Ahhh, mum hair... Like it or not, it's a total THING. Once you're a mum, your life changes beyond anything you could imagine, and you know what? When there's a big life change, there's so often a big hair change, too.
Maybe it's because you just don't have time to do what you used to do with it (20 minutes in front of the mirror with your GHDs just ain't happening when you've a little baby with other designs on your attention) or maybe it's because you don't have the energy to do what you used to (quite frankly, you're surviving on 4 hours sleep a night and you can hardly concentrate long enough for a comb-through, never mind a blow-dry). Yep, our hair, more often that not, tends to look different once we're a mum.
Even famous mums, like Kate Middleton, aren't immune to the 'mum hair' effect. When she appeared in public with a new haircut a couple of months ago, there were lots of commentators saying she'd gone and done the 'classic' mum thing and opted for a fringe because it's easier to manage than styling longer hair on a day-to-day basis – and, well, they're probably right.
But don't just take it from us. We asked loads of the mums on our Facebook page if they'd changed their hair after having kids – and we were blown away by how many said yes.
And what was really fascinating was how different those changes were: we aren't all doing a Kate and going for the fringe option (though that features a lot, of course). Oh no, we're a much more complicated (hair) bunch than that.
Here's what you told us...
1. Put it up
"Now it's always up and is my natural colour," says Gabby. "It used to be crazy colours – and I actually bothered doing it." We totally get what Gabby's saying on this one. While the going-short option can be handy, the bonus to having it long is that you can just pop it up and forget about it. Now, where's my scrunchie?
2. Get a fringe
Now, most of us here at MFM HQ have admitted we've done this – often on the spur of the moment – and regretted it pretty much as soon as the scissors are down. "I got it cut short and brought in a fringe," said mum Laura. Hopefully, she liked it but a fair few others said that, as soon as we got it cut in, we started growing it out. Oops.
3. Give up
"I changed mine for an unkempt mess," says mum Louise. Hear hear! Total lack of the zzzzs and nowhere fancy to go anyway can often mean we end up not putting in the effort. And there will probably be baby puke in it by the end of the day anyway, so why bother?
4. Ditch the salon
"I swapped my £100 salon colour for an £8 colour in a box!" Annie tells us. We know the feeling. Once the kids come along, it does squeeze things on the wallet front and, if you can do it at home, needs must.
5. Embrace the salon
Now this one is proper strategic. "I started getting highlights after I had a baby," says one mum, "as salon highlights take a good 4 hours. I leave my daughter with my husband and go on a Saturday. These days, it's the nearest thing I get to a mini-break, to be honest." Oooh, like her thinking...
6. Go radical (but you might regret it)
Maria tells us she had all her hair "chopped off in a moment of madness. Hate it now." Oh dear. We totally see how this happened. All too often sleep deprivation + desperation for a haircut that takes 3 seconds to dry = something short and choppy that looks good for the first day and then we're thinking, 'What have I done?!'
7. Let nature do its thing
Jasmine tells us her hair went grey, and we're guessing she left it like that. We totally see where she's coming from and, actually, silver has been a cool new trend for some time now, so you go, girl!
8. Go wild
Now, one of the BIG life changes when we have a baby is that we that we can (if we want to) take time off work –MONTHS in fact. And if you're used to being suited and booted and looking a certain way every day, it sure is nice to let go. May tells us she went all crazy colours: "Reds, blues, greens, pinks, purples. Half head, full head. 'Why not?' I say". Why not indeed, May? Nice one!
9. Work on a long-term plan
Catheryn, clearly a think-ahead mum, tells us: "Got it chopped, as baby puke in waist-length hair isn't pretty. Have kept it relatively short but am growing it back a bit now, as the kids are 6 and 4". Now most of us here at MFM HQ can barely think about what to do with our hair past the end of today, so we admire Catheryn's patience and foresight on this one.
10. Become a shareholder in dry shampoo
"If I don't have time to wash it – which I hardly ever do – this stuff is my saving grace," says Joy. And mums across the universe nod their talcum-powdered hair in agreement. Me next to spritz, please.
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