Hair loss is one of the most common occurrences when women go through the menopausal stage. Several factors can cause the loss of your hair but just like other symptoms of menopause, note that the primary cause is often the sudden fluctuation in your hormones.
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Why Women Lose Hair During Menopause?
The sudden drop in your level of estrogen and progesterone is the most probable cause for hair loss during menopause. This is also the reason why you stop menstruating. The reduced levels of the mentioned hormones combined with the process of aging can lead to you losing hair once you hit 40 and above.
Both hormones contribute a lot to the regulation of hair growth. They are crucial in keeping your hair at the growth or anagen phase. As estrogens levels decline, however, this gives more dominance to DHT, which is a major cause of baldness and hair loss in men. As a result, women may also start seeing hair thinning and loss.
Aside from the decline in the mentioned hormones, poor quality of sleep, fatigue, and stress may also trigger hair loss. With that in mind, it is crucial for you to stick to a healthy lifestyle and diet when you go through the menopausal stage. Being in this stage comes with dramatic life changes but you can handle it well with proper diet and preparation.
How Can You Counteract Menopausal Hair Loss?
If you deal with hair loss during your menopausal stage, the first thing that you may want to do is to examine your diet, level of stress, and your activity level – that is the amount of exercise you do regularly. The mentioned factors are crucial in maintaining the good health of your hair.
It is also advisable to ensure that you get the appropriate amounts of certain vitamins and nutrients. In that case, investing in any of the highly reliable, safe, and all-natural hair vitamins and supplements can help. Your intake of these supplements can boost not only the health of your hair but also your immunity.
Vitamin A
You need Vitamin A as your scalp will be using it to produce sebum, the oil responsible for lubricating your roots and ensuring that they do not dry out. If possible, get your daily dose of Vitamin A from natural sources, like apricots, peaches, carrots, and spinach. You can also take a Vitamin A supplement. Just be extra cautious to avoid overconsuming Vitamin A as excessive intake may produce negative effects.
Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
You may have already heard about how useful biotin is when it comes to maintaining healthy hair growth. The good thing about biotin is that it also stimulates keratin production. Keratin is a protein that mainly composes the majority of your hair shaft. This makes biotin an extremely vital vitamin for keeping your hair thick and strong.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Niacin or Vitamin B3 is also another vitamin you should consider taking if you start losing hair due to menopause. This vitamin is essential as it helps in distributing energy to cells that form part of your body. Vitamin B3 also boosts circulation, making it possible for your hair follicles to receive the appropriate nutrients and amounts of oxygen. It is responsible for keeping your hair and scalp healthy, which is a good thing as your hair has to be in a healthy environment for it to grow and thrive.
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
Vitamin B5 is also a B complex vitamin that can support the healthy growth of your hair and fight hair loss and thinning. It can rebuild your hair shaft and repair the damage resulting from constant exposure to heat as well as other environmental factors. It is also the key to keeping your hair healthy as it continues to grow.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is what you need if you want your body to receive aid in processing and metabolizing protein. It is extremely important for the health of your hair as it also promotes the production of keratin. In fact, being deficient in B6 can lead to the thinning and loss of your hair.
Vitamin C
This vitamin is known for being a potent antioxidant that supports the proper absorption of iron. The good thing about this vitamin is that it also stimulates the production of collagen, which can greatly benefit your hair. You can get Vitamin C in supplement form or from natural sources, which is actually what is recommended. Among the foods that naturally contain high amounts of Vitamin C are strawberries, blueberries, oranges, sweet potatoes, and guava, so try including them in your diet.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
You also need Omega-3 fatty acids when planning to nourish your hair. These fatty acids refer to essential oils capable of providing both your scalp and hair with proper nourishment. You can take supplements based on these fatty acids or include foods that are rich in them in your daily diet, such as salmon, walnuts, avocado, almonds, and tuna.
Conclusion
If hair loss turned out to be an undesirable symptom of menopause for you, then seek help by taking vitamins that can at least lessen the loss or prevent it altogether. You can take supplements based on the vitamins and nutrients mentioned earlier. There are also hair vitamins and supplements out there that contain most, if not all, of the vitamins mentioned in this article. You can give them a try provided you researched their efficacy and safety first and determined if those are indeed the most suitable supplements for you.
Also read: Top 4 Ways to Achieve Healthy Hair and Skin
