Your Hair & Menopause — Let's Actually Talk About It
What's really happening to your hair, and what I wish more clients knew before they came in
By Laura | Notes from the Chair
This is a conversation I find myself having more and more — and honestly, I'm glad. For a long time it felt like one of those things nobody quite knew how to bring up in the salon. But it matters, and it affects more clients than you might think.
So let's talk about it properly.
What actually happens to your hair during menopause
During menopause, oestrogen and progesterone levels drop significantly. These hormones play a big role in keeping hair in its growth phase for longer — so when they decline, hair can spend less time growing and more time shedding.
The result? Hair that feels thinner, more fragile, slower to grow, and sometimes completely different in texture. Some women notice it gradually. For others it feels quite sudden.
It's also worth knowing that this can start during perimenopause — sometimes years before periods stop. So if you've noticed changes and aren't quite sure why, this could be part of the picture.
What I see in the salon
The changes I most commonly notice are:
Overall thinning, particularly around the temples and crown
Hair that breaks more easily, especially with colour or heat
A shift in texture — hair that was once straight becoming wavier, or vice versa
Colour behaving differently — taking unevenly or fading faster than it used to
A drier scalp, which affects both comfort and overall hair health
None of these mean you can't have the hair you want. But they do mean we need to approach things a little differently.
How it affects what's possible in the salon
This is where honest conversations really matter. Hair going through hormonal changes is often more vulnerable — and that means some treatments need more care, more time, or a different approach altogether.
For colour, I'll always assess condition first. Hormonal hair tends to be more porous, which affects how colour takes and how long it lasts. A toning or treatment service can sometimes give you a better result than pushing for a bigger change.
For cutting, a shift in shape or length can make thinning hair look and feel so much fuller — and that can be a really positive thing to explore together.
What actually helps
There's a lot that genuinely makes a difference day to day:
Keeping hair well conditioned and minimising unnecessary heat
Regular trims to keep ends healthy and reduce breakage
Focussing on scalp health — something I'm increasingly working on with clients, because a healthy scalp really does support healthier hair
Being realistic about what your hair needs right now, not what it needed five years ago
Talking to your GP if you're noticing significant thinning — there are medical options worth exploring, and it's always worth having that conversation
You don't have to figure this out on your own
If you've noticed your hair changing and you're not sure what to do about it, just ask. You won't be the first client to bring it up in my chair — and you absolutely won't be the last.
I'd rather know what you're experiencing so I can actually help, than have us both working around something neither of us has mentioned.
Want to talk through what you're noticing before you book? I'm always happy to chat.