18. Thinner Hair

Bloody hormones! As if we don’t have enough to deal with, losing our once lustrous locks can be added to the symptoms’ checklist. Hopefully, we’re not talking about a desperate comb-over moment, but let’s be totally honest here, we’ve all endured a bad hair day at some point during our life, and probably accompanied by some highly dubious, questionable hairstyles - especially from our experimental younger days!

Peri/menopause symptoms are a bit of a lottery - and this is the one lottery that you don’t want to be ‘in it to win it’, because quite frankly hotties - the prizes are pretty bloody naff. It’s like a Woolworths Pick ‘n’ Mix, where you don’t have the first friggin’ clue as to what wonderful hormone-induced treats you are going to land in your menopausal ‘not-so goody bag’!

Thinning hair and hair loss occurs due to the lowered production of oestrogen and progesterone. These hormones both play a role in helping our hair to grow and in staying on our head. When those levels drop, hair grows more slowly and will become much thinner; it also results in the growth of androgen, which can shrink hair follicles.

Most women experience overall hair thinning, along with shedding more hair than usual, rather than noticeable bald spots. The thinning can occur all over and sometimes hair falls out in clumps during washing and brushing. This can be distressing so managing stress levels will become a vital part of daily life.

Help manage your stress and…:

• …Eat a stress-busting diet and keep well-hydrated. Make sure you eat a well-balanced diet, with lots of whole grains, and fruit and vegetables thrown in for good measure, which contain all those essential vitamins and minerals necessary in keeping our bodies a well-oiled machine.

• …Regular exercise is key, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a slave to the gym. Try walking, swimming, cycling, gardening, dancing. Get that blood pumping and flush out any annoying excess stress hormones.

• …Try mind-body practices, such as yoga, meditation, Feldenkrais, or Pilates which can release tension and calm your central nervous system. Throw in some holistic therapies too such as Reiki healing, acupuncture, crystal healing and reflexology.

• …Sleep! It is essential to get 8 hours or more of quality sleep. The biggest cause of stress is insomnia or difficulty sleeping. Your bedroom should be your sanctuary, your safe haven. Somewhere to feel secure, where you can relax, unwind and rest.

• …Reduce/stop (if you think you’re hard enough!) caffeine and alcohol. They both have compounds that stimulate the body, making you feel agitated and sluggish, so at least try to reduce your coffee, wine and spirit intake. Decaf and no/lo-alcohol are a good start if you don’t wanna do ‘cold turkey’. They can both cause anxiety, unhelpfully putting your heart rate and blood pressure through the roof. Nobody is saying you have to cut it out and live like a nun, however, nobody likes a drunken, messy lush either - so be drink aware and know your limit - try not to push that limit to the max. Your body, skin, face, mind, and overall wellbeing WILL reward and thank you for such positive tweaks!

• Turn off the gadgets and disconnect the wifi. Not going on social media will de-stress you in a nano-second - the constant drip feeding of doom and gloom and fake bull$hit will free your mind and stop you worrying about things you have absolutely no control over.

Now that we’ve got some tips for helping to manage our stress, let’s get back to hair thinning and how we can tackle one of its more upsetting knock-on effects.

How can we stop our self-esteem from plummeting whilst faced with keeping our crowning glory intact, and adapting to the changes at this time of our lives?

There are MANY lotions, potions and supplements available that can help with hair thinning and hair loss. A cautionary note - there are plenty of crooks out there, preying upon desperate, vulnerable souls, wanting them to part with their money.

So please make sure you do your research thoroughly and talk through any treatments first with a healthcare professional or your GP. Your hairdresser might also be a good source of advice, and help signpost you to reputable products/websites.

We always say “look good - feel good”, so here are some of our favourite tips for looking and feeling fabulous:

1. Luxurious bath with lots of bubbles, scented candles, relaxing music, and maybe a cheeky glass of bubbles. Mind you don’t mix up your bubble bath with your bubbles!
2. Soothe yourself with indulgent body creams/oils/body sprays and your favourite perfume. Activate your senses.
3. Pedicure and manicure. Paint those pinkies in bright, glittery colours. Who doesn’t love a bit of sparkle? Maybe even make it a fun girly night, especially if you need help when painting your nails on the ‘other hand’, or bending down to paint your tootsies!
4. Pop on a favourite outfit and accessorise to the max. Throw on the jewels. Try out some new hair accessories - a scarf, a beret, a hair band or go full on Ladies Day at Royal Ascot with an attention-grabbing hat! Have fun. Be adventurous. Be bold. Be confident. Be fabulous. Be the best you can be! Flamboyance, optional. Fabulousness, essential!

And just remember hotties, that for every problem or $hitty symptom the peri/menopause slings at us, there are always answers and solutions.

Take comfort fellow hotties, because we’re all in this together, and together we are stronger.

Knowledge is power and the more we learn, the better we become at playing the game of menopause and life!

In the meantime, we suggest you kick back, take off your shoes, and go shimmy yourself - standing or seated - whilst listening to a kick-ass playlist. Tired of doing everything around here? Don’t worry. We’ve got this. And we’ve got you! Here’s one we made earlier.

See you next month hotties xx

All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor
Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Confident - Demi Lovato
Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself - Jess Glynne
Don’t Stop Believing - Journey
Five Colours In Her Hair - McFly
Girl On Fire - Alicia Keys
Hold On - Wilson Phillips
Perfect - P!nk
Raise Your Glass - P!nk
Run The World - Beyonce
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
You Can Leave Your Hat On - from that musical overlord himself - (Sir) Tom Jones!