BAD HAIR HAZE: THE MENOPAUSE CAN AFFECT YOUR CROWNING GLORY …
It’s not just in your head. If you think your hair is less manageable or finer looking, it might be down to the menopause; a time when bad hair days may become more common than good ones.
It’s unfair, but there are ways of boosting growth and health. Without being flippant – these strange times do mean that you can experiment with hair treatments during the day!
‘Hair changes are very common leading up to and during menopause,’ says Anabel Kingsley, trichologist at Philip Kingsley.
There are four elements which may affect hair at this time of life.
“Oestrogen helps to keep strands in their growth phase, and lower levels of the hormone is one reason why many women experience diffuse shedding in the early stages of menopause. Because oestrogen levels have dropped, your hair has a more androgen (male hormone) heavy environment to contend with, and these hormones aren’t very hair-friendly,” says Anabel. (Think of all those bald men out there).”
For some women, this can mean hair becomes finer and fewer hairs grow per centimetre squared of scalp skin. Finally, the psychological and physical stress of menopause can also affect hair, and so can diet. Many of us are low in vital nutrients, and because hair isn’t crucial for survival, it’s the first to suffer from any deficiency.
“Lack of dietary protein, not eating enough complex carbohydrates, and crash dieting is also common causes of hair loss, and hair not growing to the length or strength, it should,” says Anabel. It is – it goes without saying – important to eat a healthy, balanced and varied diet.
SOME SOLUTIONS
- Tricho 7 Hair and Scalp Treatment, £50, philipkingsley.co.uk
- Creates the perfect scalp environment for hair growth (we’ve tried it, and hair does look and feel thicker and healthier). We’re also fans of the Maximizer Root Boosting Spray, from £18, philipkingsley.co.uk, which gives instant volume
- For salon ready hair Knight & Wilson PurePlex Revolutionary Hair Repair System, £5.32, superdrug.com, is a four-step treatment which repairs damage from over bleaching, styling and chemicals, and smooths down coarse feeling hair.
- Best ever volumising spray (we say) is Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast, £25, feelunique.com, which creates an instant, light as a feather and lasting volume.
