Hair issues? Ways perimenopause and menopause affect your hair

Your hair during perimenopause and menopause

A lot of you get in touch with me because you're worried about your hair and the things that are happening to your hair. It's a really common issue. It’s thought that about 40% of women will have some kind of problem with their hair during perimenopause and menopause. So, it's a huge group.

Hair is really important to us, isn't it? It's our crowning glory. We know what happens when we have a bad hair day. The whole world goes to pot. Hair is very important for our self-image, for our confidence, and for the way we feel about ourselves generally. But are certain hair issues all due to perimenopause and menopause?

Let’s take a look at what can happen to your hair at this particular time and what you can do to help yourself.

Hair issues you can experience during perimenopause and menopause

Some of the changes you might expect would be things like noticing that your hair is getting a lot thinner, maybe it's losing its bounce, or it's starting to break or become brittle.

You might find that it's really slow-growing, whereas before your hair might have grown quite quickly. You might find that there's more hair coming out in your brush, in your comb, on your pillow, or in the shower. You may also find that you get patches, so your hair gets really, really thin in places.

The colour can change. Your hair can become much drier. You can get dandruff and an itchy scalp. You can get wiry hair. Your hair can suddenly become totally out of control or frizzy, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.

What causes these hair issues?

So now you know about the hair issues and changes you can experience, let’s take a look at what can cause these:

Hormonal changes

We do know that there seems to be some link between falling oestrogen levels and hair loss. But it's more to do with what's happening overall to our body when we're losing hormones. So, it's not necessarily just low oestrogen or low progesterone or low testosterone that's causing problems with the hair.

Stress

Stress is a huge, huge issue in perimenopause and menopause. If you think about it, most of us are stressed anyway, just about daily life and worrying about everything that's going on in the world, and in our own lives, and at work as well. And if you then add the stress of menopause and the hormonal changes on top of that, our body can basically become overwhelmed, and that in itself will have quite a big impact on hair growth.

Poor diet – not getting enough nutrients

If you think about it, our hair and our nails are sort of bodily adornments. They are not necessary for keeping us alive. Your nutritional needs go sky-high when your hormones start to change, so if you're not getting enough nutrition generally, your body is going to use what it gets for the really important things like heart and brain, which means there's nothing left for your hair or your nails. Therefore, it can sometimes be a simple nutritional deficiency that impacts your hair.

Not enough protein

Your protein needs go up quite dramatically too. Imagine all the physical changes that are going on and how protein is the building block of our bodies; so, if we're not getting enough protein, the body is going to prioritise what it gets for day-to-day maintenance, and your hair and nails are going to be completely ignored.

Your liver

Believe it or not, the liver plays quite an important part in hair growth. We know that when all the hormonal changes are going on, our day-to-day life, poor diet, maybe just a little bit too much alcohol, general stress, can all impact liver function.

The liver is the regulator of your health. You can't survive without a liver. Your liver does a huge number of different processes to protect you every day. If the liver's under pressure, it's going to focus on the things that are really important, and hair growth is not really important at all.

Dehydration

Something as simple as dehydration can impact your hair, especially If you get really dry hair. If your scalp's really dry as well, it could be just something as simple as a lack of water.

Interestingly enough, I was reading that greasy hair can also be caused by dehydration. So, if you find your hair's suddenly getting really greasy, what the scalp does is that if your hair is getting really dry and your scalp is getting dry, the hair follicles will produce more oil just to protect it. So just be aware if your hair starts to suddenly get very greasy, have a look at your water intake on a daily basis.

What can you do to help your hair?

There are lots of really simple things you can do to help your hair. Here are a few of my simple tips:

Stay hydrated and eat well: Increase your water intake and have a look at your diet. Are you getting enough of everything? Make sure you get a really good, varied diet. The more different foods you eat each day, the more likely you are to get all the nutrients that your body needs at this time.

Make sure you're including protein in each meal. If you're vegetarian or vegan, or you're just not very keen on too much protein, you can go for what's called a plant powder protein drink. This can be really helpful. And again, if you're one of these people who hates breakfast, you can just have a protein powder drink, and that can keep you going really, really well.

Supplements: You can look at getting some kind of hair complex. Your local health food shop will have a whole range of products that are specifically for hair growth. For myself, I tend to go for things like MSM and also silica products. Over the years, I found both of those have really helped to keep my hair as healthy as possible.

Be aware that diets can impact your hair: If you are going on a calorie-restricted diet, if you feel that you're needing to watch your weight, you may find that your hair will change because of that. If you're restricting your calories, there's not going to be much in the way of nutrients left over for your hair.

Try a liver detox: Doing a little liver detox can be really helpful. Even general fatigue can be caused by a stressed liver, so taking herbs such as dandelion or artichoke over a couple of months can often be really helpful.

When to consult your doctor about hair loss?

There can be other health issues that can creep in during perimenopause and menopause that can be a direct trigger for hair loss. So, this is why you shouldn’t blame everything on menopause.

We know that vitamin D deficiency, or B12 deficiency (anaemia - especially likely if you've been having heavy periods in perimenopause), and thyroid imbalance can cause hair loss or affect your hair. If you're losing your eyebrows as well, and maybe you find that your eyelashes are disappearing, that's very often an indication of an underactive thyroid.

Usually, after improving your diet and taking supplements, you would start to notice a difference maybe after a month or two. There is no quick fix for this. But if you find nothing is working, then it's a really good idea to go to your doctor, explain about the hair loss, and just ask for tests to rule out the health issues I’ve mentioned.

I hope you found this one helpful. Our hair, as I mentioned before, is such an important part of who we are. What a lot of you do tell me is that if you notice your hair is changing, you sometimes think it's a good idea for a makeover. I've had people say they've had long hair all their lives. Suddenly, it just doesn't look right anymore. They've gone for a really short hairstyle, and they love it. So, if you find that your hair is changing in some way, don't be afraid to take a step and have a bit of a makeover. I do it every so often just for a change.

If you have any hair stories, what have you done? Have you changed your look? Have you gone really dramatic? Have you found that certain things have helped with your hair growth? Please share your stories. You know I love reading all about them.

Until next time, take care and have a lovely week.

You may also find these topics helpful:

Signs of menopausal hair loss & what can help your hair

Other menopausal hair issues that might surprise you

Important minerals for menopause & why you need them

5 common vitamin & mineral deficiencies in menopause