I distinctly remember my first pregnancy for being this wonderful time when my skin was glowing, and my hair had become even more beautiful. I have been naturally blessed with thick, lustrous and wavy tresses that looked even more delectable now. So, I went ahead and got a trendy haircut. I was enjoying the pampering that was bestowed upon me along with the compliments. This was a beautiful time of anticipation in my life. Then, the D-Day arrived; my beautiful son was born, and I came home with my bundle of joy.
Then began the rough and tumble of motherhood: the waking up at night, the physical discomfort, the incessant crying of the baby, and the almost all-consuming need to catch up on my sleep. I underwent a roller coaster ride of emotions. One day, I was weepy; the other day I was brimming with joy. I don’t recall being aware of how time passed. But, I still remember that day when I was passing by and glanced at the mirror; I was shocked to see how I looked. Apart from looking bloated, my beautiful hair was terribly frizzy and looked like hay. I resembled a scary witch. It was an instantly depressing sight. I remember breaking down in tears immediately. Somehow, it felt as if I was not the same woman any more. I certainly looked like someone else.
I was advised to keep my hair oiled to prevent it from standing up as if it were electrocuted. I was brought up in Mumbai, and nah, we never left our house with oil in our hair. My husband went out and bought the most nourishing shampoo and conditioner he could find for me. But, it did not seem to help much. I was wallowing in self-pity as a few months passed by. My body was in a better shape now, but my hair was just as bad. I was scared that I was stuck with this straw-like hair for the rest of my life.
Then one day, I went to the parlor after ages. This was the parlor I used to frequent earlier. The hair dresser was shocked to see the condition of my hair, but she disguised it beautifully. I sat down, ready to burst into tears; my mommy hormones wreaking havoc in me. She sympathized that hormonal changes had caused the problem. She also consoled me that sooner or later my hair would get back to its original state. I had heard that before, and her effort at boosting my spirits didn’t do much for my mood.
Dejected, I told her to give me a haircut that could make me look like a normal woman again. She chopped my hair pretty short. She also used a hair serum for damaged hair and blow dried my hair. For the first time in months, my hair looked settled and even had some shine. She instructed me to use the serum as often as I wanted (daily). It would not weigh down my hair or make it look oily. It would help control the frizz too. She also gave me another product that was a hair mask. This was an intensive treatment for my damaged hair that I was supposed to apply every week, and it would nourish my damaged hair.
When I came home, everyone was pleasantly surprised to see the confident me looking radiant and beaming. I can confidently say, “…and that was the end of my hair problems!” At least, I hoped that it was.
Fast forward to 10 years later — my hair quality never did go back totally to being what it was earlier, but you won’t be able to tell the difference if you see my hair today :). Apart from my nourishing shampoo and conditioner, I diligently use the serum and hair mask regularly for my beautiful curls. My crowning glory is in a glorious condition now. I know now how to care for it!
I am having a bad hair fall and it is 3 years since the baby was born. every weekend, i am removing clots from the drain. any idea what can be done???am bored and tired picking hair all over the house
Vani, I have sent you a mail. Hope it helps!
That is such a lovely post Rachna and I am sure inspiring to many, including me. 🙂
Thank you Bhagyashree! Hope you are having a good vacation.
So true–women’s hormones create havoc with so much of women’s bodies and attributes!!! I know it must have been horrible when you went through it–but as you describe it is so funny!! Hair as if it has been electrocuted–LOL!!! In btw I have to say you short hair looks soooooo cute!
You know this content topic would have been boring, but you have converted it into a caring and loving woman’s topic that I enjoyed reading and empathizing with!!! Kudos for that ability!
Hope you are well, Bhavana! So good to see your comment. Yeah, pregnancy and delivery are so hard on a woman. I can also look back and smile now, but those days were so tough! I hope all mothers can understand that we will look normal again and maybe better as well :). Thanks for your generous compliment!
Great! Your hair looks better, finer and we can see amazing results…!! Both you and the little one look lubly :))
That’s a fantastic post…informative, absorbing n entertaining:))
Thank you, Panchali ji :). My younger one is 10 years old now. But, what an amazing boy he is! Thank you your warm words of encouragement.
The way you presented the hair with your pics looks good. You indeed have great luscious locks of hair. Do take good cate of them…:) and good luck for the contest…:)
Thank you Found in Folsom! Never again will I take them for granted. It is true that you realize the value of something when it is taken away from you :). I do need to work more on them now.
It is one of the many stages in the life of a woman, the never ending ups and downs.
I am glad you got back your lovely hair.
All the best for the contest!
So true, Rama! Motherhood is a multi-faceted journey in more ways than one. I am glad too :). Thanks a lot!
WOw.. You know I had such heavy hair and they were almost as long and went to below my knees .. I came to uk and got them cut ..
you seem to take good care of them and DOve definitely has helped
all the best with the contest .. take care
Bikram’s
Really, you had such heavy hair? So, did you take off your turban after coming to the UK? Yeah, now I do invest some time in my hair. Thank you :)>
yes I got my hair cut after I had come ot uk and stayed here for 2 years .. Till then I had long hair and a turban too
Rachna,
Best of luck.
Take care
Thank you Jack!
such a wonderful story, Rachna! All the best for the contest.
Thank you Uma. I am glad you liked it :)>
Best wishes for the contest!!
Thank you magiceye!
Usually contest entries tend to become boring but yours is on a different level altogether…your hair in the last pic look fabulous.
Thank you indu! Your warm words mean a lot to me! I love my wavy hair! Thank you!
GOOD LUCK!
Thanks again!
Dove or no Dove, your hair look great in the picture!!
Thank you Giribala :). The hair requires more effort now to look good. It used to be so effortless in college. I didn’t even use a conditioner back then :).
such a cute post.. lovely hair and beautiful lady :))
love the hair do .. a complete change :))
all the best keep shining!!
Thank you Harman! Such a beautiful compliment :). Yep, one thing that I’ve done over the years is keep experimenting with my hair cut. Otherwise, I am wary of chemicals and treatments on my hair.
clever and human at the same time, Rachna. two attributes that seem to be creeping in to make contest topics more enjoyable to read. it was nice to see the pics of you and the little one.
Thank you Subhorup! This is actually the first time I’ve penned an entry for a contest. And, I didn’t want it to be fictional. Glad you liked the pics. The little one is not so little anymore. You might want to see this post I did about my elder son Sid:
http://www.rachnaparmar.com/2012/05/that-lovely-mothers-day.html
You seem to have grown younger with time Rachna:) Best wishes for the contest!
Thank you Rahul :). This is a compliment that every woman wants to hear. In all fairness, moms don’t look their best immediately after their child’s birth.
For some reasons, your comments end up in spam :(. I retrieved this one as well.
Lovely hairs Rachna.. now i need the tips Girl. espeically when I am fighthing right now with the worst hair fall of all times… I will get bald it seems..
Thank you, Jas! What is your email id? I will send you some tips.
Long live your “beautiful curls” and all the best for the contest.
Ah, as long as they don’t all frizzy on me, I am happy :). Thank you, Purba!
I know what those hormones can do to you 🙂 Nice post Rachna and your curls do look awesome!
Thank you, Jaish! Yeah, don’t we all. Our hormones rule our world. I love my curls too :).
Your hair sure looks good. And yeah…tell me about it!. My hair up to 6 months after I had my 2nd daughter looked and felt lovely, silky and glossy and…slowly turned frizzy, frizzier than ever. And that too, just when I decided it was time to grow my hair, after 35 years of living with short hair! And the hair fall is intolerable, I think I’ll soon go bald 🙁
Oh, that’s so horrible. For me, it started immediately after my first delivery. For the time after my second delivery, I was better prepared. Makes no sense to grow hair especially when they are falling out. I’ve seen that hair fall does reduce in some time. But, if your hair really is falling out in clumps, check your diet. Also, is your shampoo too harsh? The worst factor in hair fall is stress. It will also cause your hair to go grey quicker. Have you tried meditation, even warm oil massages may help? Send me your email id, and I will send you a simple technique that I use.
even i am going to use those hair products and my hair is going to look like yours :D. mine is a different problem though, i am losing my hair big time :((
that’s a lovely post, different from the other entries. all the best for the contest 🙂
Thank you, Deb, for your warm words of encouragement :). Maybe, it is stress that is causing you to lose hair or inadequate diet or hair products not suiting you. You need to check out which one is it?
It is the season of hair raising tales and one seems to be running into them at every turn. But your is a special one and I believed every bit of you when you said your hair were standing as if electrocuted! 😀 I am glad they returned to nearly the original state or else you’d have ended up with a truly scary profile shot. 😉
And, I have been coming across a few of those posts myself :). This is the first time that I’ve penned an entry for a contest. Thank you for liking it! Yeah, the picture does show how bad my hair looked. I didn’t want too many pictures clicked in those days. And, yes I am glad too because no amount of camera work would have rescued my profile pic :).
Hi Rachna, I have tagged you in my latest post. Do check it out here 🙂
Thank you Ash! I will be sure to hop over and check your space :).
Rachna, I kept staring at the last pic. You really have such fine hair.. I simply cant manage my thin hair.. Rather I dont care much about it.. Need to put some effort into it. Atleast after looking at your picture.:) All the best. You look gorgeous.
Rachna, I kept staring at the last pic. You really have such fine hair.. I simply cant manage my thin hair.. Rather I dont care much about it.. Need to put some effort into it. Atleast after looking at your picture.:) All the best. You look gorgeous.
Rachna, I kept staring at the last pic. You really have such fine hair.. I simply cant manage my thin hair.. Rather I dont care much about it.. Need to put some effort into it. Atleast after looking at your picture.:) All the best. You look gorgeous.
Rachna, I kept staring at the last pic. You really have such fine hair.. I simply cant manage my thin hair.. Rather I dont care much about it.. Need to put some effort into it. Atleast after looking at your picture.:) All the best. You look gorgeous.
Rachna, I kept staring at the last pic. You really have such fine hair.. I simply cant manage my thin hair.. Rather I dont care much about it.. Need to put some effort into it. Atleast after looking at your picture.:) All the best. You look gorgeous.
Rachna, I kept staring at the last pic. You really have such fine hair.. I simply cant manage my thin hair.. Rather I dont care much about it.. Need to put some effort into it. Atleast after looking at your picture.:) All the best. You look gorgeous.
Rachna, I kept staring at the last pic. You really have such fine hair.. I simply cant manage my thin hair.. Rather I dont care much about it.. Need to put some effort into it. Atleast after looking at your picture.:) All the best. You look gorgeous.
Rachna, I kept staring at the last pic. You really have such fine hair.. I simply cant manage my thin hair.. Rather I dont care much about it.. Need to put some effort into it. Atleast after looking at your picture.:) All the best. You look gorgeous.
Thank you, thank you Ashwini! Like me, don’t appreciate something after it gives you a rude shock. Thank you so much for your generous compliments :).
Wow! You truly look beautiful!!
Thanks, mom of A and a :).
this is an amazing post…you look absolutely gorgeous..:)
Tasty Appetite
Thank you Jay :).
Tell me about it. Oh what those hormones do to our hair. I’m still not out of the woods. (almost there, tho’).
I could relate to this post, Rachana — totally!
I love how your hair looks now. Lovely!
All the best for the contest.
I’m glad you could relate to the post, Divya :). Thanks so much for the compliment!
A cute post indeed….
All the very best for contest….:)
Thank you Irfanbhai!
Well Rachna, I think your hair looks great now. I am someone whose hair just does not grow beyond shoulder length. Wish you luck for the contest.
Hi chattywren, Thank you so much! My hair grows well, but I’ve never grown it too long. Requires too much maintenance over and above what I already do :). Thanks for your comment.
u looksss so beautifullll in short haircuttttt
Thank you Kala! I loved the hair cut back then when longer hair made me look so creepy :)>
Your hair looks great Rachna. I don’t think I’ve ever tried Dove. Most shampoos make my scalp itch so I only like to use mild ones.
And you have such beautiful hair, Agnes! I actually like both Dove and Pantene range of shampoos and conditioners. They suit my hair. And, I also love the Dove soap and body wash. They seem to suit me.
I envy you for writing so effortlessly. I wish I could do the same. I read this post two days ago but couldn’t comment for technical reasons, I guess…
Wish you good luck:)
P.S. You look lovely in those pictures…:)
Saru, I admire your amazing writing skills. You can handle prose and verse with equal ease. And for you to say that you like my writing, it does make me feel on top of the world! Thank you so much!
First time on your blog.
It’s interesting to read you.
Thanks,Rachna.
Thank you Rakesh ji for visiting my space. I will surely drop in at your blog!
If you like Hindi blogs,please find time to visit my blog.
Love the title, love the post and as for the pics, they are very telling. You do look gorgeous in the last one.
Thank you so much KayEm!
How I wish I had hair.Seriuosly
Chowlaji, Have I ever told you that you remind me of my nana. He also had no hair, but still looked quite dashing.
Ah! I see that you have already received the Versatile blogger award! I should have known! I was planning to give it to you since I just received it!
So sweet of you :). I am honored that you thought of my name. I am lucky that 4 of my blogger friends have given me this award!
wow…your hair looks absolutely stunning now:) Good luck with the contest, Rachna!
Thank you so much, Cloud Nine!
Love all the looks including the hay-cut:)
(Tried in vain few days ago to post a comment from my blackberry…)
Thank you NRIGirl. You are so good for my ego :). I used to cry so much in those days.
Rachna, you have beautiful hair! I loved the one with the short one and that pic is so adorable! Pregancies can surely play havoc with one’s hair, but you have done well in the end. Dove is a great shampoo and serums are must for frizzy hair( I have frizzy hair too!). Touch wood, and may your mane shine forever 🙂