Menopause Hair Is Real

As our hair changes with age, so does the way we see ourselves—and what we refuse to surrender.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the girl with the hair—long, wild, and blond. Strangers love to touch it. Everyone comments on it. Until menopause. Suddenly my hair became so dry and brittle it started falling out in clumps in the shower. One morning, as I watched in horror as it swirled down the drain, I wondered if losing my hair would change the way the world perceived me. It had been such an important part of my identity.

As my hair continued to thin and lose shine, I felt like I was taking yet another step on the path to invisibility. Along with wrinkles, an expanding belly, and loss of bone density, it felt like my body—and my hair—belonged to someone else.

I wasn’t ready to get a midlife chop, so I reached out to the experts to find out why our hair thins during menopause, what we can do about it, and how keeping it long is the new power move.

What Happens to Our Hair During Midlife?

To put it bluntly, once we hit menopause, we start drying up. “The drop in estrogen results in less sebum production,” said Jennifer Chwalek, a dermatologist at Union Dermatology. In fact, 52 percent of menopausal women experience hair loss. That’s why no matter what we do, our soft, silky hair is suddenly a thing of the past.

Stress and inflammation are other hair loss contributors. As we go through menopause, we have less tolerance for stress (no kidding!) so our cortisol levels spike, causing lower progesterone production, Chwalek said. Not eating well and not getting enough sleep are two of the biggest factors that overstress the body, she added.

Medication can also be an unsuspecting culprit. And let’s face it, as we get older our night table begins to look like a pharmacy. Anti-anxiety drugs, blood pressure meds, cancer meds, and GLP-1s like Ozempic can all cause hair loss.

Long Hair, Don’t Care (Anymore)

Long, luxurious hair has often been associated with fertility, beauty, and power. Our mothers cut their hair short to signal that they were quietly slipping into their role out of the spotlight. But that’s changing. Now, we’re keeping it long as a not-so-subtle flex that says, We’re not going anywhere. “In so many ways, we’re different from our grandparents and parents, so why not our hair?” asked Janet Waddell, a trichologist at The Parlor in New York City.

Menopause is morphing into a time of empowerment rather than a time to fade away. We’re reinventing our lives, showing up, and making a statement that we’re not about to disappear. “There’s this pushback that you don’t have to become invisible as you age. You can still be attractive and go for everything you want,” said Waddell. We’re finally embracing the aging process and dismissing out-of-date ideas. “There’s more challenges around the norms, what we’ve put up with in the past, and what is now possible,” she continued.

But this comes with a reality check. Power hair needs upkeep. We need hair care that works, but doesn’t slow us down. The trick is knowing what deserves our time and what clogs the drain.

How To Maintain Our Shine

Start with the basics. Eat whole foods—fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. Omega 3s nourish hair follicles, so try and include wild fish and extra virgin olive oil.

Get a blood test to check your hormones, thyroid, and vitamin levels and make sure your daily heat, styling, or color obsession isn’t doing more harm than time itself. Get your beauty rest, too. But if you’ve done all these things and your brush still looks like a Chia Pet, it might be time to see a specialist.

The gold standard for hair loss is prescription minoxidil. Taken orally or topically, it can help support hair growth over time. It’s often combined with platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP), a technique that involves injecting your own platelets into the scalp to improve circulation, or in-office laser therapy like FoLix. There’s also evidence that low level light therapy or light caps can help stimulate hair growth. There are a lot of choices when you’re working with a dermatologist, but what will work for you comes down to your family history, genetics, how bad your hair loss is, and your comfort level.

About Those “Miracle” Fixes

Scrolling TikTok and Instagram, it’s easy to fall victim to quick fixes and home remedies for hair treatment, like the recent craze of pouring raw onion juice on your head. “I promise you, if there’s anything in onion juice that really works to grow hair, a chemist will capitalize on it,” said Chwalek. So don’t waste your time. “It’s not a good idea to get your medical care from a wellness influencer on TikTok,” she added.

There’s also pre-social media remedies including saw palmetto and rosemary oil. They’re not FDA approved, and they haven’t been studied enough. Don’t waste your money.

Some studies suggest that supplements like collagen and biotin help, but the research is murky. And even if all these remedies do something, they’re not going to outperform minoxidil, Chwalek said.

Beyond the Mirror

After years of trial and error, and with an arsenal of products from serums to shampoos,  I’ve finally found a hair care regimen that works. I’ve also learned that hair, like everything else, is less about control and more about acceptance.

My curls are only one part of who I am. As a matter of fact, it’s the least exciting thing about me. “Look back at what you’ve done with your life to get to this point, what you achieved, and what you’ve gone through,” said Waddell. That’s what’s important.

So while I plan to keep my golden locks long, and will continue to give them the love they deserve, I’m also embracing my midlife mane.

Because that’s the real power move.

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