Is it possible to cut hair early and late during pregnancy? Why shouldn’t pregnant women cut their hair – is it superstition or a health hazard? Why you can't get a haircut during pregnancy
Pregnancy is an important and special event in the life of every woman. During this period, the expectant mother tries to take care of her health as carefully as possible so as not to harm the baby. During pregnancy, many pregnant women are faced with a huge number of signs that they strive to teach the expectant mother.
The history of the sign
One of the signs is that pregnant women should not cut their hair.
One of the most common folk wisdom is that a pregnant woman should never have her hair cut. But why you can’t cut your hair and whether you should walk around with overgrown hair throughout your pregnancy, let’s figure it out together.
The belief that you should not cut your hair during pregnancy dates back to our ancestors. Previously, it was believed that a thick head of hair had special strength, so the longer a woman’s hair was, the more feminine power she had. Hair was looked after especially carefully during pregnancy, since it was believed that if hair that fell from the head or was cut fell into evil hands, it could harm the health of the mother and child.
Women cut their hair only once in their lives, when they got married. The braid, which the woman had been growing since childhood, was given into the hands of the groom's mother and kept by her. Thus, the woman left her clan for the clan of her man. If a woman cuts her hair during pregnancy, she shortens not only her life, but also the life of her unborn child. Therefore, a woman was not allowed to perform various manipulations with her hair. Why do many women still believe that they should not cut their hair?
Signs regarding hair cutting during pregnancy say a wide variety of things, ranging from the fact that, in this way, the mother is shortening the baby’s life and ending with the fact that the child may not be born at all. Of course, it is always very difficult and scary for an expectant mother to hear this, so she tries to follow all the beliefs and signs so that the baby is born healthy. But it is worth understanding that every view is just a view, a relic from the past, especially since it is not based on any scientific research.
Modern approach to the procedure
Today, every woman must independently answer the question of why she can or cannot cut her hair during pregnancy. Some women prefer to wear long hair and continue to grow their hair, relying on the experience of their ancestors and believing that they should never cut their locks. And those who are used to relying on their own feelings and listening to themselves can easily do whatever they want with their hair.
Many women deliberately choose short hair during pregnancy for two reasons:
- firstly, it becomes much easier and more convenient to care for your hair without spending a lot of time on various styling and hairstyles.
- secondly, every woman with a long head of hair who has given birth to a child envies those with short hair, since the baby constantly strives to grab his mother’s curls.
If you are not convinced by the above arguments, then you should turn to science and logic. No science can answer why you should not cut your hair during pregnancy.
During the haircut, there is no harmful effect on the fetus, it is simply physically impossible! Hair cutting does not in any way affect intrauterine development or any internal changes in the body system.
The baby eats and develops inside the body, and not outside, which means you can cut your hair the same way you cut your nails. Agree, it would be ridiculous if a woman stopped cutting her fingernails and toenails during pregnancy. Let the signs remain signs, but we must not forget about common sense.
The importance of taking care of your appearance
For some reason, some women stop taking care of themselves during pregnancy; this should never be done! For those women who decide to get a haircut, they should not let their hair get messy and continue to care for it. In principle, hair care for pregnant and non-pregnant women is not much different, except that it is not recommended to dye your hair and apply large amounts of hairsprays, sprays and other cosmetics that can harm the baby or aggravate toxicosis.
Styling can be done with a hairdryer using a light mousse. You can replace hair masks with herbal decoctions; such care is not only useful for mom, it will also make her curls incredibly well-groomed and healthy.
Many women ask the question: “why does hair start to grow faster during pregnancy?” This is due to the fact that female hormones begin to work more actively to provide a healthy and favorable environment for the development of the unborn baby. If you additionally provide your curls with healthy care, you will be pleasantly surprised at how your hair will transform. But do not forget that growing hair needs to be trimmed from time to time so that it better absorbs the beneficial microelements included in care products, and also looks healthy and well-groomed.
You especially shouldn’t deny yourself the desire to get a haircut during pregnancy if you feel any changes, because really, why should a pregnant woman deny herself something. Often, a pregnant woman can be capricious and worry a lot about her appearance, because her body is changing and her belly is growing. If a haircut helps a woman feel more attractive, then she shouldn’t limit herself to this desire.
It is worth understanding that the health of the baby comes first for a pregnant woman, but you should not forget about yourself and your appearance. A visit to an experienced hairdresser and updating your image will lift the expectant mother’s mood, so you can feel stylish and well-groomed.
You can get a haircut during pregnancy, even if no signs scare you, but you should listen to yourself and your desires. For some women, pregnancy is a great way to grow beautiful thick hair, since during this time a pregnant woman’s hair practically does not fall out!
A woman always wants to be well-groomed. This is her normal, natural need. And especially when she is in an interesting position!
During these months, there is a special sensitivity in the perception of yourself and the world around you. Some metamorphoses occur in the body, the body changes its shape.
Therefore, a trip to a beauty salon will become that special joy, thanks to which the expectant mother can tune in to a good and bright wave, feel more beautiful, attractive - first of all for herself and her husband. Despite all the signs and prejudices that exist in society.
Answer the question: “Can pregnant women cut their hair?” - every woman can do it herself, relying on her own ideas and feelings, and not on what those around her, old signs and the media obsessively demand.
First things first.
A few words from history
In the early centuries and until the beginning of the 20th century, all people - both women and men - were quite sensitive to the process of cutting their hair. After all, it has long been known that hair is a conductor of God’s energy. Therefore, a careful attitude towards them, the fear of losing this heavenly support, as well as any negative influence from other people (evil eye, damage) forced us to perform all sorts of sacred manipulations with this part of the body.
Men and women, as well as children, always cut their hair in their homes and burned their hair in the oven. Thus, it was believed that the entire family was protected from negativity and bad influence on anyone in the household.
Long hair for a woman has always been a symbol of femininity and spiritual strength. In historical times, she had to cut her hair only twice in her life: on her wedding day (the process was a symbol of the “transition” from one family to another - husband) and before leaving earthly life (most likely, this also symbolized the “transition” from one state to another, from one world to another).
As for the male part of the population, everything was different here. Men cut their hair more often and were less concerned about it.
Although the ritual of burning one's cut hair in the hearth was supported, so as not to incur failure and bad influence.
Is it possible for pregnant women to cut their hair?
The head, like any other part of the body, requires care. Including hair. And especially if the haircut is short or fashionable. It’s easier for those women who just have long hair.
Based on the historical aspect on this issue, many women worry when they decide to get a haircut - because of the superstition that, along with their strength, they take it away from the unborn child.
There are even more exaggerated interpretations: if you cut your hair during pregnancy, the baby will be born dead.
Of course, this is more of a hassle than a real fact of life. Moreover, medicine generally does not see any threat to the child in the womb if the mother cuts her hair.
But if a woman firmly believes in what old signs and other people say about this, then it is better to leave this procedure until the postpartum period. Or get your hair cut according to the lunar calendar.
It is necessary to take care of your hair in any case!
Modern medicine
Representatives of the healthcare system conducted a series of observations of women who were registered for the entire period and were soon to give birth. And they answer the question: “Is it possible for pregnant women to cut their hair, dye their hair, etc.?”, based on the results obtained:
- there is absolutely no relationship between the hair cutting procedure and the condition of the unborn baby;
- the decision on how the expectant mother should care for her hair is made by herself (except for cases where the woman’s impressionability is too strong, which entails a decrease in faith in the positive outcome of the procedure);
- It is not recommended to use permanent cream dyes and shading shampoos during pregnancy; it is better to replace them with natural hair dyes (henna);
- there are cosmetics that contain natural ingredients and do not cause negative reactions from the woman’s body; These are exactly the ones shown to the expectant mother.
Hair care during pregnancy
Still, no matter what decision a woman makes regarding whether pregnant women can cut the ends of their hair or radically change their entire hairstyle, it is simply necessary to take care of themselves and their hair.
Due to the fact that during this period, dramatic changes occur in the body, including hormonal ones, hair can react to this in its own way: change the type of fat content, become thicker or thinner, stronger or, conversely, brittle.
Much depends on the mental and physiological state of the expectant mother, as well as hereditary factors and the state of the environment of the area in which she lives during pregnancy.
It is good to use natural ingredients for washing and rinsing your hair:
- a miraculous mask of yolk, lemon juice and kefir;
- an excellent mask made from yolk, olive oil, banana and rich sour cream;
- brewed herbal infusions (nettle, burdock, yarrow, mint, birch leaves and much more) to strengthen hair.
Depending on your hair type, you can prepare herbal decoctions:
- for normal - chamomile or burdock root, brewed in boiling water and infused for some time;
- fatty - plantain, yarrow;
- dry - mint, infusion of birch leaves.
The most important thing that every woman needs to remember is that the ingredients in all hair care products must be exclusively natural. And also without alcohol.
If a pregnant woman is a hairdresser
What to do in this case? Can pregnant women cut other people's hair?
Here, too, everything depends on the woman master herself, as well as visitors. If you do everything carefully, smoothly and don’t overload yourself, then up to a certain time you can do other people’s hairstyles.
And you need to believe in signs as little as possible, because in life everything is a little simpler and easier. And it’s better to tune in to the positive than to overwhelm yourself with unnecessary information.
During pregnancy, a girl learns about a large number of superstitions. Most often, well-wishers tell her about them. You can’t step over a rope, you can’t look at ugly and sick people - the list could go on for a long time. Hair cutting becomes a whole event: on the one hand there are frightening signs and prophecies, on the other - beauty and grooming.
But scientists claim that it is possible to change your hairstyle during pregnancy. This will not affect the well-being of mother and baby in any way and will in no way affect the appearance of the baby.
Is it possible to cut your hair during pregnancy?
Folk signs
By the end of pregnancy, most girls have the same hairstyle: a ponytail or a tied bun. Even those who carefully monitored their styling seem to forget the way to the beauty salon. It's all about folk superstitions.
In Russia, cutting long hair for pregnant women is prohibited - it is a bad omen. And in China, it is customary to cut your hair short after receiving good news: it is believed to bring happiness. But in Rus' they believed in the ban on haircuts and passed it on from generation to generation.
Since ancient times, hair has been considered a sign of beauty and feminine strength. Girls cut their hair only upon initiation into nuns, thus leaving worldly life. Shortening your hair during pregnancy was almost equivalent to a crime. People believed that this only brought negative consequences:
- the connection with the forces of nature, which provide protection to mother and child, deteriorates;
- the mother’s energy disappears, the baby’s life is shortened;
- the risk of premature birth or miscarriage increases;
- female beauty is leaving.
The ancients believed that a person’s connection with higher powers was through hair. They believed that when cutting hair, the algorithm of interaction with space was disrupted, and this provokes the occurrence of diseases.
Hair accumulates information about a person and gives him energy. For the same reason, in ancient Rus', curls were not cut, but they were looked after in every possible way, and entire rituals were created to create hairstyles for married and unmarried women. If you rely on Russian folk beliefs, then the expectant mother with each haircut took away the strength and energy of the baby, affecting his health in a bad way.
Hair is a symbol of beauty and health
The signs were associated with deep beliefs that a girl’s beauty lies precisely in her hair, so they did not cut it all their lives, only sometimes trimming the ends. Instead of haircuts and styling, they made braids, tightening them with ribbons at the ends.
As a rule, in ancient times, hair cutting meant cutting off the entire length. People believed that shortening hair could completely change a person's life, sometimes for the bad. It was forbidden for him to cut his own locks - this could cause dementia and memory impairment.
In the modern world, these beliefs are considered relics of the past, and there are simply no medical contraindications to cutting hair during pregnancy. Therefore, expectant mothers who want to change their image can do so without any fear.
Unconventional opinion
Alternative medicine specialists believe that illnesses first manifest themselves in the energy field and only then in the physical field. Energy can be influenced in different ways, one of them is cutting hair during pregnancy.
Curls are conductors of strength - they restore balance and correct energy flows. During the period of bearing a child, a cycle of flows closes at the ends of the hair, after which energy flows in two circles - external (allows the expectant mother to receive energy from the outside world) and internal (addressed to the baby).
Curls are conductors of power
According to alternative medicine specialists, you should not cut your hair during pregnancy, but you can trim the ends - this additionally stimulates the supply of new energy.
Professional opinion
Not a single belief makes any rational sense or explains the strict ban on cutting hair. During pregnancy, the body changes its functioning, the hormonal background changes, which affects the structure of the curls: they become stiff and unruly, gradually thinning.
According to stylists and hairdressers, changing your look during pregnancy is not recommended - the result may not be pleasing. The best recommendation is to cut the ends during the first trimester of pregnancy, when the hair takes on a scraggly and painful appearance.
Doctors explain: there are no medical contraindications for haircuts. The procedure does not affect the development of the fetus or its health.
Haircut during pregnancy
But trichologists - specialists in problems with hair and scalp - strongly advise cutting off the ends and lifeless lengths of hair. It is necessary to cut off that part of the strands that suffers most from the external action of environmental factors: hair dryer, ironing, dyes, hairpins and elastic bands, as well as chemicals. After getting rid of the lifeless ends, the hair begins to grow better and faster, and becomes thicker. Cutting your hair gives it a healthy and well-groomed appearance.
In what cases should you shorten your hair during pregnancy:
- split ends appeared;
- the curls began to fall out;
- the hair structure has changed for the worse;
- the volume of curls disappeared;
- the woman always wore short hair.
If you have long hair, you should cut a few centimeters of the total length - this will restore shine and speed up growth.
Lunar traditions
Astrologers claim that thanks to hair, a person establishes a connection with the cosmos, receives inner strength and support. It is recommended to cut your locks on favorable days, otherwise not only the direction of life changes, but also your well-being.
Expectant mothers are advised to cut only the ends of their hair and bangs. It is recommended to cut your hair during the waxing moon - then they become thicker, grow faster, the structure changes for the better, and the roots become stronger.
If there is a need to cut your hair every month, for example, if you have a certain hairstyle, then you should visit the hairdresser during the waning moon. In this case, hair growth slows down.
Astrologers recommend refraining from trimming your ends during the new moon - these are the ninth, fifteenth, twenty-third and twenty-ninth days of the lunar calendar. During this period, you cannot carry out caring procedures, cutting or trimming the ends of your hair.
The moon affects hair growth
The best days to change your own image are considered to be periods when the Moon is in the sign of Leo or Virgo. In them, the body actively accumulates strength, both on the physical and energetic levels. On the day of the full moon, you should cut your hair by one centimeter to strengthen your own biofield and get rid of the negative energy accumulated over the month.
Hair care during pregnancy
You should always take care of your hair, even if it is cut short. During pregnancy, curls require special care - hormonal changes affect their structure.
Folk remedies help restore hair
It should be remembered that short hair becomes weaker already from the first trimester of pregnancy: shine disappears, separation appears at the ends. During this period, skin diseases worsen and hair becomes dirty faster. Care products must be selected according to hair type.
Not all cosmetics are suitable for expectant mothers. It is best to use natural ingredients to cleanse and nourish curls. Instead of a chemical rinse, you should use a decoction of chamomile and St. John's wort. To prepare it, twenty grams of chamomile need to be boiled in a liter of water for several minutes. After this, cool the broth and strain. You can use it the very next day. St. John's wort decoction is prepared in the same way.
For normal hair type, burdock root infusion is best suited. And decoctions of yarrow and plantain restore the water-salt balance of the scalp, gradually eliminate dandruff and gently cleanse the hair of dirt.
You need to carefully select care for dry and damaged strands. Mint has a calming effect and relieves irritation, so an infusion of leaves is suitable for dull and weakened hair. To prepare it, you need to brew a bunch of peppermint in a liter of hot water. You need to infuse the product for five hours in a cool, dark place. Can be used immediately or after washing your hair.
A decoction of birch buds helps strengthen the roots, improves the hair structure along the entire length and is also suitable for dull and brittle hair. Two tablespoons of birch buds must be added to 500 ml of water and boiled for about three minutes. After this, strain and leave to cool. After three hours, the decoction can be used for its intended purpose.
Herbal infusions during pregnancy do not affect your well-being and gently care for your hair.
In addition to cleanser and rinse, you should use strengthening and nourishing hair masks. It should be remembered that during pregnancy you cannot use cosmetics that contain alcohol - it damages and dries out your hair.
- For weak and dull hair, a mask based on nourishing oils is suitable. To prepare it, you will need to mix a spoonful of flaxseed oil with the yolk and add a few spoons of honey. If desired, you can add a few drops of rosemary or tea tree essential oil (if there is no allergic reaction). Apply the composition to the entire length of the hair and wrap the head with film, insulate it with a towel. After 2 hours, the product should be washed off with regular shampoo. After the first use, the hair becomes softer.
- To reduce hair loss, you need to make a mask with castor oil. To enhance the positive effect, it is better to add the yolk of one egg to the product. Apply the composition to the hair from roots to ends with massaging movements. Wash off after an hour.
- Kefir mask restores structural damage, softens hair, and reduces hair oiliness. Mix 200 ml of kefir with a spoon of honey and let it brew at room temperature for 40 minutes. Apply the composition to your hair for 2 hours, then rinse with shampoo.
According to the advice of hairdressers, hair during pregnancy should be monitored with special care. In this case, you should try to use a minimum of chemicals with dyes. Dyeing your hair during pregnancy is allowed, but only with gentle and harmless formulations that do not contain ammonia.
- Apply hair masks weekly: they strengthen the roots and help nourish the curls along the entire length;
- choose shampoo and conditioner from the same manufacturer. They should not contain parabens and sulfates - they accumulate in the cellular structure and cause serious diseases. During pregnancy, products that contain these components are strictly prohibited;
- replace chemical dyes with tinted shampoos, or even better - natural dyes (henna, basma).
Alternative medicine is full of sacred truths and secrets. Some tips can be used to correct hair growth and thus normalize its health.
It is believed that Thursday is the sacred day of the week. Medicinal herbs collected on this day are filled with special power that can heal ailments. On Thursdays it is customary to get rid of everything old and negative. Hair should be washed thoroughly on Thursday - negative energy goes away, and rinses based on herbs collected on this day can heal strands and give them inner strength.
According to energy experts, salt has an unusual property. This product is one of the few that is used in its original form, so it contains the energy of the Earth. Salt draws out negative energy, improves health and well-being when used correctly. Before using shampoo, it is recommended to rub the salt into the scalp with wet hands. After this, wait fifteen minutes and rinse with regular shampoo.
Color combinations are also powerful. Color can improve mood, raise or lower blood pressure, and also correct processes in the body. It is believed that green color cleanses energy flows, protects hair and accumulates positive energy for the expectant mother, so after washing your hair you should use a green towel.
Green color improves your mood
Research in recent years has proven that during pregnancy, due to hormonal changes in the body, “dormant” hair follicles awaken. As a result, hair begins to grow quickly. However, after a hormonal decline (usually a month after giving birth), they fade and begin to actively fall out. You can avoid this by paying attention not only to hair care, but also to your own diet.
Pregnancy is the most long-awaited event in the life of every woman. During this period, the expectant mother is very attentive to her health. Therefore, they begin to believe in omens. The most frequently used sign during this period is related to haircuts. So why shouldn't pregnant women get their hair cut? Let's figure this out.
Why can't pregnant women get their hair cut? (from a logical point of view)
Pregnant women can and even need to get a haircut. A short haircut is much more convenient for an expectant mother than long hair. This haircut is easier to care for, especially in the last trimester.
Why can't pregnant women get their hair cut? (what the signs say)
- Since ancient times, many signs and superstitions have been associated with hair. After all, hair contains all the strength and energy of its wearer. Therefore, to avoid problems, cut hair was burned.
- According to our ancestors, using hair could cause damage to a person. This was especially true for pregnant women. After all, she needs to think not only about herself, but also about the child she is carrying. Another scenario says that by cutting her hair, a woman deprives herself of strength, which will be useful to her during childbirth.
Or, cutting a haircut before childbirth shortens the child’s life and can also have a negative impact on its development. Now such statements seem funny, because from a scientific point of view it seems illogical. Back in the Stone Age, the life and health of the child depended on the length of the mother’s hair.
During severe frosts, the mother wrapped the baby in her hair, and the thicker and longer it was, the warmer the baby was. Perhaps for this reason, this sign is still alive.
Our grandmothers also said that cutting your hair at any time, regardless of whether you are pregnant or not, changes your destiny. Now these are nothing more than superstitions, but it is worth remembering that they have been invented for centuries.
Why can't pregnant women get their hair cut? (science says)
In fact, from a scientific point of view, cutting the hair of an expectant mother cannot in any way affect the health of the child she is expecting. It is scientists who believe, and even insist, that pregnant women should cut their hair.
They justify this by the fact that pregnancy is a turning point in a woman’s body, and due to the high content of hormones, hair grows faster than under normal conditions. While after childbirth their condition worsens, and the child will not miss the opportunity to “tug” the mother’s long hair.
So what should we do? Is it possible to get a haircut during pregnancy? One doctor with twenty years of experience, studying alternative medicine, believes that by cutting hair during pregnancy, a woman takes away the fetus’s energetic connection with the world. Therefore, she does not advise doing short haircuts, but only updating the hairstyle by cutting off the ends, since this procedure, in her opinion, is good at renewing the flow of energy into the body.
From the point of view of modern people, pregnancy is not the very reason why you cannot cut or dye your hair. Women are sure that it is at this time that they should take care of themselves, because later they will not have time and energy for it.
From the point of view of superstitions, it is absolutely forbidden to get a haircut while pregnant.
Conclusion
Based on everything we have read, we will draw a conclusion. If you are not too superstitious and also like to always look new, then getting a haircut during pregnancy will not be a bad thing. Well, if you think that you can harm the baby, then refuse to radically change your image.
You can simply get by with trimming the ends, or modeling bangs if you wear them. After all, despite the fact that you are in a position, you always want to look beautiful and well-groomed, and the hairstyle you wear plays a very important role in this.
Pregnancy is a very special period in a woman’s life, surrounded by numerous superstitions and prejudices, the most common of which is the ban on cutting hair while waiting for the baby. A natural question arises: why shouldn’t pregnant women get their hair cut? According to folk traditions, with its roots going back centuries, hair contains the power of a person, and if you lose it (cut it), you can bring numerous troubles to your head, including death. Our ancestors didn’t even ask why pregnant women couldn’t cut their hair; they were firmly convinced that such manipulation would lead to sad consequences for both the expectant mother and the child. In addition, such a ban was associated with the belief that a strand of his hair could be used on a person. And a woman expecting a baby was considered the most vulnerable to such magical influence.
If you ask hairdressers why pregnant women should not have their hair cut, it is unlikely that any of them will be able to provide intelligible arguments other than the same superstitions, but some of them still do not recommend doing this. Moreover, there are hairdressers who categorically refuse to cut hair for fear that this procedure will negatively affect her and her unborn baby. Although most progressive hairdressers have a negative attitude towards this ban, considering it a relic of the past. They say that a woman should always remain beautiful, and pregnancy is no exception, so if she wants to get her hair cut, then she shouldn’t even doubt it.
Doctors, who are asked why pregnant women cannot have their hair cut, shrug their shoulders in bewilderment and deny any connection between cutting a haircut in an interesting position and problems with pregnancy or childbirth, as well as the health and strength of the unborn child. Among expectant mothers, there is an opinion that shortening hair is not recommended not only for superstitious reasons, but also because after a haircut, the hair begins to grow faster, which means it requires an increased consumption of calcium, which is often in short supply during pregnancy. However, doctors explain that this problem is far-fetched, and a vitamin complex for expectant mothers will easily provide calcium to both the female body itself and the growing baby.
The Orthodox Church, when asked why pregnant women should not cut their hair, answers that this is just a superstition that should not be listened to. Although some church ministers, and especially regular grandmothers, will readily confirm that cutting your hair during pregnancy is categorically not recommended, you should know that there is no such prohibition in any holy book.
It must be said that during pregnancy, hair often begins to grow faster and becomes fuller and stronger. This is due to the influence of special hormones produced in the body of a woman carrying a baby. Therefore, many expectant mothers simply do not want to cut their hair, which looks more luxurious than ever. But if a woman prefers a short haircut or simply does not want to let her hair grow, then you should not pay attention to prejudices. Pregnancy is a wonderful time when you just need to be beautiful, because positive emotions from looking in the mirror are useful not only for the mother, but also for the baby growing in the belly. But if a woman, despite all the arguments given, still continues to think about why pregnant women should not cut their hair, looking for new arguments out of fear that superstitions may come true, then you really shouldn’t cut your hair. Not because it can negatively affect the development of the child or change anything during pregnancy, but simply so as not to worry and worry yourself once again. And if you manage to overcome doubts and fears, then you can safely go to the hairdresser.