Around menopause, the hair changes … Thinner, more difficult to comb, it requires appropriate care. All our tips for dealing with the signs of aging on the scalp and hair.
Why does age affect hair?
« During menopause, the levels of female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) drop », Explains Hélène Krause, from the Phyto research laboratory. The hair then becomes more sensitive to testosterone (male hormone), which causes a loss of diameter of the hair fiber, with shorter life cycles. They are therefore lost more quickly. And this can go as far as androgenic alopecia (the same as in humans).
« The blood exchanges at the level of the hair bulb are also less well », Adds our expert. The root is less well nourished, because it receives less oxygen and nutrients allowing good growth. Women on hormone replacement therapy would keep their hair in better condition for longer.
In practice, what are the consequences?
As the hair becomes thinner and its renewal is slower, there is an overall impression of loss of volume. It is also less resistant, more sensitive to aggressions (coloring, UV rays, chlorine, pollution, heating plates, brushing …). Suddenly, it is both more brittle and softer, it lacks hold. Finally, the scalp produces less sebum. The hair therefore tends to become drier.
Should I use another shampoo?
Just as you swap your moisturizer for an anti-aging serum, you can very well change your hair care. ” We then favor a slightly richer shampoo, but not for very dry hair, because it could weigh down the fiber, which tends to lack volume. », Specifies Hélène Krause. You can also opt for volumizing shampoos, which give hold to the roots and sheath a little.
For Cécile Martin, director at Eugène Perma, it is better to choose products intended for mature or weakened hair. Their formula contains molecules like keratin, or a derivative, and nutrients, like zinc or arginine. They will restructure the fiber, increase the resistance of the bulb, restore strength to the hair and sheath it to give it volume.
Should we do specific care?
« The ideal, after menopause, is to change your habits by applying a daily treatment such as a leave-in moisturizing spray or day cream (as for the skin) », Explains Hélène Krause. But be careful, do not overload them, because they also need lightness. For other treatments, ” favor mists or masks with a light formula, which apply only to the lengths and ends, and which rinse easily to restore radiance, softness, nutrition », Advises Cécile Martin. We also adopt protective gestures: a treatment with capillary protection index, such as oil or milk in summer, when going to the sun and the sea, because the risk of breakage increases.
Are hair loss treatments useful?
Yes. In the form of food supplements (cysteine, methionine, vitamins A, E, B3, B5, B6, B7 …), in cure for three months, twice a year. But also in local application, with stimulating lotions to be applied every day for a few months. They will act on the “dormant” stem cells of the hair to activate growth.
How to style your hair with weakened hair?
Often due to thinning, hair becomes unruly and therefore difficult to style. They are often softer at the root and can curl in the back of the neck. It is better to give up foams and gels which dry them out and not to overuse hot plates and repeated brushings. Finally, change your hairstyle by degrading at least a few strands around the face. You can go short or adopt a cut at ear height, often recommended after 50 years.
And the coloring?
It is difficult to remove them precisely at this time when gray hair is starting to set in. But you can adopt a less aggressive technique such as vegetable or semi-vegetable coloring, especially if you have been coloring your hair for a long time. Beforehand, a care is applied to properly prepare the fiber and prevent any aggression by the product.
The advice: massage your scalp
Have you noticed that more and more hairdressers massage the scalp during shampooing and treatment? It is not only to offer a moment of relaxation during the exposure time. This is mainly because this massage activates the microcirculation, promotes blood exchange and thus improves the penetration of active ingredients. Finally, mobilizing the scalp helps to soften the skin of the skull.
