My Poor, Dull Pregnancy Hair (and How I Fixed It)

As my regular readers know, I'm due with baby #2 (a boy!) on January 9th. And although there are parts of being pregnant that I absolutely adore, I've never been fortunate enough to possess this mysterious pregnancy glow that everybody talks about. Apparently, you're somehow supposed to just naturally develop soft, dewy skin and magically rosy cheeks and a gorgeous mane of gloriously shiny hair while pregnant. Then there's me, just sitting here with my dry, dull skin and perpetually chapped lips, typing this out with swollen sausage fingers. Yep.

When it comes to my hair, I'll admit it's not all bad. It does grow incredibly quickly when I'm pregnant, and it gets crazy thick. But that lustrous, gleaming pregnancy hair that they promise you just never makes its way to me. Instead my hair becomes duller and more lackluster than ever, and I end up just giving up and wearing it in a messy topknot pretty much everyday. The cool, dry air that accompanies late fall and winter definitely doesn't help the situation either. I remember when I was pregnant with Essley during the early winter months and never going out without a hat, and I've been finding that happening again this time. That gets old quickly, trust me. Just for reference, here are a couple of recent photos that show you my typical pregnancy hair, in all of its not-so-much glory:

I decided a few weeks ago that I wasn't going to let things get to the everyday-a-hat point this time. I was going to take charge of my hair, man. First I got a trim to get rid of the broken ends, and I scheduled another one for the end of this month. Then I made an at home coconut oil deep conditioning treatment (massage a generous amount of organic coconut oil into to your hair, brush through, put on shower cap and leave on for 30 minutes, shampoo away, dry and style as normal). And finally, I headed over to Wal-Mart, went directly to the hair care aisle, and got the new Clean Radiance brush from Goody.

The Clean Radiance brush is full of magic you guys. It massages your scalp as you brush, and has these fantastic copper bristles that reduce natural buildup produced over time*. It also has a great flexible cushion pad for added comfort when brushing. I used the brush a few times a day over the last couple of weeks, and I'm telling you, I can see a major difference. By removing the buildup that I'd accumulated (yuck!), the Clean Radiance brush has left my once sadly dull pregnancy hair looking healthier, shinier, and more radiant, and has restored my hair's natural moisture balance so it doesn't feel dry like before. I've never owned a hairbrush that has actually improved the look of my hair with regular use, so this has been pretty exciting, I have to say.

It really is amazing how a little bit of beauty TLC can make a difference in how you feel, and during a time when I feel all sorts of frumpy and generally unattractive, it's been really nice to do something for myself by taking care of my hair. I genuinely feel more motivated and in a more cheerful mood when I look in the mirror and see my hair looking healthy instead of flat and sad, and it's been fun to actually style it instead of feeling like the only solution is a top knot or hat. Whether you're pregnant or not, you can probably empathize with my dry winter hair woes and benefit from things like regular trims, a nice deep conditioning, and a Clean Radiance brush. Giving your hair a little love this time of year is giving yourself a little love too (awwww), and that's important.

If you're interested in giving the awesomeness that is the new Good Clean Radiance hair brush a try, just head over to your local Walmart. You'll see four new signs in the hair care aisle. Grab yourself the brush, get brushing, then in a week or so, come back and tell me what you think. I mean it. I'm excited to hear about your results too.

What is your hair like in the winter time? For those of you who are or have been pregnant, does your hair get dull like mine? What steps do you take to try to take care of it in the cold, dry months?

Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Bubby and Bean possible. This post is sponsored by Goody #CleanRadiance and Acorn. *Results based on consumer usage and perception study.

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