Sydney Porter is many things. A mother, an educator, and (clearly!) a person with beautiful hair. But her hair journey hasn’t always been easy. We grabbed a few minutes with Sydney on set for our Destined for Density™ campaign shoot to chat about the postpartum period, and what it meant for her hair and scalp health. 

Q: The postpartum period is such a new frontier when you're a first time mother. What was one of the biggest changes you had to navigate? 

Everything is so new and different as a first-time mom, learning to care for this new life you brought into the world. I really noticed a huge shift in the amount of time I was able to devote to simply caring for myself.

Q: What was your experience with postpartum hair loss? 

I had a very extreme experience with postpartum hair loss. I normally have so much hair that takes a lot of time to wash, detangle, and condition, and caring for it took a backseat once I had my daughter, Veya. 

When Veya was about four or five months old, I had gotten sick for the first time since she was born and didn’t have the energy to wash my hair for a full week. I’d noticed strands had been shedding and tangling more than usual after I had given birth—but after neglecting it for a week, a good 70% of my hair had matted into one thick, tangled clump. I was mortified and thought I was going to have to cut off all my hair.

It took five days and four people’s help to finally detangle it all.  Of course I had expected to lose a lot of hair once it was detangled, but what I didn’t expect was to have lost most of my hairline and a significant amount of volume. Eventually, I learned some women undergo the majority of their postpartum hair loss all at once, which can lead to matting and even more hair loss. I was definitely grateful that I had my curly bangs to cover up my newly sparse hairline!

Q: How did you alter your routine after this experience?

I really started to prioritize nourishing my scalp to stimulate regrowth. Overall, the experience shed light on so many ways that I had been neglecting myself for far too long.

Q: What's your favorite part of being a mother? 

Motherhood is something that has transformed my life in all the best ways. In truth, I love everything about being a mother. The joy of it and the challenges as well. I’m most grateful for all of the growth it has brought to my life, and the gift of being able to experience such a deeply loving relationship with my daughter.  

Q: What makes you feel most confident? 

I feel most confident when I have the space to be myself and freely express who I am.