Motherhood is an epic mix of highs and lows, which is only exacerbated by the fact that caring for a child leaves little to no time for self-care, much less self-thought. Sofia Richie-Grainge knows this to be true. She welcomed her first child, Eloise, last year.
Richie is open and honest about her experience with motherhood, including one of the biggest beauty concerns that pregnant and postpartum women face—hair thinning. Caused by natural hormone fluctuations, hair thinning most commonly occurs around three months post-partum, although it can happen earlier or later. For Richie, it was the former.
I caught up with Richie to talk about her experience with motherhood, how she sneaks in small moments of ‘me time’ on busy days, and why she chose to “be proactive” about hair shedding. Keep scrolling to learn all of this and more.
Can you tell me how you were introduced to Nutrafol and why you started taking it?
When I found out I was pregnant, I actually experienced a bit of hair shedding. It stopped pretty immediately, actually, and I didn’t experience it the rest of my pregnancy, so I assumed and heard from other friends who have experienced postpartum shedding that it was a possibility for me. As a precaution and to be proactive, I ordered the Nutrafol postpartum supplements just to get ahead.
Have you seen a difference from taking it? Would you say it’s part of your daily wellness routine now?
I was lucky enough that I didn’t actually experience postpartum hair shedding, so what I have noticed with taking the supplements is an overall shine with my hair. I realized my hair was much thicker than it was before, and just it’s overall health, I noticed improved greatly.
I was kind of waiting for the moment that I was going to [experience postpartum hair shedding] because everyone’s always like, “It’s going to happen to you. Wait until six months postpartum.” I’m 8 months postpartum, and honestly, my hair has never been healthier. I take my supplements in the morning with breakfast, and it’s just kind of become a part of my morning routine.
Do you use any other wellness-related or self-care-related hair and scalp techniques? Anything you’ve been doing to enhance the results you’re seeing from Nutrafol?
I always love doing natural masks like coconut oil masks. I found that they’ve been extremely helpful with my hair. Even as a kid I used to make “hair potions” with my friends. I feel like it’s something I’ve always done and have gotten great results from.
I would love to know about other products you’ve been loving lately. Are you a person that has a go-to shampoo and conditioner or are you testing new formulas all the time?
It’s more about a feel for me. My hairdressers recommend tons of different products to me, and I try so many, so I kind of have a rotating door of products constantly happening, but I would say, I stick to clean and healthy hair products. I try to keep it clean and not too heavy with ingredients, for my hair type at least.
You’ve made the slicked-back bun your signature. Is that still your go-to style?
Now that I’m a mom and my mornings are not so easy breezy, I don’t have that 30 minutes or 25 minutes to perfect my hair. Even if I did, my hair would be messed up within 10 minutes. I’m into loose ponytails now.
If I’m going out and I need to throw myself together really quickly, I’ll do a center part low bun. I use the same routine—that slick look with an oil or cream, but I find it’s a lot quicker than the high one that I usually do.
How have you been incorporating wellness and self-care into your routine since becoming a mom? I know time must be limited.
I got to a point where I was like, ‘Oh, I have not thought about myself in a really long time, and I’m putting all of my energy and thoughts into taking care of my child. When are you ever going to turn around and take care of yourself?’ I had that moment probably three months postpartum. My immune system was really low and I just wasn’t really taking care of myself properly. I found little ways during Eloise’s naps to check in with myself mentally. I started meditating. For me, it really wasn’t product-driven.
It was just finding moments for myself, meditating, eating healthy. In the beginning, I was breastfeeding, so I was finding foods that were helping me produce milk, but yeah, just finding little moments to feel like I was taking care of myself was extremely important.
Absolutely. When you have a baby, you’re sneaking away for showers. It’s not so much in-depth self-care.
100%.
Do you have any tips or tricks for either new or expectant moms? What are some things you’ve learned?
I learned that reaching out to other mothers is going to make you feel so much more comfortable because 99% of the issues or the things that I thought were just happening to me happen to every other mom. At the beginning of my postpartum journey, I was cocooned and didn’t really talk about it with anyone. It wasn’t until I really reached out to girlfriends who were moms or made mom friends that I got that comfort and was like, “Okay, this is normal. This happens to everyone.’ I think just being open and communicating with your community.
From the newborn to the toddler stage, everything changes so fast. They hit milestones so quickly. What would you say is your favorite part about motherhood right now?
Eloise is eight months old, so she’s just starting to crawl. That’s the really exciting thing that’s happening over here. She’s crawling, she’s eating, but like you said, every month brings something new, and they develop so quickly at these beginning stages, so I’m just holding on to every moment as much as I can. I look back on photos of her three months ago and she looks like a completely different baby. As much as I love it, I just want to curl up and cry because I know I’ll never get those moments back, but she’s amazing. I have the easiest baby on the face of the planet. She’s the greatest little gal, so I’m very lucky.”
Shop Sofia Richie’s Exact Hair Supplement
What Is It: An OBGYN-developed, breastfeeding-friendly hair-boosting supplement
How It Works: Through filling nutritional gaps and supporting full-body recovery post-childbirth, this supplement visibly improves hair health and density in three to six months. The brand recommends taking four capsules once daily with a meal.
Key ingredients: Theanine, shatavari, DHA omega-3s, tocotrienol complex, marine collagen, nettle, apple polyphenols
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Women’s Vegan Clinically Proven Hair Growth Supplement for Thinning
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Strand Defender Lightweight Strengthening Conditioner for Thinning Hair
Don’t forget Nutrafol’s strengthening and protecting conditioner that improves hair health and elasticity.
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Women’s Lightweight Thickening-Hair Serum for Thinning Hair
A physician-formulated hair serum, this small but mighty product uses Ashwagandha exosomes to encourage thicker, stronger hair.
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Build-Up Blocker Exfoliating Scalp Mask
This scalp masks removes residue from oil, sweat, and styling products with exfoliating AHAs and jojoba esters.
