Congratulations on your new bundle of joy! Though babies can be cute and adorable, they can also be demanding of your time and energy. So when a child is born into a family, the parents, particularly the mother will have to prioritize her daily duties so that she can manage her new lifestyle better. For mothers with natural hair, this might mean changing the way she cares for her hair, while still maintaining a healthy head of hair.
If you are a new mother or a new mother-to-be, here are 5 tips you can incorporate into your regimen to help you better manage your time and hair while taking care of your new bundle of joy.
- Keep it Simple: If you are a Naturalista that likes to spend an entire Saturday on her hair, let me tell you right now that you probably won’t have that luxury anymore. While a 10-step hair care regimen can sound nice and wonderful, you simple won’t have the time for an elaborate hair day. The only care that your hair really need right now is a regular wash, deep condition and frequent moisturizing. New mother, SisiYemmie takes advantage of this tip.
- Re-adjust your hair regimen to suit your new lifestyle: If you went natural when you were single, you were probably advised to create a healthy hair care regimen. But now that you have a new addition to your family, your awesome but lengthy regimen might need to be put aside right now while you focus on your child. This doesn’t mean that the health of your hair should also take a seat. All you have to do is to update your current regimen in a way that best suits you and your baby.
For a sample regimen, click HERE to download my free regimen blueprint
- Style your hair in between baby’s nap. Since you can’t add more hours to the 24-hours that you’ve been given, you can better manage your time and maximize the little hours that you have left for yourself by styling your hair in between your baby’s naps. Fortunately, newborns spend most of their time sleeping, which means that you can quickly squeeze in a quick shampoo, deep conditioning and styling while your baby naps. New mother, Nikki Mae of Natural Chica has learned to take advantage of this tip.
- Protective style often. Let’s face it, natural hair can be very demanding when it’s left loose, because it dries out faster and tangles very quickly. Since taking care of babies can take up so much of one’s time, the best thing you can do to help manage your time is to minimize wearing your hair loose. Instead, you can opt for longer-lasting hairstyles such as twists, corn rows or braids.
- Get help when necessary: If you have other children to take care of, you might not have the time and energy to take care for your hair as much as you would have loved to. To ensure that your hair remains in its healthy state, you can seek the assistance of a hairstylist or a friend to help manage your hair while you take care of your newborn.
With planning and readjustments, it’s possible to still maintain a healthy head of hair, even with your very busy schedule as a new mother.