Is Hair Loss a Sign of Menopause? What to Know

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Menopause can bring changes to hair, making it important for beauty pros to know how to identify the signs and employ the right techniques to address them. Hair loss, in particular, can be a delicate challenge where beauty pros can make a real difference.

Menopause comes with a host of changes, making it a time of challenge and transition for women who are experiencing and adjusting to it.

Among the signs of menopause are potential changes to your hair, including thinning, brittleness, and hair loss.

As a beauty pro, knowing how to identify and address these changes is key to helping your clients look and feel their best during a potentially delicate period is a must.

With the right knowledge, mindset, and approach, you can create a wonderful environment for your menopausal and postmenopausal clients while providing them with exceptional outcomes.

Is Hair Loss a Sign of Menopause?

While menopause can affect hair in a number of ways, including hair becoming more brittle and fragile, the biggest concern among your clients will likely be the potential hair loss that can accompany this phase of life. So, when a client comes to you asking if hair loss is a sign of menopause, the unfortunate answer is, “Yes.”

However, you can offer your clients encouragement and reassurance because there are ways to support them and lead them to confidence-boosting outcomes even in the face of hormonal shifts and hair loss.

Read on for your guide to uplifting your clients who may be experiencing hair loss as a result of menopause.

Create a Supportive Environment

Before diving into the actionable ways to address hair loss resulting from menopause, it’s essential to focus on the environment your clients experience. It’s natural for women going through menopause and hair loss to feel apprehensive about visiting a salon, and putting those uncertainties to rest is key to not only helping them relax, but also encouraging them going forward.

Maintaining a judgment-free environment is a great first step. To achieve this, educate yourself, your staff, and your clients about hair loss.

You can also set aside an area within your salon to host your consultation in private, giving your clients a safe space to express their concerns, share their stories, and work toward the best possible solutions.

Don’t underestimate the atmosphere of your shop, either. Use decor, music, aroma, and more to craft a relaxation experience. You can even offer your clients refreshments to take the edge off and help them settle in comfortably.

Host a Hair Consultation

Hair is a deeply personal expression of personality and can have a significant impact on self-confidence. Getting to know your client, their priorities, their concerns, their goals, and what will help them regain their confidence is key before you start proposing styles and treatments.

Consultations provide the opportunity you need to have a one-on-one talk that sets the stage for the appointment to come and ensures you are on the same page before they sit in your chair. Establishing this personal connection is just as important as the skill and knowledge you possess as a beauty pro.

Rule Out Other Causes of Hair Loss

Is hair loss a sign of menopause? It absolutely can be, but there are other underlying issues that could also contribute to thinning hair.

Because of this, it is important to consider alternatives and rule them out before assuming that the hair loss is a result of menopause.

Certain medical conditions, lifestyle factors, medications, and more can cause hair loss in women, and if any of these issues are the root cause, failing to identify and address them could accelerate hair loss and lead to worsening symptoms. In some cases, your client may even need to see a doctor or specialist, not a beauty pro.

You aren’t expected to diagnose your clients' underlying conditions, but you should familiarize yourself with some of the more common concerns, be willing to have open conversations with your clients, and otherwise do your due diligence to ensure that their hair loss is related to menopause.

Use Effective Styles and Techniques

Equipped with what you learned during the consultation, you can prepare your client and your session to be maximally effective. This includes being skilled in the right techniques to manage hair loss and execute styles that complement your client’s features and situation. 

Style hair to cover thinning areas, add volume with mousses, use coloring and highlights to create the illusion of depth, and give your client the education they need to continue their look at home without further contributing to their hair loss. For example, they should avoid extensions and tight ponytails, even if they temporarily disguise thinning hair.

Offer Specialized Hair Care Products

While not a cure-all, specialized hair care products can help promote hair growth, not only slowing thinning, but sometimes reversing it. Every client is different, so feel free to work with them to determine the best products for them. It may take some trial and error to find the perfect combination.

Essential oils, scalp serums, and hair loss shampoos are phenomenal examples of products that could help your menopausal and postmenopausal clients see positive results (and increased confidence).

To learn more about how you can help your clients, build your beauty business, and protect your career, be sure to subscribe to Elite Beauty Society and visit our blog!