Whether you're working with a cue ball or mop top, here's when your baby's permanent hair will grow in — and how to care for those locks (or lack thereof) in the meantime.
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 even more have almost nothing at all. Whatever your baby’s hairstyle du jour, don’t worry too much — or get too attached. Newborn 'dos are hair today, gone tomorrow. Here’s a look at how your baby’s hair can grow and change — plus how to care for 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 future locks have long been planted. Hair 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 will necessarily come into the world with a full head of hair — far from it. Most babies have almost none when they’re first born, and the tiny tresses that emerge in those early weeks and months could very well shed between 2 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 can be anyone’s guess — it’s different for every child. Some get a great new head of hair by 6 months, some not for two or three years. And even if those strands are sparse early on, it doesn’t mean your child’s hair will be thin when she’s older.
Why do babies lose their hair?
Whether your baby was born with a massive mane or started growing a few sprouts that then began to shed, infant hair loss is common and nothing to worry about.
In fact, it’s 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 kick off what’s called the exogen phase in some parts of the scalp, causing lots of hair to fall out altogether.
Luckily, the exogen phase is usually followed rather quickly (or even simultaneously) by new hair growth. But the baby hair that grows in may be nothing like your little one’s newborn locks.
Color and texture often change — so your baby’s thick, dark hair could make its reappearance a lot sparser and lighter. Red can give way to blond. Curly can go straight. Surprise, surprise!
How to make baby hair grow
Have dreams of styling a gorgeous, sweet-smelling head of baby hair? While there’s not much you can directly do to get your sweetie’s strands growing, you can give existing tresses the best possible treatment and give her body what it needs to grow healthy and strong from head to toe.
How to care for your newborn's hair
Got a baby with a full head of hair? Caring for those fine locks calls for some finesse, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. Here’s how to keep those newborn strands silky and smooth.
Whether your baby is born bald and stays that way for a while or comes out with a long, luxurious mane, her hair situation will likely change. In the meantime, give that sweet little head plenty of kisses and take lots of pictures. A few years from now, you’ll both have fun marveling at the hair she was — or wasn’t! — born with.