How Menopause Affects Your Hair

If you notice a lot more hair in the drain and on your chin, it’s likely due to hormonal changes during menopause. As your estrogen and progesterone levels decline, your luscious locks may turn dry, brittle, and dull. You may also notice hair loss and more hair in some undesirable places. 

Let’s take a look at why your hair changes during menopause. We’ll go over what’s happening on your head and the rest of your body and give you our best tips on supporting healthy hair during your menopausal years, helping you to maintain intimate wellness during menopause.

Hair changes during menopause

We put our hair through a lot during our lifetime. Heat styling, products, coloring, and up-dos can do a number on our locks. So, when we begin perimenopause, our hair is already pretty stressed out. 

Why your hair changes: As a crucial part of your intimate health, estrogen and progesterone play an important role in the growth of your hair. Healthy levels of these hormones allow hair to grow quickly and stay on your head for a long time. So as these hormone levels start to decline, the supportive structure for healthy, thick locks is no longer there. 

In addition, your body still produces the same level of androgen hormones, which can shrink hair follicles, causing hair to fall out and not grow back. According to researchers, over 50% of women over 50 experience some level of hair loss. 

Finally, as your hormone product slows down, your scalp produces less sebum. Sebum is the oil in your hair that promotes moisture and shine.

What you can do about it:  You may want to talk with your healthcare provider about hormone replacement therapy. Balanced estrogen and progesterone support many menopausal symptoms, including hair loss and dryness. 

Also, consider your lifestyle. Eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Get ample healthy fats and plenty of lean protein. Exercise and sleep also play a crucial role in your overall health, which can support the health of your hair. 

When it comes to dryness, you may consider changing up your hair care routine. Use clean beauty products, reduce the number of times you wash your hair during the week, and find a quality deep conditioner. 

Unwanted hair elsewhere during menopause 

It’s bad enough you’re finding clumps of hair in the drain. But you may also be facing unwanted hair on your chin, chest, and other areas. 

Why new hair growth happens: Even though your estrogen and progesterone production slow down, your body still produces testosterone, which causes a bit of imbalance in the body. Since you don’t produce as much estrogen to counter certain effects of testosterone, you may notice hair popping up in places you’ve never seen before. 

If your facial hair is growing rapidly, talk with your healthcare provider. It may be a sign that something more serious is going on. 

What you can do about it: Hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills can help reduce unwanted body and facial hair growth. You can also stick with the old standards of tweezing, waxing, or sugaring your hair away. If your new hair growth is substantial, laser hair removal may be your best bet. 

If you’re interested in learning more about menopausal changes, or whether you may be entering your menopausal stage of life, check out our women’s intimate health resource, or our menopause quiz.