Hair breakage

LasVegasFitGirl

LasVegasFitGirl

Cathlete
I am a brunette who have been dying my hair totally blonde for the last 12 or so years. I'm on the brink of 49, probably peri-menopausal. I have noticed my hair having breakage lately and I'm very concerned. I'd blame the harsh color treatment, but he only does the roots. He blames the pony tails but the breakage is far shorter than where the pony tails go and I limit the amount of time I put my hair in pony tails. I don't blow-dry either. So, I'm wondering could hormones, age, menopause have ANYTHING to do with a change in my hair? I've been considering going back to brown and/or changing hairstylists.

I'd really love to hear all of your comments. Thank you!
 
LasVegasFitGirl said:
So, I'm wondering could hormones, age, menopause have ANYTHING to do with a change in my hair?
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Oh, yes indeed. The things we do to our hair--styling, coloring, blow drying, shampooing frequency, etc--definitely influence our hair for good or bad. But HORMONES, oh they can be evil on the hair! My hair went from stick straight to curly at puberty, and has gone from thin and limp to thick and coarse and dry dry dry after having babies. I've found that with each hormonal change in my life, I've had to modify the way I manage my hair. I have had to change shampoos, change styling products, change hair drying techniques. It's a pain in the rear to develop a new routine but that has helped a lot. Good luck!
 
For what it's worth ... my hair (and body) was a mess after going through a divorce last year. My hair was falling out A LOT. My stylist was at a loss and recommended Biotin (it's a vitamin B complex I think). I've been taking it for a year. My hair is much better. Not sure if it was just the Biotin or the 240 I lost from the divorce (ex husband - hahahaha)
 
I would have to totally agree with lisa_la_machina. Pregnancy & post-partum, as well as breastfeeding, will create havoc with our hair, too. The hormones during these time were outrageous. I never colored my hair while pregnant or breastfeeding, and I recall it looking fabulously voluptuous and shiny while pregnant only to be followed by hair loss and dull greyish looking strands post partum.
If you color, use a quality shampoo & conditioner, recommended by your hairdresser. Trim you hair every 4 to 6 weeks and do a special treatment to keep the color and hair follicles shiny & healthy. I avoid blow drying in the summer and I don't wash my hair everyday - dry shampoos are a good thing and a wonderful invention. Hang in there!
 
FireLight said:
If you color, use a quality shampoo & conditioner, recommended by your hairdresser. Trim you hair every 4 to 6 weeks and do a special treatment to keep the color and hair follicles shiny & healthy. I avoid blow drying in the summer and I don't wash my hair everyday - dry shampoos are a good thing and a wonderful invention. Hang in there!
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You have a nice head of hair young lady. I just cannot seem to go without washing/blow drying when exercising every day. If I don't exercise, I can skip a day, but otherwise, my head sweats, my hair is totally flat, and I just can't stand it. I have lousy hair to begin with. It's thin and fine with split ends galore. I do agree that hormones definitely change things. I just scheduled an appointment for a loose perm in a couple of weeks, hoping that I'll be able to skip frequent washing and blow drying. Fingers crossed that it works out.

jcm said:
For what it's worth ... my hair (and body) was a mess after going through a divorce last year. My hair was falling out A LOT. My stylist was at a loss and recommended Biotin (it's a vitamin B complex I think). I've been taking it for a year. My hair is much better. Not sure if it was just the Biotin or the 240 I lost from the divorce (ex husband - hahahaha)
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Wow! Sorry to hear you had to endure a divorce, but congrats on the tremendous weight loss!!! Hope you're feeling much better!
 
Have you had your thyroid checked lately?
Folic Acid & Silica are very important for hair integrity. I would recommend eating more (and/or supplementing) with these once you figure out if it's a thyroid issue or not. Silica from horsetail is absorbed more readily than other sources. (I started taking extra silica to help with knee issues I was having. While it did not really help my knee, it really made my hair grow faster and it appeared thicker).
I would consider consulting with another colourist as well, to be honest. I do think 12 years of bleaching is a lot. (I am no expert, lol, I just worked in the day spa industry for a number of years)There are some salons that use much less stripping/damaging agents for colour these days. I use the Aveda training academy, although there are many others. Do you live near a largish center? Also, ditch shampoos containing SLS (or other harsh sulfates). Like FireLight, I enjoy using dry shampoos on my long hair that gets gross at the roots but is somewhat dry at the ends (from highlighting). Just be sure it does not contain talc or synthetic fragrances that your scalp (and lungs) will not appreciate.

It is interesting reading here how stress/hardships etc. can express itself in our bodies sometimes. (((jcm))) very sorry to hear of the stress of your divorce.
 
Great posts above. Agree about hormonal changes and stress! Also had massive amounts of my hair break off once when a stylist wasn't using the proper products for my hair. I colour my hair and it is very long and it was a disaster when the breakage happened. I switched to another stylist and my hair is in really great condition now thanks to the moisturizing products she uses and the shampoos/conditioners I purchase from her. Good luck.
 
Thank you everyone! I don't understand the breakage because only the roots are done every time I go every 6 - 7 weeks. I was really considering switching hairdressers, but I wanted your takes on it first. I think I will switch hairdressers and look into the supplements that were recommended.
 
Hi Barb,
I also have my hair colored every 7 weeks with just root touch ups but once my hormones changed my hair became alot drier and more fragile. I started using WEN a few years ago and my hair dresser has commented about how healthy my hair is so even just changing your shampoo products can make a difference. Nutrition and stress levels certainly play a role in the condition of your hair as well. Good luck!
Jamie
 
I went through this! I am 47, but post-menopausal. I couldn't figure out why my hair was tangled all the time, so I kept cutting it shorter and shorter. Turns out it was just dry from the hormones (or lack thereof). I've been using Miracle It's a 10! spray (with Keratin) when I get out of the shower before I comb my hair and it works great. It's expensive for a bottle but my sister taught me the trick of topping it off with water when I'm about halfway down. I should've Googled my symptoms 2 years ago instead of whacking off my hair LOL.
 
I used to use It's a 10! I bought it from a previous salon. I see Ulta sells it. Does Ulta sell genuine products and not knockoffs? I won't go back to Wen. I noticed hair loss from it that several other Cathe posters experienced as well.
 
Hi Barb,
Agree with everyone that hormonal changes wreak havoc on hair. I had very thick and very straight hair - would not hold a curl, ever. Now, post-pregnancy and then menopause, I have fine hair that's so wavy it's almost curly. My natural brunette color is now blond with highlights, so it's kind of dry, too. I really like It's a 10 and Ouidad shampoos & conditioners. Amazon.com sells both; i have amazon prime so shipping is free.

Regarding your hair breakage, it could be due to hormones or other biological issues, but in my case, I don't think it was. I used to pull my hair back into a ponytail when working out, and noticed lots of breakage that was apparently due to the pony flipping around during workouts. Now I still do a ponytail, but I braid the hair in the "tail" and secure the end with another ponytail holder. I haven't had a breakage problem since.

-Joan
 
I have tried Miracle It's a 10! and I was just kind of ....Meh...about it. I really did not see the benefit for me. But what has been very helpful for my old hair has been Argon Oil. It has helped the dryness and made my hair feel so much healthier. Also, I have almost completely stopped using a blow dryer on my hair and that has helped.
 
tralaiven said:
I have tried Miracle It's a 10! and I was just kind of ....Meh...about it. I really did not see the benefit for me. But what has been very helpful for my old hair has been Argon Oil. It has helped the dryness and made my hair feel so much healthier. Also, I have almost completely stopped using a blow dryer on my hair and that has helped.
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How do you use the argon oil? when it is wet?
 
I also used argon oil in my wet hair, but the one I liked, I couldn't find at Walmart anymore. I am using some Pantene (I think) BB Creme now. I see Walmart salons have It's a 10 for buy one get one 50% off. I'm switching hairdressers, too.
 
fox2star said:
Thanks for the info...I have used Moroccan oil in the past, not Argon.
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Argan oil & Moroccan oil are the same thing. Some manufacturers add silicone sealants to it, which I think the brand 'Moroccan' also does. Silicone will make your hair appear smoother, although long term use of it can make the hair frizzy & dependent on it at all times. Some more natural hair sealants are meadowfoam seed oil (native abundantly growing plant to North America so the greenest choice) & broccoli seed oil (this is the best sealant I have used, although it smells weird). You will have to use more on coarse hair types. While they mix well with argan, babassu, flax & avocado are also excellent. Avocado is best for thicker hair IMO. It weighs my own down too much. My niece, with Asian hair, likes grapeseed mixed with flax.
 
LasVegasFitGirl said:
I am a brunette who have been dying my hair totally blonde for the last 12 or so years. I'm on the brink of 49, probably peri-menopausal. I have noticed my hair having breakage lately and I'm very concerned. I'd blame the harsh color treatment, but he only does the roots. He blames the pony tails but the breakage is far shorter than where the pony tails go and I limit the amount of time I put my hair in pony tails. I don't blow-dry either. So, I'm wondering could hormones, age, menopause have ANYTHING to do with a change in my hair? I've been considering going back to brown and/or changing hairstylists.

I'd really love to hear all of your comments. Thank you!
Click to expand...
I switched to scrunchies. I am 45 and have been naturally grey since 18. So I can totally relate to this post. As you can see I also dye to keep blonde. I also use pureology shampoo and conditioner (purple bottles) I use thermal by rusk (no alcohol) when I blow dry and I may mix in smoothing lotion with the thermal by morrocan line. Hope it helps.
 
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