Menopause and my hair thinning

[BlueJeansPinkTop]

It’s more my fringe, it’s so thin, it’s embarrassing. I hate sitting in meetings over teams as it looks so much worse. I’ve tried hair thickening shampoos, but it’s not much different and all I focus on is a few strands hanging down. . Also in general, my hair looks dry. Any advice welcome? Thank you.

Thickening shampoos just rough up the hair surface and make it frizzy.
Are you on HRT? Have you tried biotin? Can you style your hair differently to hide it?

I’m 47 and have suffered with hair thinning for 3 years or so now.

it’s a very upsetting thing

i dont think any shampoos etc can make a physical difference though some are better at the illusion of thickness. Minoxidil is the only stuff which is proven to work but you’ll have to use that for life if it does (I haven’t gone down that route yet)

this year I have had promising results with pumpkin seed oil. My hair is noticably shedding less. Worth reading up about it and in particular the DHT hormone, which it supposedly blocks

I went into peri (now menopausal) and my long hair starting thinning and I was loosing loads of it every wash. I bought some collagen tablets from Amazon after a recommendation from a friend, and it's been a complete game changer. No more hair loss, thicker hair plus bonus stronger nails.

With minoxidil, is it worse than if you haven’t started, if you stop?

On collagen: is there a certain good brand that works?

My friend is suffering with hair loss and says the only thing that helps is minoxidil. The ones marketed for women are weaker, so she buys the ‘men’s’ strength one. (I think that’s 5%)

I'm in the same boat OP. It started about 2 years ago, the amount of hair on my hairbrush is alarming.

Im not sure what can be done though.

@Belladog1 can you share a link please or the brand? Thanks!

If it's at the front, look into frontal fibrosis alopecia - you'd need to see a dermatologist.

Autocorrect: it's frontal fibrosing alopecia. FFA.

Seconding to check out Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia. This also affects the eyebrows.

This is the one that I use which works for me. Costs about £10

In terms of disguising it, I have used Osis Dust in the past. It is literally a white powder that you sprinkle on dry hair then use your fingers to work it through. It seems to give my hair a bit more hold/ texture and almost bulk it up. I am now using Evo Haze which is a similar product but applied by spraying.

Thanks @Belladog1

HRT made a huge difference to mine

Hrt
b12 vitamin

Try a good quality collagen powder (ancient &brave\nutrition geeks) and maybe an hair oil (husk&seed or aveda) for the dryness.

have you asked your hairdresser for advice?

A hair topper would be a great and instant option. Especially as you have a fringe, it really helps to make them indistinguishable from your natural hair. You can get synthetic or human hair ones. Also in various densities, so if you naturally have fine hair you would want a lightweight one that dosent look bulky and wiggy. They can also either clip in, or be attached as hair extensions are.

I took Ancient and Brave collagen for over a year. Unfortunately, it did nothing for my hair. I've just purchased Nioxin System 4 from Amazon, so fingers crossed.

Get your Vitamin D checked. My hair was falling out and that was the cause.

How's your thyroid op? Might be worth getting your levels checked?

Yes, I did ask the hairdresser, she laughed! Needless to say, she’s no longer my hairdresser.

Limited if any evidence for food supplement collagen. Lots of evidence for minoxidil - Regaine. I have a new fringe growing underneath my hair after 1 can/4 months of nightly applications.

Collagen is not a whole protein, you’d be better increasing eggs/chicken etc

OP, losing the fringe and incorporating your hair into a side parting can work well as it's the wispy effect that's annoying. Also as others have said Hrt and Biotin can help. Also sometimes low ferritin ( stored iron) can cause hair loss so maybe have that checked too.