HOW DOES MENOPAUSE CAUSE HAIR LOSS? As if the mood swings and hot flushes aren’t enough, hair loss during menopause can be a common but troubling symptom to add to the list of changes our bodies are going though. So how does menopause affect hair loss? Hair loss during menopause is a big issue for some women, for others it's dry and damaged-looking hair. Both equally troubling and problematic when you see your luscious locks disappear as if before your eyes. For me, it is all of the above. My name is Bambi Staveley and I am a nurse (RN), author of HAIR LOSS IN WOMEN and female hair loss advocate and the creator of Boost N Blend. But more on that later. First, let's talk female hair loss after 45... WHAT CAUSES HAIR LOSS DURING AND AFTER MENOPAUSE? There’s not one simple answer as to why hair starts falling or changes condition around menopause. We know that a number of factors can contribute and that these can be exacerbated during menopause. The number one cause for hair loss during menopause is thought to be our hormones. The main affected hormone believed to be estrogen which gradually reduces over the course of our lives. The reduction in estrogen then causes an imbalance with our other hormones. It was thought that women with excess testosterone (hyperandrogenism) are more prone to hair loss but many women with low testosterone also experience the issue. As progesterone levels reduce throughout menopause, androgens have been known to cause changes to the hair follicles and sebaceous glands on the scalp. The result is often a reduction in the number of hair follicles altogether, or decreased size and quality of the follicles, resulting in finer and coarser hair growth. Healthy hair needs good sebum to grow so hair may also become drier as sebum production decreases. The good news is there is a lot you can do about hormone related hair loss. All of which is outlined in this new book: HAIR LOSS IN WOMEN written by Bambi Staveley RN, herself a hair loss sufferer. FIND YOUR CAUSE IN THE BOOK HAIR LOSS IN WOMEN AFTER MENOPUASE: MORE THAN ONE CAUSE According to a recent review published in the International Journal of Women's Dermatology, Female pattern hair loss: A clinical, pathophysiologic, and therapeutic review, hair loss in women is polygenic (can be influenced by more than one gene) and multifactorial (dependent on a number of factors) with the additional influence of environmental factors. So the answer is complicated. Menopause alone is not always the cause of hairloss in a woman, it is more likely a combination of menopause and poor diet or low nutrition often caused by women in menopause taking on crash diets to eliminate their menopause weight gain. So we see that menopause is not the direct cause of hair loss in all women past a certain age, but when combined with crash dieting, poor nutritional input, or strong genetic predisposition, (all of which are known to contributors to female hair loss) it would appear on the surface that menopause is the sole cause. Nutritional deficiencies – even with a balanced diet, as we age our bodies become less efficient at digesting food which often results in inadequate absorption of vitamins and minerals. Protein is a very important part of a healthy diet and essential for healthy hair, nails and skin. We often fall into the trap of not consuming enough protein and too many carbohydrates, so remember to keep up your protein intake to help keep hair healthy. ADD THE BOOK TO YOUR CART Zinc and Iron are also essential for healthy hair growth. Being low in iron and in particular in iron stores, known as ferritin, can be the number one contributing factor to hair loss in women of any age. Following menopause and with a less than perfect diet, a woman can have dangerously low iron and not be aware of it. Get to your GP and ask for a blood test. Always a good idea to have a blood test if you are concerned about hair loss. Even with iron as an underlying cause, since female hair loss at any age is multifactorial, it can be challenging for you and your doctor to be sure you have uncovered every possibility. HAIR LOSS IN WOMEN offers everything you need to know to find out what is causing your hair loss and what you can do about it. EXPLORE YOUR CAUSES MENOPAUSE | A HAIR LOSS TRIGGER So while I have listed some of the most common causes here, the true cause of your hair loss is likely to be a combination of factors that all peaked at the same time. Add in a trigger like Covid-19, another serious illness or surgery, unusual and undue stress for example a divorce or a death in the family, and hair loss, most likely sudden and fierce will be a common result. Thyroid dysfunction – the thyroid is responsible for controlling hormone balance, moods and metabolism. It can also be responsible for significant hair loss if your thyroid function is under or over active. Another good thing to ask your GP to check for you. A woman's first experience of hair loss during menopause can be quite daunting. But you’re not alone; it’s a very common symptom of menopause. In fact, up to 80% of women experience some form of hair loss by age 60. If lack of confidence is a concern or you are feeling less than feminine, the first thing to do is to get yourself a cotton hair fibre concealer. Back in 2010 I suffered a huge amount of hair loss. Not willing to use a men's hair loss product I looked around for a feminine product and discovered there weren't any - everything available was for men! The men's hair fibre products tend to be made from animal products and a myriad of chemicals, and I was looking for something vegan and without a huge number of horrible chemicals. And so I developed Boost N Blend! Boost N Blend is an organic cotton product that comes in many hair colours designed and developed especially for women, particularly if you colour your hair. It is an instant solution since you simply shake it on and blend it in with your fingers, any signs of visible hair loss disappears instantly. CONFIDENCE AND HAIR GROWTH Did you know that the stress of hair loss is a contributing factor to hair loss? Yes, that's unfortunately correct. Several studies have been done on this and it has been shown that when a woman is stressed, hair loss is often the outcome. Add to lifestyle stress the stress of hair loss and the result can be very damaging to your hair growth. More on stress below. Using a camouflage concealer like Boost N Blend can take away the stress surrounding hair loss in an instant. A quick shake of these clingy little hair fibres onto a visibly thinning area, can boost confidence in an instant. This really helps to eradicate at least one of the stressors - hair loss itself! SHOP OUR FULL HAIR CARE RANGE>> USE OF DAMAGING CHEMICALS If your hair is becoming drier, resist the temptation to wash it less because it doesn’t feel oily. For women with thinning hair we recommend washing your hair more often than once a week. Every day is ideal. The oils that build up on your scalp clog your follicles and for healthy hair growth, follicles need to be free of build-up. So washing more often is definitely recommended. If you are washing your hair less often to preserve it, then we can assure you that washing your hair doesn't cause it to fall more. Avoid using supermarket bought shampoo and conditioner. They are full of damaging chemicals and won't help with your hair or scalp health, in fact they can be contributing to your hair loss. Use only good quality products like the Boost & Be range that has been developed for women with thinning hair. We highly recommend using a good quality mask on your hair and scalp. Either put it in the night before you are planning to wash your hair, or put it in half an hour before you wash your hair. Our scalp is just skin with lots of hair follicles in it, and it needs to be treated like the skin everywhere else. We apply face and body creams, so why not moisturise your scalp? Makes sense, right? You may find that your conditioner just doesn’t seem hydrating enough anymore. For dry and unmanageable hair, try replacing your conditioner with a hair treatment. Best of all use a #KindToHair shampoo and conditioner. The Boost & Be range has been developed to be hydrating without weighing your hair down. Developed specially for women with hair loss, this range has had remarkable success with visible hair volume and new growth usually the case. SHOP OUR KIND TO HAIR SHAMPOO RANGE BOOST N BLEND FEMALE HAIR FIBRES COVER UP VISIBLE SCALP IN SECONDS. SHAKE IN AND GO. SHOP OUR HAIR FIBRES RANGE HERE DO HAIR FIBRES CLOG FOLLICLES? There is a lot of misinformation on this topic online. I have been using Boost N Blend cotton hair fibres for over 10 years and in that time I have grown my hair back several times. I have had a few bouts of TE and on each occasion, I continued to use Boost N Blend every day. As my hair thinned out, I needed to use more. And even with using more and still using it every day, my hair grew back. I do recommend you check the ingredients in your hair products to ensure that there are no nasty ingredients to compromise your hair health. Get the full list of ingredients to avoid in HAIR LOSS IN WOMEN. 5.0 Vegan Hair Loss Concealer "I’ve been using it for over a year now and I am loving the results. I style my hair, shake the product, spray a little bit of hairspray and viola!! I have pretty, looking thick and luxurious hair." - Gina WV Cotton hair fibres cling to the hair shaft, making each strand of hair up to ten times thicker. This disguises visible scalp instantly and restores confidence. This is a product developed by women for women. Not a repurposed men's product full of animal sourced keratin and a bunch of chemicals you won't want anywhere near your scalp (if you are hoping to grow your hair back). 25g bottle Vegan Hair Loss Concealer "I’ve been using it for over a year now and I am loving the results. I style my hair, shake the product, spray a little bit of hairspray and viola!! I have pretty, looking thick and luxurious hair." - Gina WV Cotton hair fibres cling to the hair shaft, making each strand of hair up to ten times thicker. This disguises visible scalp instantly and restores confidence. This is a product developed by women for women. Not a repurposed men's product full of animal sourced keratin and a bunch of chemicals you won't want anywhere near your scalp (if you are hoping to grow your hair back). 25g bottle Preview Next EXTREME WEIGHT CHANGES AFTER MENOPAUSE So while I believe being overweight and having insulin resistance and systemic inflammation are factors that can cause hair loss in women after menopause, losing weight suddenly with a restrictive diet can mean you miss out on some essential nutrients which could also cause your hair to fall. If you feel that losing weight may help your overall health then consider a ketogenic diet, high in natural foods and low in processed sugars and carbohydrates. This kind of diet can eradicate insulin resistance and systemic inflammation and then contribute to an overall health improvement which will be reflected in healthy hair growth. Bariatric surgery (stomach stapling, gastric bypass etc) is a common cause of hair loss in women. This is usually due to the extreme weight loss and the resulting stress on your body, but can also be due to a lack of certain nutrients that may have been borderline low prior to the diet. Again, look for more than one cause. STRESS IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO HAIR LOSS IN WOMEN According to an article published by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information Hair and stress: A pilot study of hair and cytokine balance alteration in healthy young women under major exam stress (1), stress, as in during a high tension exam period, can cause an interruption to the natural growth of hair. Another study performed by the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, University of Hamburg, Germany Burden of hair loss: stress and the underestimated psychosocial impact of telogen effluvium and androgenetic alopecia (2) states that"stress has long been implicated as one of the causal factors involved in hair loss". It also states that the stress caused by hair loss is a significant contributing factor to hairloss. Stress causes hair loss in a variety of ways. Stress, and in particular chronic stress, leads to a sustained increase in the body's cortisol levels. Long term raised cortisol levels can lead to chronic inflammation. It can also lead to the suppression of the immune system which can also lead to disease (such as cancer and auto-immune for example). Due to this Cortisol effect therefore, it can be said that lifestyle, poor diet and stress, all over time, can lead to systemic inflammation. Systemic inflammation hyper-sensitizes the hair follicles to androgens which is why chronic inflammation can cause female pattern hair loss. There is a viscous cycle between stress > raised cortisol > inflammation > female hair loss.There are other factors at play here such as type 2 diabetes, being over weight and oxidative stress affecting the mitochondria of the hair cell. However, I've tried to keep it simple in order to help you understand and try to identify your triggers and contributing factors. So while some women maybe in menopause or are taking medications that are known to cause or trigger hair loss, they may not have any form of hair loss if they are otherwise healthy. However if a women has systemic inflammation then the medication may cause hair loss in that woman. This is why when women ask on Facebook groups if others have found hair loss caused by a certain medication or trigger, there will always be a number of women who also have also taken that medication successfully for many years, with no hair loss. I suffer hair loss myself and you can read my story and how I got my hair back, in my latest book HAIR LOSS IN WOMEN. If you have left a doctor’s surgery in tears because he/she wasn’t able to offer anything constructive about your hair loss, then you need to read this book. My research and advice picks up where most doctors leave off. If hair loss is a problem for you, it’s a good idea to visit your local GP. In the meantime, usea women’s hair loss concealer like BOOST N BLEND™ to keep your hair loss a secret. It is easy to apply and gives an instant result. SHOP OUR HAIRCARE RANGE HERE ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE I’ve decided to rename your product ‘Boost your Confidence’…firstly I was a little skeptical that it would look super natural, but wow…it’s totally natural looking. I’m blending two shade together to get the perfect natural colour and it’s incredible. I feel so much better about my hair and styling it. I’ve literally told everyone about it because it’s super easy to use, looks amazing, stays in the hair, and you can’t even tell it’s there and the coverage is incredible. The service I also received when I asked questions was impeccable and it arrived so fast. I 100% support this product and will always keep it in my bag for days I want a little more confidence. Thanks Boost n blend xx Ellika ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ LOVE IT! I have noticeable scalp showing through my hair front and sides, which seemed to be worsening, so this is my first foray into disguising it. The dusky dark brown colour blends invisibly into my hair colour. My process is to wash hair, apply mousse, blow dry, apply initial hairspray and THEN sprinkle on the Boost n Blend, not parting or fingering the hair at all. My idea is to just apply enough powder to minimise and break up the extent of scalp showing, not to cover every last bit, which would look unnatural. Let's face it, normal hair shows some scalp through it! I'm very happy with this product and have recently bought a bulk amount. Barbara ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ WHAT A GREAT PRODUCT! Boost N Blend is so easy to use and the results are amazing. Instantly gave my hair more volume and covered those thinning areas. Increased my confidence when I’m out and about. Just love it! - Shelby ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ WHAT A TRANSFORMATION! It covers up the balding area of my part beautifully. You honestly can’t tell that I’m using any kind of hair fibers. It also actually makes me look and feel younger! - Janice Join our private Facebook Group for more tips (be sure to answer the question in order to be accepted to join) JOIN HERE