

Motherhood can be a beautiful and rewarding journey for those who experience it.
For context, they witness all phases of their children's lives, from infancy to adulthood, learning valuable lessons. While many reap the benefits of motherhood, it also presents significant challenges, including physical changes such as postpartum hair loss.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, postpartum hair loss is "excessive shedding of hair" months after an individual gives birth. It is typically caused by hormonal changes that occur "during and after pregnancy." Postpartum hair loss usually lasts less than six months, and women generally regain their hair's fullness within a year with proper diet and hair care.
Many celebrities have been vocal about this condition after welcoming their children into the world. Singer and mogulRihanna recently spoke out about her experience. During the launch party for her haircare brand, Fenty Hair, the 36-year-old opened up in an interview with Refinery29 about how her relationship with hair has changed after having two sons—whom she shares with longtime partner A$AP Rocky—and dealing with postpartum hair loss.
In the discussion, Rihanna revealed that although she was aware of postpartum hair loss, she was unprepared for the various stages she experienced.
“That was not on the pamphlet. I did not expect it to happen in waves, either. I thought it would happen and grow back,” she said. “But it went [to] this spot. Then this spot, then this spot. At that point, you just say alright, enough is enough.”
Despite the ordeal, the "Needed Me" singer shared that she's been able to accept the physical changes she's experienced and has found ways to incorporate new looks.
“I also got to embrace that in itself,” she stated. “That actually made me get a little bit more creative and clever with my hair stuff.”
Inspired by Rihanna's revelation, xoNecole examines other notable figures who have openly shared their experiences with postpartum hair loss.
Tamar Braxton
Singer and reality television star Tamar Braxton addressed her hair loss journey on social media after fans noticed a change in her edges during a 2014 episode of WETV's Braxton Family Values. The "Love and War" songstress welcomed her son Logan Herbert with then-husband Vincent Herbert in 2013.
“When u HAVE your baby (my son) your hair falls out!!” she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post.
In the same upload, Braxton credited proper hair care as the solution to her hair loss.
Toya Johnson-Rushing
The second person on the list is Toya Johnson-Rushing.
The reality star and entrepreneur revealed in an Instagram post that after giving birth to her second daughter, Reign Rushing, whom she shares with husband Robert Rushing, in 2018, she began noticing significant hair loss in the center and around the perimeter of her scalp.
“Postpartum Alopecia Is so real... I didn’t know why my hair was falling out. I just noticed my edges and the middle of my hair were getting super thin. Every time I would wash my hair it would come out in chunks. I’ve always had full edges,” she wrote.
Johnson-Rushing added that although she learned through additional research that postpartum hair loss is normal, it's a journey she doesn't enjoy.
“I did some research and found out that new moms are surprised to be shedding more hair than usual in the first few months after giving birth, but it's perfectly normal,” she stated. “There's no need to panic. Your hair should be back to normal around your baby's first birthday. That’s way too long to be without edges, but it’s a part of the beauty of giving birth. I just wanted to share that with you ladies. Who else is experiencing postpartum hair loss? .....cause I don’t like it.”
Christina Milian
Singer and actress Christina Milian discussed her experience with postpartum hair loss in an interview with ¡HOLA! Magazine.
During the conversation, Milian revealed that she was initially unaware of what was happening when she started losing hair, primarily around the perimeter of her scalp, months after giving birth to her second son, Kenna Pokora, with her husband, Matt Pokora.
“I wasn’t expecting it when it happened because nobody ever told me about this,” she said. “I was in the shower. I remember the day because I went from having full, beautiful, long hair to looking at my hair going through the drain. I didn’t know where it came from.”
The "Dip It Low" vocalist also shared that losing large amounts of hair affected her confidence.
“And then, instantly, from that point on, it took a toll on my confidence,” she stated. “I couldn’t figure out if I were stressing out or what was wrong. I was having a perfectly happy pregnancy.”
Milian credited maintaining a healthy lifestyle and implementing a hair care routine with products that promote hair growth, including those containing peppermint oil.
“I focus on my temples and the areas where I tend to part my hair more often,” she explains. “My hair is nice and full right now; I’m not wearing tracks or pieces in my hair, this is, this is the real deal. I‘m running away from his hair loss.”
Victoria Monét
Last but not least is singer Victoria Monét.
The "On My Mama" vocalist welcomed her daughter Hazel Gaines with longtime partner John Gaines in 2021. A few months after giving birth, in September of that same year, Monét revealed on Twitter that she had lost almost half her hair due to postpartum shedding.
“Probably lost about 40% of my hair yesterday,” she wrote. “I’m so [sad] it came out in mounds. Postpartum really don’t let up.”
Following the "Coastin'" songstress' post, fans sent well wishes to the star and shared their own experiences with postpartum hair loss, showing her that she isn't alone and will overcome it.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/Getty Images
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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A Celebration Of Black Voices: What You Missed At The 3rd Annual Black Effect Podcast Festival
Over the weekend, iHeart Radio held its third annual Black Effect Podcast Festival in Atlanta, attracting a star-studded lineup of personalities and shows. Charlamagne tha God, founder of the Black Effect podcast network was in attendance along with other notable personalities like Mandii B and Weezy WTF, the hosts of the popular Decisions, Decisions podcast, who also served as the festival's hosts.
Sarah Jakes Roberts, the esteemed pastor and host of Woman Evolve podcast, singers and co-hosts of the R&B Money podcast, Tank and J. Valentine, former NFL star and Funky Friday host Cam Newton and many more further rounded out the festivals' lineup.
The festival hosted panels that focused on mental health and the future of podcasting as well as many live shows. Good Moms, Bad Choices hosts, Erica and Milah, welcomed Dreka Gates and held a live dating show that was nothing short of hilarious. Naked Sports host Cari Champion sat down with Iman Shumpert and they discussed sports and dating.
Tank and J. Valentine surprised the audience with Jacquees, Cam had a live conversation with Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams, and Sarah closed out the festival with reality star Toya Johnson. Check out photos from the festival below:
(L-R) Shawn Bethea, Jay Barnett, Devi Brown, Charlamagne tha God and Amber Grimes
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
Jamilah Mapp, Dreka Gates and Erica Dickerson
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
Mandii B and Weezy WTF
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
Porsha Williams and Cam Newton
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
Iman Shumpert and Cari Champion
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
Tank, Jacquees and J. Valentine
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
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Feature image by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network