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Menopausal hair loss and thinning is a problem myself and many women encounter. It is something I have suffered with. I became very hung up on it at one point as my hair became thin and lost body and texture. It has now plateaued and does not appear to be thinning further.
My hair dresser, who is also a close friend, was a great help as she is a similar age to me and her clients are too. Therefore she was experienced in this area of hairdressing and was able to reassure me that menopausal hair loss happens to most women to a degree and my hair loss wasn’t as bad as some of her other clients.
I have always had fine hair but lots of it and it held its shape very well and could be styled easily.
There are a lot of treatments out there for combating menopausal hair loss but often they involve expensive supplements and treatments. There are 2 reasons why I didn’t resort to these; 1) Cost – As I am now retired and trying to think carefully where I spend my lovely pennies and 2) I am hopeless at taking regular medicines or supplements – I usually manage a week at most!
Here are 5 simple tips I adopted to deal with my menopausal hair loss
- Appearance – my hair used to be brunette but is now blonde with highlights. This minimises the look of scalp areas where my hair is very thin. A patch of scalp is much more noticeable amongst a head of dark hair.
- I wash my hair less, it is less greasy anyway and I can do this. This reduces the need for harsh hair and styling products. My hair looks a mess if left to dry naturally and needs help to stay in place. The action of drying and styling with a brush leads to breakage and hair loss.
- I towel dry my hair by simply dabbing gently, then comb through with a wide tooth comb, before styling with a paddle brush.
All of these actions help reduce dragging on the hair again minimising menopausal hair loss. I have only recently used a paddle brush and find it has really helped.
- I use a dry shampoo between washes, this has a double action, keeps my hair fresh and also adds some body at the roots. There are many products out there but I love Batiste, especially the coconut one as I love the scent, and if my roots are beginning to show before my next appointment and I am going somewhere special I use Batiste for brunette hair – it helps cover my scalp and grey roots.
- I keep it in a jaw length layered bob. I tried it shorter but found it needed more teasing and products to stay in shape. I struggled to get any lift at the roots on the crown so I let it have its own way and lay reasonable flat. For added body after drying I use self grip hair rollers to avoid over working and therefore causing more hair loss.
All these tender handling strategies have helped prevent further thinning and shedding.
If you have this problem what strategies do you use I’m always eager to learn more. Let me know in the comments below I’d love to hear from you.
