I Asked the Internet For Help With My Postpartum Hair Loss, and Here's What It Sent Me
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I had the best hair of my life while I was pregnant. My skin was crap, my stretchmarks were unsightly, but man, I had good hair. It was thick, shiny, and I could literally go five days without washing it. That may sound gross to some, but seriously — what a luxury. I had hoped that it was just the miracle cocktail of prenatal vitamins I was taking and that if I continued with my same supplements postpartum, that my good hair juju would live on.
That did not happen.
I was three months postpartum when I started loosing chunks of hair at a time. To be fair, my drain rarely saw a strand while I was pregnant — which is definitely not something I was used to — so initially I just thought my hair was playing catch up and would self-regulate in a week or two. Fast forward three months later, now six months postpartum, and I am suffering from a comb-over. I was afraid of putting my hair in a ponytail because of my thinning hairline and avoided running my fingers through my hair, but it wasn't until my colorist made a comment about all the hair in the sink as she was shampooing me that I decided I really needed help. I did what any respectable millennial mom would do and asked the internet for help. Enter Navy Hair Care.
As a beauty editor, I like to think I'm on the up-and-up when it comes to the latest and greatest in the industry, but I had never heard of this biotin-enriched haircare line. When I saw some of the results online, I immediately wanted in — in other words, I totally drank the Kool-Aid. I was convinced this was going to help my increasingly thinning hair and couldn't wait to get my shiny, voluminous, oil-absorbing roots back. So, after a month of testing the Navy Hair Care Search and Rescue Biotin and Vitamin Enriched Fortifying Shampoo and Conditioner, here are my thoughts.
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Before
Check out that flow! My hair was super thick and resilient throughout my entire pregnancy. It felt healthy and strong and I was praying it would last forever.
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Navy Search and Rescue Shampoo and Conditioner
First, because I know this matters to some, I don't love the smell. It's not offensive and it definitely didn't prevent me from using the product, but it's a touch more fruity than what I normally like. That being said, the ingredient list makes up for it. It's SLS and paraben-free, so it's safe on my color-treated hair, yet it still lathers, which isn't easy to find in SLS-free shampoos. It contains enriching ingredients and vitamins such as panthenol, rosemary leaf extract and vitamins A, C & E. But most importantly, both the Search and Rescue Shampoo and Conditioner ($50) are infused with biotin, a B-vitamin which is a key ingredient for healthy hair, skin, and nails.
Do I have mermaid hair? Not yet. But nowadays when I brush my hair flat, it's impossible to miss the terrain of short little flyaways all over my part. That's regrowth! Bonafide new hair that's starting to sprout. My hair can still only go one day without washing, but honestly, I'm happy with this progress.
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After
As you can see, my hairline became very sparse postpartum. Those baby bangs sprouted after a month of using the Search and Rescue Shampoo and Conditioner.
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A close up of my regrowth. My new hairs also started to grow-in gray, but that will have to be another story.
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Navy Dunes Black Clay and Charcoal Revitalizing Hair Mask
While the shampoo and conditioner have had amazing results, the real hero of this line is definitely the Navy Dunes Black Clay and Charcoal Revitalizing Hair Mask ($46). I've never used anything like it. Part hair clarifier, part deep conditioner, using this leaves my hair feeling soft and hydrated, yet very clean — something that's hard to do with most hair masks. It's made up of fancy ingredients like "organic black clay" and "Brazilian volcanic earth" and while I'm not 100 percent sure what volcanic earth is (just the dirt around a volcano? Lava dust?) it truly works. It gently exfoliates away product buildup and makes my hair so shiny.
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Navy Hair Care Pebble Beach Dry Texture Spray
To give my hair the full Navy treatment, I also used the Navy Hair Care Pebble Beach Dry Texture Spray ($36). It's less gritty than other dry texture sprays, while still providing a nice boost of much-needed volume.
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