Baby Hair Color Change: What Age Does Baby’s Hair Color Change?

This may surprise you, but the hair your baby was born with likely won’t stay the same. The reason? As babies grow, their hair changes in many ways. This can include texture, length, thickness, and yes, even color. In this post, we will explore the question of, “what age does baby hair color change” as well as why these changes happen. 

When does a baby’s hair color change?

When does child’s hair change color?

The approximate age that baby hair tends to change color isn’t always definable. That’s because baby hair color often changes due to a variety of factors including hormones, genetics, differing seasons, and external factors. Because of this, it is extremely difficult to say when you will notice your baby’s hair changing color, if it changes color at all.
Related Read: Signs Baby Will Have Curly Hair

One thing to note, however, is that it isn’t uncommon to see a baby’s hair color change during the infancy stage. It may often appear as though your baby will have very light hair, but later, you may find that your baby’s hair has darkened. This is a normal occurrence, especially when babies experience the natural hair loss that often occurs during infancy as a result of fluctuating hormones. 

Newborn hair color change

As previously mentioned, newborns often experience hair color change as a result of fluctuating hormones and hair loss. Baby hair can go from light to dark or from dark to light. 

In addition to fluctuating hormones, genetics often has a lot to do with newborn hair color change. Depending on what color mom and dad’s hair is, the baby may also end up with that color, or, surprisingly, something completely different! 

But it doesn’t stop there.

A baby will also experience changes to their hair texture and length. Oftentimes, parents are surprised when their baby’s once silky hair becomes thicker and kinkier. Again, this is normal and to be expected. As your baby continues to grow, his or her hair color, length and texture may all change before finally mellowing out around age 2. 

Why do babies’ hair color change

Why did my baby’s hair change color?

There is a laundry list of reasons that your baby’s hair color could change. Here, we will analyze just a few:

• Genetics: If your baby was born with light blonde hair even though you and your significant other both have dark hair, it may be that your baby’s hair will darken over time. Believe it or not, babies are often born with lighter hair and eye color due to a lack of melanin when they are born. Over time, however, this melanin production increases, making your baby’s hair and eye color grow darker.
• Environmental: There are a few environmental factors that can affect the color of baby hair as well. This may include exposure to sunlight, the types of food that mom ate while pregnant and even shifts in season. Seasonal shifts can also affect changes in eye color. 
• Hormonal: The last and most common reason for baby hair color change is hormones. Because both the mother and baby’s hormones fluctuate wildly after delivery, it is often the case that both mother and baby experience hair loss postpartum. 

When this occurs, the baby’s hair often grows back in much different than before. One of the most notable differences, besides the texture of the hair, is the color. If your baby’s hair color is going to change, this is the time you’ll see it. Still, you may not notice a change to your baby’s hair color until much later on in their life. This is normal too. 

How long does it take for a baby’s hair to change?

Baby hair can change in as little as a couple of weeks after birth or as much as years after birth. This is because hair color is determined by internal and external factors, most of which are outside of our control. There is no hard and fast rule or time-span regarding when you will notice a change to your baby’s hair. The best thing to do is to be prepared for hair loss and a change in color and texture somewhere within your baby’s first two years of life – and possibly beyond.

How can you tell what color your baby’s hair will be?

What color hair will my baby have?

While there isn’t one specific way to predict what color your baby’s hair will be, there are a few different clues you may be able to cling to help you decipher what color hair your baby might end up with. 

If, for example, your baby is born with blonde hair even though you and your significant other have dark hair, there is still a chance that your baby could have dark hair. As previously discussed, a situation like this is likely due to a lack of melanin. Once melanin increases, your baby’s hair will likely darken.

If, however, you have dark hair and your significant other has blonde hair, things begin to get a little more interesting. Although the darker hair is technically the more dominant when it comes to genetics, it doesn’t mean the baby’s hair will be dark. In fact, if the dark-haired parent has a blonde parent, then he or she could be carrying blonde genes which increases the chance that their baby may be born blonde too. 

As you can see, it can be nearly impossible to fully determine what color your baby’s hair will be at birth, or even what color his or her hair will end up being down the road. 

Do babies’ hair get darker or lighter?

Can a baby’s hair change from dark to light?

Although it is more common for a baby to go from light to dark hair, a baby’s hair can absolutely go from dark to light, especially after experiencing newborn hair fall.

Baby Hair Color Change: Anything Goes!

To wrap up, it is clear that baby hair color changes for a variety of reasons and can happen at any age. Instead of worrying, try to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Your baby will experience many changes to his or her hair but will remain beautiful all the same! 

Lynn

Lynn is a freelance writer, a wife, and a mother of two beautiful kids. Lynn started Infant Empire with the aim of making parenting easier for fellow mums and dads. She believes the parenting tips provided here will be of great help to all parents.