How long after confinement can I wash my hair?

When it comes to confinement, the older generation has a lot to say, for example, you can't brush your teeth during the period, you can't drink water, you need to drink more soup, etc. There are a lot of things to pay attention to. In comparison, young people nowadays have changed their ideas. When it comes to confinement, they really pay attention to scientific basis. It is best not to wash your hair within a short period of time after giving birth. It is easy to catch a cold if you wash your hair at this time. So how long will it take before you can wash your hair?

How long after confinement can I wash my hair?

How long after giving birth can I wash my hair? There is no unified answer to this question. Some say that it is enough to wash your hair after a week, while others say that you can only wash your hair after the confinement period. So what is the scientific opinion?

It is understood that as long as the mother has no health problems and feels good in all aspects of her body, she can wash her hair, but some doctors also suggest that it is best to wait 10 days before washing her hair.

Washing your hair too early will cause the dirty blood in the uterus to coagulate into lumps and cannot be discharged from the body smoothly. If the lochia cannot be discharged, it will cause a series of problems, such as endocrine imbalance, dysmenorrhea or irregular menstruation. So be careful not to wash your hair too early after giving birth.

In addition, although you can wash your hair during the confinement period, do not wash it too frequently. Just keep it moderately clean. It is recommended to wash it once or twice a week.

The elders in the family often talk about the various disadvantages of washing hair during confinement, such as washing hair will catch a cold, and will cause postpartum diseases in the future. They always advise mothers earnestly not to wash their hair. Now, scientific knowledge about confinement tells us that mothers should take a bath and wash their hair regularly to keep clean and hygienic. In this way, the mother does not know whether to trust the elders in her family or to trust science.

From a medical point of view, it is possible to wash your hair during confinement. Generally speaking, just ensure the water temperature when washing your hair and avoid being irritated by cold water. At the same time, after washing your hair, you should avoid being exposed to cold wind. Make sure the indoor air temperature is appropriate, and then dry your hair as soon as possible.

Why can’t you wash your hair during the traditional confinement period?

1. In the past, when I was in confinement, the conditions were quite difficult. The hot water at home was obtained by making a fire, and the water temperature could not be controlled well. The air temperature at home was also difficult to control, and hair was not easy to dry. So after washing your hair, you might be in a relatively cold temperature. However, the sealing of the house might not be as good as it is now, and it would leak air, so you would easily catch a cold after washing your hair.

2. Traditionally, if you don’t dry your hair quickly after washing it, you may catch a cold. However, mothers still need to breastfeed their babies during the confinement period, so the cold may be transmitted to the baby through breast milk.

3. In traditional confinement, the water used is mostly well water or river water, which is not well disinfected like the tap water today, so the water may contain a large number of bacteria and parasites. Washing your hair with this unclean water is harmful to your body, especially when your body is in a weak condition.