Hello Ladies,

Today I want to talk about a very popular topic in menopause: The loss of our precious hair! In fact, this problem is not only limited to menopause, we can also find it during our fertile stage. Since hair loss affects our beauty, it causes us a lot of anguish. I myself suffered from severe hair loss several times, and I still remember, how much it affected me emotionally. 

That is why today I want to give you some advice on how to avoid excessive hair loss.

Let’s talk about “Hairy Stuff”

Just like in nature itself, hair has different phases of growth. In spring and summer, it grows more, and should not fall off, while in autumn and winter it tends to renew itself and fall off. This is linked to the amount of light you are exposed to. Especially in autumn, we usually have more hair fall. You will notice it when you wash it and your hands are full of hair or when you comb your hair and you will have to remove a lot of hair from the comb afterwards.

We should be concerned when we notice that we lose a lot of hair outside of this time or when we realize that the density of the hair has visibly decreased over a long period; or if we find much more hair than before on the pillow, on our desk, on the floor.

Why do we lose hair during menopause?

In menopause, there is a decrease in estrogen and progesterone and at the same time an increase in androgen, a rather masculine hormone, the hormone that plays an important role in the sebaceous gland and in the hair follicle. What happens then, if androgen gains in importance? Well, the scalp produces more sebum – it gets dirty easier and greasier. We can even have more itching, due to micro-inflammations. The sebum also closes the pores, prevents the hair from growing, and leads to it dying and falling out, especially in the area from front to back.

Which solutions do we have?

Above all, take care of our lifestyle, our nutrition, our eating habits – generally spoken, of our metabolism.  How? A diet low in refined grains and all kinds of sugars; stop snacking during the day; do intermittent fasting and – above all – exercise regularly!

In this way, we decrease the level of androgens and sebum.

Just as important is reducing chronic inflammation because it is also directly related to increased androgens and insulin resistance.

Abstain from washing your hair on a daily basis!

Another common mistake that we must avoid is washing the hair more than normal to avoid greasy hair. Why? Well, because the detergent in the shampoo removes the sebum and the sebaceous gland reacts by working hard to produce even more sebum.

The solution would be to wash the hair with a shampoo without detergent (and without endocrine disruptors) and maximum twice a week. At first, the hair may seem more dirty and oily, but little by little, you will see how your hair adapts and returns to being as before. Choose natural, organic shampoos instead.

This type of hair loss from front to back is also seen a lot in spring / summer, when it is hotter and we are sweating. If you recognize yourself, take good care of your metabolism and the care of your hair as I have said before.

Another option: your thyroid went nuts!

If you observe that this problem starts suddenly, lasts for a year and is not limited in time and you do not only observe hair loss from front to back, you should check two things: First, if you have a malfunction of your thyroid, since hypothyroidism can cause hair loss. Your practitioner will help you to find out if this may be the case.

Are you going through a very stressful phase of your life? 

Second cause, which is quite common and current, is stress. Often we have already passed a stressful phase of our life; our body is exhausted and has to decide how to save energy in order to maintain the most important functions. Like gorgeous hair, producing strong, shiny follicles is not exactly a priority; it will be one of the first things you give up.

So, if you notice this sudden symptom, extended over time, it may be your case, you should first try to manage your stress – whether it is work or home. Learn to delegate, to better organize your time, to find breaks during the day and in general to help your nervous system.

Occasionally medicinal plants can also help us, such as the so-called adaptogens. The name already explains it: They are plants that help us make the adrenal glands adapt better to the situation. Examples are Ashwaganda, Rhodiola and Ginseng. 

When was the last time that you checked your iron deposit?

Another reason could be a deficiency in certain nutrients, such as iron. We often take iron supplements but our body cannot absorb them, as it should for different reasons. One could be our state of inflammation, the metabolism of our stomach etc.

We will have to check first our iron deposits, our red blood cells; if there may be anemia, what type of anemia, the cause and how to cure it.

Be careful with the ingestion of iron of animal origin, such as viscera for example, because these will only increase inflammation. I always recommend taking iron from plant sources, such as legumes, nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard, etc.

Say HELLO to your daily dose of C vitamins!!!

To improve iron absorption, we should combine it with foods that are rich in vitamin C, because vitamin C oxidizes iron and makes it easier to absorb. We can combine them with citrics, such as lemon juice; sprinkle it on top of the salad, vegetables, for example, or with red pepper. 

Aronia berries are rich in healthy flavonoids as well as vitamins and minerals. As a result, the immune system works at full speed, bones and muscles are strengthened and the fight against inflammation is supported. There is also a whole package of vital substances: vitamins C, K and A as well as minerals such as iron, iodine, magnesium, calcium and potassium. I take a shot of aronia juice every morning AFTER breakfast.

Maybe you are suffering from Iron Deficiency?

There is also pernicious anemia, which is a lack of vitamin B12 and a lack of homocysteine. Just being omnivorous does not guarantee that your body absorbs vitamin B12. There may be other causes, not related to diet, that inhibit the proper absorption of vitamin B12.

As with iron, it is not a question of taking very high doses of vitamin B12, rather you should try to take it through a correct diet, full of B vitamins.

Where can we find B Vitamins???

You can find B vitamins in all kinds of cereals, legumes, seeds, nuts, with one exception: Vitamin B12, which is of bacterial origin and is found in animals that have grazed or have received an adequate supplement. Another very important supplement for our hair is zinc. Zinc should be part of our regular diet. We can find it in foods such as pumpkin seeds, for example. I usually add them to my morning cereals, to creams, in toasted or ground form, or I add them to my salads. Even a little snack of toasted pumpkin seeds is yummy.

Get your blood circulation going!

Another problem that we find in menopause is that the circulation no longer reaches our scalp as well as it used to do. We should try to improve our circulation in general. For this, the contribution of many vitamin C, red fruits – for example, acerola juice – helps us.

At night and when we wash our hair, it is very good for us to give ourselves a gentle massage of the scalp – this way essential nutrients arrive to our scalp and microcirculation is activated.

Gingko Bilboa also helps us to activate microcirculation.

Be careful about what you put on your head!!!

Finally, I cannot repeat enough that it is so important to avoid conventional shampoos or conditioners. It is very worth buying natural products that do not contain endocrine disruptors (false hormones), since these can influence our hormonal balance more than we can imagine.

I hope this article gave you some useful advice on this topic.

Take care, beauties ☺

Yours, Tara