What Causes Hair Loss In Menopause?
If you’ve noticed handfuls of hair in your shower drain, or an unusually high amount of hair left on your hairbrush, you may be experiencing hair loss due to menopause.
Yes, unfortunately, your hair is closely tied to your hormones.
AND IN MENOPAUSE, WHEN YOUR HORMONE LEVELS START TO CHANGE, THAT MEANS YOU MIGHT SEE:
- A receding hairline
- Clumps of hair falling out
- More hair on your clothing than normal
- Your hair looking all around thinner on your head, especially at your part
Well, there are a few different reasons you may be losing your hair in menopause:
- Falling levels of estrogen and progesterone mean testosterone can rise. When testosterone gets converted to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the body, it can cause your hair to fall out. Hair also becomes drier and duller as estrogen declines.
- High cortisol can also contribute to hair loss. For one thing, while your adrenals are pumping out cortisol, they are not pumping out estrogen and progesterone which can support healthy hair growth. Cortisol also increases 5 alpha-reductase, an enzyme that helps convert testosterone to DHT…which again, causes hair loss
- Overactive or under-active thyroid. Both conditions can push hair into a falling-out phase.
What can I do about it?
I’ve always had long, thick, shiny hair. Until I reached menopause. I experienced male pattern baldness in a big way and it left me feeling frustrated. But when I went looking for solutions, I couldn’t find clean hair care products that would also support my hormones and get to the root of the problem.
You see, the average shampoo has more than fifteen chemicals in it, many of which are considered endocrine disruptors. That means they disrupt your natural hormone production.
If you look on the back of your shampoo bottle right now, I’ll bet you find names like formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate, and cocamide DEA.
All of these harsh chemicals dry the scalp, damage your hair, and mess with hormone production. These are things you shouldn’t be putting on your scalp and absorbing into your body, and you definitely shouldn’t be using them if your hair is becoming drier or thinner.
Which is why I created:
Beauty Locks
Beauty Locks is my holy grail formula I created to restore my hair from thin and thirsty to radiant and shiny again.
And thousands of women with thinning hair due to menopause have found the all-natural ingredients in Beauty Locks to revive their dull, dry, and brittle hair, too.
Beauty Locks is formulated to restore your luscious locks with the best hair-loving ingredients on the planet:
- Sea Buckthorn Oil
- Argan Oil
- Elderberry Extract
- Meadowfoam Seed Oil
- Juniper Fruit Extract
- Lavender Oil
This blend of rich natural ingredients gives your hair everything it needs to start feeling thicker and fuller with regular use.
And, it smells heavenly.
You can use this product as an overnight hair mask, or let it soak for about 20 minutes and then rinse it out.
Other things you can do to help with hair loss
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#1: Balance your hormones
When your estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and thyroid hormones become imbalanced, one of the most important things you can do to support these crucial hormones is to eat a Keto-Green™ diet – one that is high in fat (which nourishes hair roots), low in carbs, and moderate in protein (which is essential for healthy hair follicles) – plus it’s full of hair-restoring alkalinizing foods, that are high in nutrients like B6 and zinc (which can help stop testosterone from being converted to DHT).
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#2: Stop stress
Stress bumps up your cortisol which means your adrenals are too busy pumping out cortisol to make your sex hormones. You want your adrenals to produce sex hormones to support your entire menopause journey, including your hair loss struggles. To stop stressing so much, try meditating. Incorporate activities you love into your daily routine. Maybe painting or sculpting relaxes you—or being in nature, reading a great book, or just kicking back and watching your favorite TV shows is your thing. Try practicing yoga or other physical activities that you enjoy.
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#3: Pump up the omega-3s
A lack of omega-3 fatty acids can also contribute to hair loss. Fish oils are the most common dietary source of omega-3s, but vegetarians can supplement with flaxseed oil to prevent hair from becoming dry and brittle. Eat plenty of fish high in omega-3s too, such as salmon.
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#4: Support your thyroid
This begins with hair-friendly minerals such as selenium, iodine, and zinc. Eat two Brazil nuts nightly (which provide approximately 200 micrograms of selenium); oysters because they are rich in zinc; and sushi or seaweed for natural iodine. Supplement with omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. They boost hair density and reduce the time hair stays in its resting phase,
A special note on zinc supplementation: Zinc supports your thyroid and so many other processes in your body. Many of us have suboptimal levels. Zinc supplementation at 60mg per day was really important to my hair recovery as it blocks the enzyme 5 alpha-reductase that initiates the conversion of testosterone to DHT.
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#5: Avoid iron deficiency
A very common condition, (a third of women aged 51-64 are low in iron), this can trigger hair loss, since iron binds to a protein called ferritin that protects against hair loss. Have your doctor check your iron and ferritin levels to see if you need to take an iron supplement (Get your ferritin levels optimal at approximately 50 ng/ml).
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#6: Try herbs before HRT
Although hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may help some women with hair loss, it doesn’t work for everyone. Instead, try supplementing with herbs that support hormone balance because they contain plant-based estrogens. These include black cohosh, ashwaganda, and chaste tree extract.
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#7: Drink green tea
A cup or two of green tea daily may put hair loss on the slow track. Green tea contains catechins which inhibit an enzyme involved in converting testosterone to its follicle-killing form, DHT. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants that are great for your whole body.