Weak hair -peri menopause or just bad luck

[Pollyputthepeleton]

I’ve noticed in the last year or so that my hair has become weak and prone to breakage, and there’s lots in the brush every day. I e had highlights for years but am not sure my hair can handle it now. What are my options? I’m 43 and not ready to go grey yet (hair is naturally dark blonde but now about 45% grey). Feel a bit sad as I used to have lovely thick hair and now it just looks a bit straggly and thin. Have spent a small fortune on hair products and don’t use straightener
or curling tongs

It may not be so much what you're putting on your hair, but how you're feeding your body.
Get your iron levels checked. If you're low supplementation may help. You need to have ferritin levels in the 70's-80's or above for hair growth.
Take biotin (though I found it makes me break out if I have too much). Buy a good hair and nail vitamin, this will be in it.

I would also say to take vitamin B complex and get a blood test to check ferritin - there's a big range of what doctors consider normal but the low end will affect hair.
Also the cycle of hair growth is long, so any stress you were under a year ago could be affecting hair now.
The other thing is peri menopause which can affect hair, so this may be a consideration.

Oh thank you, I hadn’t thought of a vit b deficiency, but that would make sense as to why I’m so exhausted all the time too!

Unfortunately hair loss is common as your hormones change around menopause.
Vit B complex is a good all rounder and as already suggested have iron/ferritin tested along with thyroid.
Eat well, exercise and treat your hair gently. Everything will come right it'll just take time.

Ive been through this, thought it was stress-based, but looking back now, Im not so sure and am thinking it was the beginning of peri-menopause. Suggest taking Vit B6, B12, D3, Selenium & Zinc and Magnesium. I took them for about 3 months before I noticed a difference, and at about 6 months my stylist noticed when I finally went for a haircut.
If you can get your baselines measured before you start, you may not need all of them.