While a few babies come out with perfectly styled locks, many start off with a spiky mohawk, tufted patches or the scraggly comb-over of a little Homer Simpson. And fifty-fifty more than accept almost nothing at all.

Whatever your baby'due south hairstyle du jour, don't worry too much — or get too attached. Newborn 'dos are hair today, gone tomorrow. Here'southward a await at how your babe'due south hair tin grow and modify — plus how to treat whatever coif your cutie's got.

When do babies grow hair?

Even if your baby is totally bald when she's born, the seeds of her futurity locks take long been planted. Pilus follicles start to develop by week 14 or 15 of pregnancy, setting the stage for future strands to sprout.

That's not to say your newborn volition necessarily come into the world with a full head of hair — far from information technology. Most babies accept virtually none when they're get-go born, and the tiny tresses that sally in those early weeks and months could very well shed between two and 3 months.

As for when she'll start sporting a permanent load of locks? Know that it'll happen eventually. Exactly when that happens tin can be anyone'due south guess — it's unlike for every child. Some get a great new head of hair past 6 months, some not for ii or three years. And fifty-fifty if those strands are sparse early, it doesn't hateful your child's hair volition be thin when she'due south older.

Why do babies lose their hair?

Whether your baby was born with a massive mane or started growing a few sprouts that and then began to shed, babe pilus loss is common and nothing to worry about.

In fact, it'due south a normal, physiological response to birth. Some experts link it to plummeting pregnancy hormones — the ones that may have given you great hair too! — which kicking off what's called the exogen phase in some parts of the scalp, causing lots of hair to fall out birthday.

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Luckily, the exogen phase is ordinarily followed rather speedily (or even simultaneously) by new hair growth. Merely the infant hair that grows in may be cypher like your niggling one'southward newborn locks.

Color and texture ofttimes modify — so your baby'due south thick, dark pilus could make its reappearance a lot sparser and lighter. Red can requite way to blond. Curly can go direct. Surprise, surprise!

How to make baby hair grow

Have dreams of styling a gorgeous, sweet-smelling caput of infant hair? While there'southward not much y'all can directly practice to get your sweetie's strands growing, you tin can give existing tresses the all-time possible handling and give her trunk what it needs to grow salubrious and strong from head to toe.

  • Keep your babe off of her dorsum when she's awake. Information technology'south mutual for younger babies to develop baldheaded patches on the back of their heads, thanks to so much time spent laying on their backs during sleep. While you should e'er place your infant on her back to sleep (it'southward the safest position and can foreclose SIDS), try to offer opportunities for her to take that head up while she's awake. Practice enough of tummy time and concur her upright while you're playing or reading books if she can't yet sit up on her ain.
  • Avoid over-brushing. Contrary to the old wives' tale, brushing 100 times a day doesn't encourage hair growth — and it can really promote impairment and breakage. Brush whatever fuzz your infant has equally needed to mode information technology, then cease.
  • Comb — don't brush — wet hair. Even a little bit of brushing tin harm wet hair. If your little ane's locks are long enough that they need some assistance post-bath, employ a comb instead.
  • Steer clear of tight hairstyles. Tempted to do up the little mane your infant does have? Just avoid pulling it back tightly and stick with soft hair bands or clips that won't pull strands out or break them.
  • Focus on healthy food. It's a must for your baby's growth and development overall, so in that sense, wholesome meals and snacks volition strengthen and support those lengthening locks. Breast milk or formula is all that your baby needs before 6 months. Once she starts solids, introduce a wide multifariousness of healthy foods and focus on the nutrients that are peculiarly important for babies. Recall protein, calcium, whole grains and complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, fe, omega-3s, and vitamins A, B, C and East.
  • Consider coconut oil. Try massaging a dab onto your baby'due south noggin subsequently bathroom time. Very limited research suggests that certain compounds in kokosnoot oil could assist combat hair damage and promote a good for you scalp. As with all natural remedies, only run information technology by your babe's pediatrician first.
  • Soothe cradle cap. If flaky, red patches have appeared on baby'southward scalp, alleviate this common skin condition — likewise chosen seborrheic dermatitis — with mineral oil and regular shampooing. This tin help clear upwardly the scales and may speed hair growth.

How to intendance for your newborn's pilus

Got a baby with a full head of hair? Caring for those fine locks calls for some finesse, but it'southward nothing you can't handle. Here'due south how to keep those newborn strands silky and smooth.

  • Don't launder your baby's pilus every day. Particularly with newborns, there's just no need. Aim for a quick shampoo when you bathe your baby, which doesn't need to happen more than oftentimes than a couple times a week.
  • Gently shampoo your baby'due south scalp at bathtime. A too-brisk scalp massage can stress hair follicles and speed up hair loss or breakage.
  • Utilize a soft-bristle brush or a wide-toothed comb that won't snag on tangles or pull your infant's hair.
  • Avoid headbands or ponytails that pull too tightly, which tin damage her locks.
  • If your baby needs a quick trim to look presentable, become for it. Just do it when she'southward well-rested and fed so she'll exist less cranky, and set her upwards with some toys to distract her.

Whether your infant is born bald and stays that way for a while or comes out with a long, luxurious mane, her pilus state of affairs will likely change. In the concurrently, give that sweet petty head plenty of kisses and take lots of pictures. A few years from now, y'all'll both take fun marveling at the hair she was — or wasn't! — born with.