Menopausal Women and Dry Hair

Older woman with short hair
Photo: Stockfour/Shutterstock
Q: My hair is so dry. I'm an older lady that has always frosted my hair, and I'm also on HRT and have tried everything. I even put mayonnaise on it. Are there any new products out there?
 
A: There are always new products coming out in the hair care market. Some new product for styling, cleansing or conditioning the hair can be found every week in your local drugstore. Your best bet is to look for a product from a company you know and trust. What you want is a moisture-rich conditioning product, and what you are going to do with it is give yourself a deep-conditioning treatment.
 
This is done by applying the conditioning product to freshly shampooed hair. Be sure to squeeze the excess water from the hair before adding the conditioner. Apply the product liberally and use a wide-toothed comb to distribute it evenly. If you have longer hair, stack the hair on top of the head and cover it with a plastic cap.
 
If you have a bonnet hair dryer, sit under the dryer on low heat for 20 minutes. If not, wrap the plastic-capped hair with a towel heated from the clothes dryer or warm the hair through the cap using your hair dryer on low heat. Leave the product in the hair and keep it warm for 20 minutes (replace the towel as needed). The heat will help to open the cuticle layer of the hair and allow the moisturizing conditioner to penetrate deeply.
 
After 20 minutes have passed, rinse the hair with cool water to help re-close the cuticle and style as desired. If you regularly dry your hair with a blow-dryer, be sure to use a spray-on leave-in conditioner as well as your normal rinse-through conditioner in your hair care routine. Perform the deep conditioning weekly as needed, and you should see a dramatic difference in the condition of your hair.
 
Dry hair is a common complaint in menopausal women and women on HRT. It is one symptom of low estrogen levels. There are also many other causes of dry hair, including frequent chemical processing such as frosting, bleaching and highlighting. If you are experiencing other symptoms of low estrogen, such as sleep disorder, shortness of breath, palpitations, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, headaches, anxiety, or frequent urinary infections, consult your doctor for treatment and adjustment of your HRT.
 
Meanwhile, weekly deep conditioning of the hair, along with the use of leave-in conditioners and shampooing and conditioning with moisture-rich products should control the problem you have with dry hair.
 
©Hairfinder.com
 
See also:
 
Menopausal changes in the hair and skin
 
Medications and your hair
 
Dry hair causes and solutions
 
What exactly is deep conditioning?