My Crown and Glory

Corinthians 11:15 But for a woman, if her hair is abundant, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.

“Before I go any further with this post let me be clear about the above verse, please do not take it out of content. Whatever texture you were blessed with long and thick, wavy or short since it came from God your strands are beautiful!”  

I remember when I was younger there was a lady whom I admired her style and beauty that attended the church I use to go to (shout out to Lilydale) who had long luscious hair, hair that reached below her bra line. She was blessed with the type of hair that many black girls dreamed of having that grew from the scalp mind you (this is long before weaves were made popular).

Over the years I watched her many hairstyle changes and how when she reached a particular age she did the big chop. One Sunday I walked into the bathroom at the church and noticed her beautiful long locks were completely gone. I must admit I was SHOCKED! She now sported a short pixie cut that laid softly upon her head as her beautiful covering. 

I was only 12 years old and I can remember asking myself, “Why did she cut off all of her hair?” 

I got my answer when I overheard her explaining why she did it to one of her girlfriends. 

“My hair was too heavy, too hot and it was too much going on with the hot flashes  plus my hair is thinning out so much.”

After the bathroom encounter, I started noticing the big hair chop with so many women when they hit this golden age. I started seeing pretty short hairstyles and women going back to their natural tresses and on some occasions frustrated women because they were losing their hair at a rapid pace.

But…mostly I saw women who revolutionized their “New Look” they embraced the big chop by feeling liberated and free. No longer a slave to maintaining long locks. No matter their reasons to make them feel better about losing their hair they worked it to perfection to get the look that they desired. However, little did I know this revolution of freedom came with a cost? 

The cost of losing hair during menopause

Now we know every woman loves a head full of healthy bouncing hair, whether it comes from your scalp or someone else’s we work those strands to no end.

I just have to say power to the women who choose to wear protective hairstyles such as wigs, weaves, and braids to give their real hair a break. These styles if worn correctly will allow the hair to grow without any stress because you’re not putting any stress on your hair every day.

 As women, we wear our tresses like a badge of honor. It’s definitely our “Crown and Glory” it’s the way we define our womanhood. It expresses our personality and individuality. It’s the style that we present to the world. It’s our “Pretty” and in some ways, it even becomes, for the most part, a signature look for us.

The Evolution of Our Hair 

From classy, sexy, wild, conservative, Jheri Curls, professional, wrapped, braided, weaved, wigs, permed, natural, locks, twisted, pin-ups, chignon (bun) dyed, rinsed and ponytails, it’s done to highlight our beauty to make us a better us.  

Yes, our covering is our crown jewel no matter the style! 

So what happens when your natural tresses start falling out when you go through menopause?

All of those years of having healthy beautiful tresses and now hair today is gone tomorrow and why do we have to lose our hair when we go through the change of life?

Well…according to hair loss and menopause – Healthline, women who are going through menopause, the cause of hair loss is almost always related to hormonal changes. However, there are many other factors that can contribute to hair loss during menopause.

• Extremely high levels of stress
• Illness
• Lack of certain nutrients.

Did youknow…after menopause, about 40 percent of women experience hair thinning?

Our good friends at Healthline also tell us the following, when the levels of estrogen and progesterone drop, hair grows more slowly and becomes much thinner. A decrease in these hormones also triggers an increase in the production of androgens or a group of male hormones. …Just like those unpleasant and annoying systems of hot flashes, mood swings, and insomnia, hair loss is another bad effect that as women we have to go through. However, many women are unaware and unprepared for the fact that we may also find ourselves facing hair loss and thinning during this time as well. One good thing we don’t have it as bad as men when they start to lose their hair.

Here are some early signs to look out for hair loss

Wide area of the scalp

Smaller ponytail, a wider part line

Excessive shedding during brushing and showering.

I know this can be tough on us, we are going through so many different changes within our bodies during menopause and this is another factor we have to deal with. It’s enough to want you to throw in the towel. Luckily there is so much information out there to help us get our locks growing again and in the meantime, between the time we have protective hair options that will help us during the process to get our hair growing healthy again!

Here are 5 Things We Should Know About Menopause and Hair

The Role of Hormones — Just as high levels of female hormones during pregnancy leave women with fuller, healthier hair, the declining levels during menopause may have the opposite impact. In addition, when the levels of female hormones fall, the effects of androgens (male hormones) can increase, causing certain hair follicles to fail. Depending on your genetic risk, these follicles produce progressively weaker hair and then eventually none at all. If your doctor has recommended replacing your declining testosterone levels, this also may work against your luscious locks as many aging women can experience increased hair loss from testosterone, especially if they are “androgen sensitive.”

• Beyond Hormones, Contributing Factors — When it comes to menopausal hair loss, lower female hormones might be the most common culprit, but other contributing factors may need to be considered as well. These risk factors include genetic predisposition, unusual levels of stress, other hormonal imbalances — like thyroid, for example — nutritional or iron deficiencies, crash diets, as well as illness, medications and your surgical history. A detailed medical history and diagnostic tests are obtained as an important part of a medical hair-loss evaluation to identify risk factors.
• Common Mistakes to Avoid — When it comes to hair loss, missing the early signs is one of the first mistakes many women make. A staggering 50 percent loss can occur before it’s noticeable to the human eye. The other common mistake women (and men, for that matter) make when trying to treat their hair loss is not giving enough time for therapy to work and not tracking their results properly. Just like hair loss, initial changes in hair regrowth take time and can be subtle before they are noticeable to the naked eye.
• Hair Loss Is a Treatable Condition — Hair restoration physicians may recommend both pharmaceutical and lifestyle changes to women experiencing menopause-related hair loss problems. Medical treatments that will help mitigate hair loss include a specially compounded prescription minoxidil solution, platelet-rich plasma injections (PRP, also called the “vampire hair growth treatment”), prostaglandin analogs, low-level laser therapy, off-label finasteride (for post-menopausal women only) and nutritional supplements. The best strategy is to use a multi-therapy approach and routine follow-ups for tracking purposes to see what’s working.
• Hair Loss Can Have Psychological Effects — While hair loss is often falsely thought of as merely a cosmetic problem, studies have proven that hair loss can have wide-ranging psychological effects on women, including loss of confidence and self-esteem and in some cases, depression, anxiety, social withdrawal and more. Whether your hair loss is the result of natural hormonal changes and/or other underlying causes, in most cases hair loss is a treatable condition and not something you have to live with or hide. Preventing further hair loss and improving hair growth can restore a feeling of vitality, youth, and confidence for women.

Since I started menopause my hair has been experiencing the opposite effects, it’s been growing really well underneath my protective style. I chose to wear the weave for a fuller length head of hair.

My hair was never super thick, I always had a good length to work with and I truly want to keep it as I age. Now, I don’t normally wear my own hair out because I will curl it and burn it out, but again I say I do like the length of it and how manageable it has become…but I can only wear a flat wrap for so many days before I reach for the curling iron. So give me my weave or ponytail. It’s my go-to accessory!!

Of course, this is for now having hair on my head that’s not thinning, hopefully, this other side effect will not affect me no time soon. As the post is titled: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow! 

Talk to me Golden Divas have you experienced any hair loss since you started menopause?

References:

http://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/hair-loss

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-j-bauman/hair-loss-during-menopause_b_3873608.html