that because it’s true, and it works.”