Postpartum Hair Loss Blues – who would have thought the answer …Nori and other seaweed?!?!

So the wonderful 3 1/2 month postpartum hair loss hit – so fun…NOT!  I had forgotten what it was like to comb my hair and have handfuls coming out with the hairbrush.

All day long I  search for the elusive tickle on my arm – which I absolutely hated.  It was a never-ending arm tickle since the hair kept freely coming out of my head.  I was very sad with each strand – like I was being deserted.  It was close to the same feeling I had when I killed several of our new fruit trees this year…but worse.

I had been told, of all things, SEA WEED, is great to EAT to help with this.  Even though I had NORI – roasted seaweed which is used to cover sushi rolls and california rolls – in my cupboard, I kept forgetting to use it.

Finally, one day in desperation from my 1 1/2 months of hair loss, I cut up the NORI into little strips and put it into my soup.  It shrinks down very quickly – just a slightly different taste to my soup.  I did that for a couple of days and WHALAH! Only one or two strands came out of my head, versus 50 or 60.  From literally one day to the next.  With my prior 3 babes – the hairloss continued for several months or longer.  I am still nursing so I know the hormones are still super low (which can contribute to postpartum hair loss).

There are so many benefits to seaweed – I had no idea.  They have Omega 3s (good for brain and- postpartum depression) a ton of Calcium, Vitamin C, Iodine, and many things a women’s body needs postpartum. It can even aid weight loss, and it contributes to healthy skin – and I know I always have MANY questions on skin health for the belly. Here are several links to how Seaweed helps with postpartum hairloss and hair loss in general
This one talks of Nori helping hair growth  and
This link talks of a girl caring around Nori squares with her, which helped her hair growth and
This link has several scientific references and for Nori helping with hair growth and other benefits and
This link has 29 benefits of sea vegetables- including weight loss, hair growth, erases cellulite, and is great for skin

So – my great find this week ?  At Trader Joes they have Roasted Seaweed Snack Packs, which according to my store, they are new – and if you click on this link HERE it tells their story of them.  There are two flavors – regular and wasabi.  I mistakenly got mostly Wasabi and HELLLOOOO – can we say NASAL PASSAGE CLEARING – wow!  But if you are into food with a kick – its a good one. The regular ones are kind of like salty flaky chips. At first it feels a little weird to be snacking on seaweed – it feels so …unAmerican or something…but they grown on you.  The REAL BEAUTY is they are only $.99 – thats it!  Super cheap.  I grabbed 7 packages or so.  If you don’t live by Trader Joes, you can get them Amazon or MAKE YOUR OWN.

My kids were very intrigued.  I woke up a couple mornings ago to something I never thought would come out of ANY 6 year old boy’s mouth, let alone mine. “Mommy, can I have some seaweed?” Can we say TWILIGHT ZONE? Am I still dreaming?

But I am forever glad I was told me about Nori helping with postpartum hair loss (Thanks Tami!)- so I felt I had to pass it on.  It certainly nipped it in the bud for me after cute baby #4 – within 24 to 48 hours.  And if something so cheap and accessible can help and I can keep as much hair on my head as possible (and make it grow back lush and healthy looking)- I am keeping my cupboards amply stocked!