Hair care in the menopause: a simple routine

At the menopause, hair changes: it becomes thinner and drier, loses volume and more grey hairs appear, with a different texture. These changes result from age, the fall in oestrogen and genetics. Hair care does not treat hair loss, but it makes a real difference in two things: it reduces breakage, which is often mistaken for hair loss, and it improves the look and volume of the hair you have.

The good news is that the routine can be simple. Five steps are enough: wash with a gentle shampoo, condition the ends, dry carefully, comb without pulling and protect from sun and heat. Some studies give useful practical clues, for example on how to use the hairdryer without damaging hair.

If your hair is thinning on top or falling out a lot, the routine should be accompanied by a medical assessment. We explain the causes and treatments in Menopause and hair loss: what is known.

What changes in hair and scalp

Oestrogens help to maintain the hair cycle; with their fall after the menopause, the risk of female androgenetic alopecia increases (Liang et al., 2023). Even so, hormone therapy has not shown consistent benefit for hair and is not a treatment for hair loss (Farkas et al., 2026).

A simple routine in five steps

1. Wash gently

• Frequency: whenever you need to. Washing does not increase hair loss: it only releases hairs that were already going to fall. For many women, 2 to 3 times a week is enough; with an oily scalp, it can be more.
• Shampoo: gentle, without strong fragrance, preferably with a pH close to that of the scalp. Shampoos with very strong detergents increase the electrical charge of the hair, frizz and friction (Gavazzoni Dias, 2015).
• How: lukewarm water, not hot. Apply the shampoo to the scalp and massage with your fingertips, not your nails. The lengths are cleaned by the lather that runs down.
• If you have dandruff or itching: a shampoo with ketoconazole, zinc pyrithione or salicylic acid once or twice a week.

2. Always condition

Conditioner is the most important step for dry, fine hair. It reduces friction, makes detangling easier and lessens frizz, because it neutralises the electrical charge of the hair and lubricates the cuticle. Silicones, such as dimethicone, are among the most effective conditioning agents (Gavazzoni Dias, 2015).

• Apply from the mid-lengths to the ends, not at the root, so as not to remove volume.
• Leave on for 1 to 3 minutes and rinse well.
• A moisturising mask once a week, if the hair is very dry.

3. Dry carefully

• Press with the towel, without rubbing. A microfibre towel or a cotton T-shirt reduces friction.
• Use the hairdryer at about 15 cm, at a medium temperature and always moving (see the next section).
• Dry the roots first, with your head upside down, to add volume.

4. Comb without pulling

• Wide-toothed comb or soft-bristle brush.
• Detangle from the ends to the root, in sections.
• Preferably with the conditioner still applied, or with a leave-in product.
• Avoid tight hairstyles, ponytails pulled tight and hair ties with metal: repeated traction can cause hair loss at the front hairline.

5. Protect

• From heat: heat protection spray before straighteners and stylers; low to medium temperature.
• From the sun: a hat during prolonged exposure; a sunscreen made for the scalp on the parting, if the hair is thin. Ultraviolet rays also damage the hair shaft and the follicle (Liang et al., 2023).
• From night-time friction: a satin or silk pillowcase and hair tied up loosely. See Sleeping well and hair: what rest changes.

Heat, hairdryer and chemicals: what studies say

Does the hairdryer damage hair?

A study published in the Annals of Dermatology compared hair tresses washed and dried 30 times in different ways (Lee et al., 2011):

The authors' conclusion was that using the hairdryer at about 15 cm, always moving, caused less damage than letting hair air-dry, and that the damage increases with temperature. It is a laboratory study, on hair tresses, but it gives a simple practical rule.

In practice: remove excess water with a towel, hold the hairdryer a hand's width away, on a medium temperature, always moving, and stop when the hair is almost dry.

Straighteners and stylers

They reach much higher temperatures than the hairdryer and act directly on the hair. In the thin hair of the menopause, the risk of breakage is greater. If you use them, use a heat protectant, the lowest temperature that works and go over each section only once.

Bleaching, straightening and perms

• Bleaching reduces the internal bonds of the hair and makes it more porous and fragile (Gavazzoni Dias, 2015).
• Chemical straightening treatments are very alkaline; the authors recommend waiting about 15 days before colouring hair after a straightening treatment, and avoiding light highlights on straightened hair, because of the risk of breakage.
• Keratin straightening treatments can release formaldehyde with heat; in the European Union, products must state this on the label when the content exceeds 0.001%.

In fine, dry hair, fewer chemicals is almost always better.

Grey hair, colouring and sensitive scalp

Embracing grey hair

More and more women choose to let their grey show. Grey hairs are often coarser and drier and can yellow with sun, pollution and hard water. What helps:

• conditioner at every wash;
• purple shampoo once a week, to neutralise the yellowish tone;
• protect from the sun.

Colouring with less damage

Tips:

• space out colourings and touch up only the roots;
• allergy test 48 hours before each colouring: paraphenylenediamine is a common allergen;
• do not colour with an irritated scalp or with wounds;
• according to the review by Gavazzoni Dias, there are no conclusive studies linking hair dye ingredients to cancer.

Dry, sensitive scalp

• Gentle, unperfumed shampoo, lukewarm water.
• Avoid heavy oils on the scalp if you tend to have seborrhoeic dermatitis.
• If there is persistent itching, burning, redness or scaling, seek assessment: it may be seborrhoeic dermatitis, psoriasis or, more rarely, an inflammatory alopecia such as frontal fibrosing alopecia.

Disguise thinning while the treatment takes effect

Cuts that add volume

• Medium or short lengths: long, fine hair is heavy and clings to the head.
• Light layers, especially around the face.
• Ends cut straight across in very fine hair, to make it look denser.
• A light fringe, if the front hairline is thinner (unless frontal fibrosing alopecia is suspected: in that case, seek assessment first).

Hairstyle tricks

• Change the parting from time to time, or use a zigzag parting.
• Dry the roots against the natural direction.
• Light volumising products at the root, in small amounts.
• Large Velcro rollers on top, while getting ready.

Products that disguise

• Hair fibres: tiny coloured fibres that cling to the hairs and hide the scalp at the parting. They come out when you wash.
• Coloured root powders and sprays: disguise a wider parting and grey at the roots.
• Dry shampoo: gives body between washes, but does not replace washing.
• Hairpieces and partial wigs: a valid option for those who want more density on top.

These products are cosmetic: they do not treat hair loss, but can boost confidence while medical treatment takes effect, which takes 6 to 12 months.

What is not worth it

• "Anti-hair-loss" shampoos and ampoules as the only treatment. They stay in contact with the scalp for a short time. They can complement, but they do not treat androgenetic alopecia.
• "Hair" supplements without blood tests. They only help when there is a deficiency, and some, such as biotin ones, distort thyroid tests. See Thyroid, iron and hormones: which tests to ask for.
• Cutting very short to "strengthen". Cutting does not affect the root; it changes the look, not the hair loss.
• Washing less to lose less. Hairs build up and all fall out at once at the next wash.
• Home-made oils on the scalp. There is no evidence of benefit for hair loss and they can worsen seborrhoeic dermatitis.
• Brushing 100 times a day. It increases friction and breakage.
• Expecting hormone therapy to fix your hair. It may have other good reasons, but it has not shown consistent benefit for hair loss (Farkas et al., 2026).

When the routine is not enough

Daily care improves the look and reduces breakage, but it does not halt an androgenetic alopecia or a frontal fibrosing alopecia.

Topical minoxidil is the first-line treatment for female androgenetic alopecia recommended by the European guideline (Kanti et al., 2017), and there are other options depending on each case. The earlier you start, the more hair is preserved.

At Luxmed, the Hair Medicine consultation assesses the type of hair loss with trichoscopy and, when indicated, blood tests, and combines medical treatment with a care routine adapted to your hair.

This article is for information only and does not replace a medical consultation.

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