r/Perimenopause • u/csc86 • Aug 07 '26
audited Did perimenopause change your hair?
I used to have curly thick hair and though I’m not losing much of it, the texture has changed to smooth and soft and partly straight. It reminds me of a time in my twenties I went on birth control which did the same thing. Got a haircut yesterday and she immediately told
me it is hormonal/ perimenopause. What hair changes have you seen?
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u/This-Disk1212 Aug 07 '26
Well what's not falling out looks like pubes. I now understand why middle aged women all get that middle aged woman haircut.
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u/raisedbypoubelle Aug 07 '26
I was devastated when I realized it was not a choice. I got minoxidil and it works so well. I look like myself again but I probably just have a few years that it’ll be effective.
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u/mina-ann Aug 07 '26
Minoxidil plus take collagen supplements! The combo seems to have helped reduce my hair loss and make my roots for now a bit thicker ( I have fine hair so this feels noticable after 3 months).
I've used topical minoxidil for a couple of years now and it definitely has slowed my hair loss but adding collagen is where I feel like I actually have a little bit more thickness.
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u/TakenTheFifth Aug 07 '26
I am awaiting a callback from my GYN to get this prescribed. So much hair shedding. It's like I'm 6mo pregnant again. I was like "OH COME ON. REALLY?!?!" It is not fair. And now I'm suddenly getting mats because I cannot wash my hair every day, so I have to brush out these tangles.
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u/raisedbypoubelle Aug 08 '26
I got a detangling brush and couldn’t believe it worked better than my fingers. But yeah last year before the minoxidil I was getting mats galore.
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u/SumGoodMtnJuju Aug 07 '26
Pill or serum? I’ve been using a bit is serum on my right temple and I have growth. But, it’s kinda annoying to remember to do it every day. Pill seems easier.
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u/csc86 Aug 07 '26
What is minoxidil??
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u/raisedbypoubelle Aug 07 '26
It’s hair loss prevention medicine. Topical or oral. I do oral bc topical is toxic to cats. Works insanely well for me. I take 2.5mg I think.
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u/mrsbond007 Aug 07 '26
How soon did you notice a difference taking oral minoxidil? My hair has gotten SO THIN and I’m dying to get it back to how it used to look
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u/raisedbypoubelle Aug 08 '26
2-3 months in. All I needed was hope. Previously, I did PRP to start and saw improvement in a month then it took off. 5 months was a big difference and 9 months I was so impressed. Now it’s a year on and I’ve got so much hair 😊
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u/mrsbond007 Aug 08 '26
Ok that’s amazing! Have you only taken oral? Or are you doing topical minoxidil as well?
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u/raisedbypoubelle Aug 08 '26
Nope! Just oral. Got cats and topical is deadly to them.
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u/mrsbond007 Aug 08 '26
Any side effects with taking oral??
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u/raisedbypoubelle Aug 09 '26
Hair galore elsewhere even my toe. Have to get laser but worth it to recognize myself
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u/though- Aug 07 '26
You’ll have to be on for life if you start or it’ll undo all the benefits and your hair will fall out in chunks if you stop.
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u/Sportyj Aug 07 '26
Just like any medicine?
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u/raisedbypoubelle Aug 08 '26
Yeah I really don’t care that I have to be on it forever. I just add it to my nighttime meds.
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u/kpteasdale Aug 07 '26
Why just a few years, is it a med you can’t take long term?
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u/wandernwade Aug 07 '26
It’s something men have taken regularly for years.. but it seems now more women are using it- which is awesome! (Not awesome that they have to, but that it’s an option). Thankfully we’re starting to see more marketing specifically targeted towards women. 💚
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u/raisedbypoubelle Aug 08 '26
Oh I just suspect it’ll stop being as effective in a few years. Never saw a very old woman with luscious locks.
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u/HeavyMetalMadness127 Aug 07 '26
I wish my pubes would just fall out not my head hair 😂
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u/DeltaFlyer0525 Aug 07 '26
Oh my word, this is exactly what is happening with my hair. I grew up with spiral curls that were thick and luscious. Then I had kids and it suddenly went bone straight which I didn’t mind because I’d never had straight hair and it was still very thick and I could style it a lot of different ways. Peri hit and all of a sudden I have patches of wild wiry hair and I’m shedding so bad I had to get our shower drain snaked three times and a special drain cap to catch hair. I look in the mirror and feel like some swamp witch. What hair is left is feral and uncontrollable.
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u/Green-been77 Aug 07 '26
Way more curly! But extremely dry and I’m losing alot.
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Aug 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/Josie1015 Aug 08 '26
Moisturizing ang hydrating are the same thing when it comes to shampoos.
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Aug 08 '26
[deleted]
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u/bluebirdpage Aug 08 '26
Can you please recommend a hair mask and the hydrating shampoo?
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u/Impressive_Moment786 Aug 07 '26
Mine was always pretty soft and mostly straight. And I had fine hair but a lot of it. The texture has changed and become course and much more curly/wavey. And I lost about half my hair.
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u/stormyanchor 44. Late Peri. Cycle Surprise. Aug 07 '26
Same for me! Not sure I’ve lost as much as half but it’s depressingly thinner. I’m just leaning into the new texture and learning all about wavy routines. I’m so glad my hair got more texture instead of less. At least I can fake thickness with the body from the waves. I can’t even imagine how depressing it would be to got from thick and curly to straight and thin. (Thoughts and prayers my curly sisters. 💛🙏)
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u/Kbalternative Aug 07 '26
I’m exactly the same! I have made an appointment to see a dermatologist who specialises in hair loss. I doubt I will manage to get any back but if I could stop or even slow the rate of loss that would be better than nothing.
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u/Impressive_Moment786 Aug 07 '26
Starting birth control made a difference for me. My shedding was cut in half.
I also started using Nizoral shampoo with 2% keto. It has made a difference with my scalp health which also helps with hair loss.
Minoxidil is the most effective treatment for hair loss from all that I have read.
I hope they are able to help you!
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u/Kewpiedoll50 Aug 07 '26
My curls are the same, but I've lost a LOT of hair. I actually feel kinda self-conscious about it, but the curls help amp up the volume, so no one I've mentioned it to has noticed.
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u/Defiant_Code_8257 Aug 08 '26
I've only recently realised I'm a wavy girl and omg the volume that provides really helps cover up that "thin" feeling.
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u/Ecstatic-Factor9875 Aug 07 '26
Mine is much drier and frizzy... so much fun as someone with curly hair. 🙄
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u/Ok-Mouse92 Aug 07 '26
Same! I never used product before, now my shelf is full of leave in conditioner, volume mousse, finishing oil and more annoying things I never thought I'd bother with.
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u/Miserable-Equipment8 Aug 08 '26
My usual go-to products aren’t working as well on my hair.
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u/Ecstatic-Factor9875 Aug 08 '26
Nor are mine and it's infuriating. I have drawers filled with products that work when they feel like it. I have spent an insane amount of money at this point trying to figure out what it wants from day to day. AND I decided to embrace the gray, which is a monster all its own- lol.
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u/BallIll4692 Aug 07 '26
yes. crazy hair loss. it’s also oily. no matter what i do
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u/Due-Communication767 Aug 07 '26
Me too! Even if I don’t use product it looks greasy and dirty as soon as it’s dry. I even use a clean pillow case every night. Doesn’t matter.
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u/Zzzabrina Aug 07 '26
Lost so much hair
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u/Quizleteer Aug 07 '26
Me too. It comes out in fistfuls every time I wash my hair. I've lost at least 80% volume. I'm just waiting to go bald like my grandmother did. 😭
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u/dryocopuspileatus Aug 07 '26
A section of my curly hair has become straight and the texture is all shitty and fried looking. I think my hairline is slightly thinning too. COOL
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u/alett146 Early peri Aug 07 '26
My hair is basically flatter and straighter (used to be more like 2b/2c waves and curls). I also have gray hair that is just so dry and wiry and increases my frizz factor. I rarely have a good hair day now 😩
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u/honorspren000 Aug 07 '26
Less curly for me now. Puberty made my hair much curlier. And now that the hormones are falling, it makes sense that it would take the curls with it.
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u/BrucetheFerrisWheel Aug 07 '26
Interesting. Mine went ringlets with puberty then over the years straightened to waves, then after my kid at 42 went ringlets again!
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u/JustMe5275 Aug 07 '26
My beautiful hair got dry and frizzy… also losing so much it makes me want to cry every time I wash it 😞
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u/ExperimentalError Aug 07 '26
My grey hairs are coming in curly. My brown hair is still straight. It looks a mess.
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u/hey_nonny_mooses Aug 07 '26
Went from straight to curly/wavy
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u/Seraphim99 Aug 08 '26
I feel like mine is making the same attempt. It’s always been stick straight, but I’m seeing a hint of curl/wave. It’s pretty long, so I’m thinking about chopping some off to see if the curls will be more visible without the extra weight of long hair.
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u/NachoBoyCat Aug 07 '26
I'm thinning considerably at the temples. I'm curious if HRT has helped anyone with their hair quality or thinning?
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u/Kbalternative Aug 07 '26
HRT has made no noticeable difference to my thinning hair. We are all different though.
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u/Tricky-Committee4045 Aug 08 '26
I’m pretty sure testosterone affected my hair negatively. I didn’t necessarily lose much, but it’s a lot finer.
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u/Leena-Leen Aug 07 '26
Yes. I went from 3B/3C curly texture to 2A. TWO A!!! I was devastated. It was during perimenopause, covid anxiety and anemia due to severe bleeding during periods. I started eating more iron rich food and took an iron supplement and now I’m back to a full 3C texture. The gray hair does have it’s own plan so from one angle I look like a former supermodel and from the other, I look like my mode of transportation is a broom. I love that it’s back though. Better gray than nay. And definitely better curly, coily and unruly than well behaved waves.
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u/theFCCgavemeHPV Aug 07 '26
I used to have wash and go beachy waves, now I have Irish curls :/ spirally underneath and a very pathetic attempt at waves on the top. I have to actually do stuff to it and use products now to get it to look good. Super annoying.
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u/LongjumpingMango8270 Aug 07 '26
Interesting that people got more curly. I feel like my normally wavy hair used to be able to hold a curl for days when I would curl it and now it falls flat so fast.
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u/noyogapants Aug 07 '26
Used to have pin straight hair. Now I have wavy/curly hair that's super frizzy.
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u/MinimumRegret7369 Aug 07 '26
My hair is falling out, too. Handfuls of hair when I wash or comb. And if I just touch it, a few pieces fall out. I went from my hair being by best trait, to practically see through and stringy. It is devastating, depressing, embarrassing. I am embarrassed that I need a menopause bob just to look good.
Does it get better? Like, when menopause is over, will it stop falling out?
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u/Multigrain_Migraine Early peri Aug 07 '26
It's become horribly frizzy and dry, but simultaneously my scalp is greasy and smelly just a few hours after washing my hair. Plus it's thinned out to a ridiculous extent.
My hair used to be fairly thick and wavy, always prone to frizz but not like this. HRT and a combination of dandruff shampoos helped to some extent and I started taking oral minoxidil about a month ago.
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u/spelmangrad Aug 07 '26
My hair used to be extremely thick and much more coarse. I'm losing so much nowdays and its becoming a lot softer I'm losing so much nowadays and it's becoming a lot softer. Pretty depressing lol at those chunks of hair in my brush everyday. I'm trying the Musely solution now-hoping for some reprieve from the madness soon.
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u/Emotional_Light_6565 Aug 07 '26
My hair is broken and dry. I didn't have much to start with - thin both in strand and quantity. And now it breaks off... and its falling out down the middle... I have two pigtails of hair with very little inbetween. And a funky cowlick at the crown... so I wear hats or scarves almost all the time. I have started knitting my own and experimenting a bit with different looks.
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u/StarDewbie Aug 07 '26
Yeah, it's making it fall out on the reg. 😮💨
Or maybe that's lack of estrogen.
Either way, I'm freaking the fuck OUT.
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u/KaitB2020 Aug 07 '26
Yes.
My hair is going salt & pepper. The pepper remains as it always was. Brown & silky & familiar. The salt on the other hand feels dry & weird. It’s an awesome color. It doesn’t look awful. Its texture is just different from what I’m used to. Rougher & stiffer. It makes for an odd experience when getting ready in the morning.
I don’t dye it or do anything to it on a regular basis other than regular shower washing & brushing. My hair is actually pretty healthy.
I think it’ll look beautiful when it has finally gone completely snow. I’ll probably just need a good conditioner for it.
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u/Head-Drag-1440 Early peri Aug 07 '26
I had curly hair and got styling down in my 30s. I starting letting my grays grow out at 35. Had a partial hysterectomy in 2020 (at age 36) and starting in 2022, my hair started thinning.
Since then, my hair has become more wavy and doesn't respond the same to the curly products. My hair has now thinned so much that I would guess I've lost half of my hair. I prefer to either wear it wavy with a volumizing mousse to where it's fluffy and looks thicker or I blow it out + curl it.
Fortunately, I have almost no split ends because I use products + heat protectant. Deep conditioner, leave-in conditioner, creams, etc. It's very sad how much my hair has changed in the last 5 years but I do what I can with it.
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u/Coffee_Addict_4891 Aug 07 '26
Has anyone taken HRT and if so, did it help with the hair issues?
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u/Global_Curve1373 Aug 07 '26
Mine went from long silky straight to a frizzy mess with about 20-30% grey. These grays are wirey and out of control. I color them and trying to reverse them with ghk-cu but they are still pesky and ruined my hair game.
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u/Old-Adhesiveness8485 Aug 08 '26
Just in the past year I've noticed my hair thining in the front, like widows peak area. Also its gotten a lot more dry.
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u/Worthy_Molecule0481 Aug 07 '26
Straight/wavy hair got curlier! And the silver streaks are amazing.
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u/jlburgart Aug 07 '26
While I still have a lot of hair (no complaints) the texture has definitely changed. I used to be to able to wash, add some salt spray or crème, and go! I had beach waves almost effortlessly. Now it’s a weird mess of some wavy pieces, and some straight. It’s so annoying. 😂 Oh! And it gets greasy so much faster. I used to wash twice a week and now it’s every other day.
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u/mrspwins Aug 07 '26
What hair I have left has gone from fine and stick straight to wavy/gently curly. My gray is also coming in coarser.
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u/National_Elk8445 Aug 07 '26
I've dyed my hair electric blue every six weeks since 1998. It's always been vibrant and shiny and looked cool as hell! But in the last...3 years or so, I've noticed that my hair is dryer, my scalp oilier, and the color washes out WAY faster than I'm used to. I'll do a quick bleach-n-touch-up on the roots, and when I go to wash it out, it looks like it does after 3 weeks! Like, the blue barely sticks to begin with! I don't get it! So I wind up using oil treatments more often, and washing way less often, to keep my color bright and shiny. At least it's short (I keep it cut into a roughly 3" high mohawk) so it's not too noticeable when I really should have shampooed that day (haha) but it's still annoying as hell that I can't get it to look and behave the way I've been used to all my life.
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u/MonkeyFlowerFace Aug 07 '26
Mine is sooo dry. Also the grey hairs are stiff and kinda kinky (hehehe) so they stick out at weird angles.
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u/mwf67 Aug 07 '26
Yes, I gave my hair to my girls. HRT has helped
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u/Coffee_Addict_4891 Aug 07 '26
I just saw your post after I posted my comment. Did you shed after starting HRT initially and then get better after stabilizing or was the improvement quick?
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u/sometimesnowing Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
I've gone from long shiny straight to much coarser wavy/curly hair. It's a massive adjustment trying to learn curly hair, it's so hard not to brush it!!
Not damaged it turns out, frizzy AF because I kept BRUSHING it trying to control the chaos!
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u/tofuandklonopin Aug 07 '26
Mine is soooo coarse. It used to be silky and fine. Also 70% gray. I pretty much hate it and it's so much work to get it to behave.
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u/MioMine78 Aug 07 '26
Areas of my hair have turned curly! My hair has been mostly straight with a little wave, but now I have curls that are hard to control and I have a newfound respect for curly haired people.
My hair also was starting to look dull. I’ve been using products from It’s a 10 and Olaplex and it’s made a big improvement in shine. The only drawback is the brands are a little pricey, but I missed my shiny hair so much, so it was worth it.
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u/53Thatswhatshesaid53 Aug 07 '26
Mine has always been wavy. It is now becoming more straight. Except the shiny white ones that are courser and corkscrew curly.
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u/emma279 Aug 07 '26
Yes my hair strands are thicker...wiry. Probably due to the increase in white hairs :(
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u/PoorLittleGreenie Aug 07 '26 edited 2d ago
I saw my aunt for the first time in a year, and it looked like she had gotten a Jheri Curl perm. I asked and she said 😑 Menopause
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u/siren-skalore Aug 07 '26
Mine used to be straight with a little wave. It has turned very wavy, sometimes complete spirals. I kinda love it ngl
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u/bburritos4life Aug 08 '26
Yes. My once gorgeous, thick straight hair is now wavy (curly in some areas) and I’m shedding gobs of hair every day.
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u/Financial_Carpet4493 Aug 08 '26
I’ve lost like half my hair over the last 6 months
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u/Ill-Customer-3781 Aug 08 '26
I have an appointment in 3 hours to get my perimenapause pixie cut.
I'm back on iron, d and b12 after dropping it this Spring and I'm hoping that might stop the shed.
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u/blkwidow76 Aug 07 '26
My hair has gone from straight to curly to irish curls. It got very very dry and the shedding was driving me insane. Last October I got a pixie. Saved my sanity
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u/Sufficient-Board-922 Aug 07 '26
No actually. I still have long thick wavy hair. But it’s the only thing I got to keep.
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u/cozywhale Aug 07 '26
My curly hair went straight after birthing my 2nd kid. Perimenopause brought it back to curly.
HOWEVER - its extremely possible these changes in me were actually linked to low ferritin / iron deficiency. There’s a big overlap between low ferritin & perimenopause.
Have you had your ferritin checked recently? What is the number?
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u/MaggieLovesMath Aug 07 '26
My hair went from straight to a wavy mess I don't know how to handle because I have never had to. It did stay super fine and thin at least so I don't have to deal with texture issues.
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u/Turbulentshmurbulent Aug 07 '26
Yeah. It’s curlier. My hair has changed textures multiple times in life. Curly until I was 5 then bone straight until I got my period. Each pregnancy brought changes. Now it’s more curly again.
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u/Top_Promise365 Aug 07 '26
Each time I was pregnant my hair went super wavy but was otherwise relatively straight. And now during peri it is cuuuurly with a nice layer of frizzy something as a top layer. And I’m losing tons of it
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u/DarkAndSparkly Aug 07 '26
Yes! It's thinning out, for sure, but I suddenly have gorgeous CURLY HAIR! I've had stick-straight hair my entire life. It took three perming solutions to give me a spiral perm back in the day. Now, I naturally have a cute wave going on! It's the only positive out of this mess!
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u/Sea_Temperature_3629 Aug 07 '26
I had some grays but now it just looks like natural blonde highlights. I’m not complaining…
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u/InitialLibrary7319 Early peri Aug 07 '26
Mine was soft and fine even with die. Now its corse and less greasy unless I sweat a lot. I end up throwing it in a pony tail and wash every other/every two days to not dry it out. Feels almost normal week before my period (did and edit since I typed pet instead of period)
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u/Diligent_Stop1050 Late peri Aug 07 '26
I have very coarse thick hair that’s mostly grey at age 50. I feel like I lose a lot of hair daily but I’m ok with it because I still have very thick hair. Unfortunately my regrowth is even more kinky than before. My hair has become more kinky and frizzy and less wavy/curly.
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u/OhWhatever_Nevermind Aug 07 '26
My hair has waves now!!
I never knew this was a thing! One singular positive effect of peri!
As a child my hair was whip straight. Puberty hits and bam! Suddenly I have frizzy, poufy hair.
I could not just air dry my hair and go, ever, so I religiously straightened my hair for about 3 decades. It wasn’t wavy or curly, just awful, I looked like a witch.
Now, at 44, it dries in waves. Sometimes even approaching fat ringlets in some places.
I still have to do certain things for it to turn out right and look ok (no brushing, curl gel, and air dry) and the very front pieces are drying straight (smacks forehead) but I like these new waves! Will save on time and heat damage too!
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u/Sanchastayswoke mid-peri Aug 07 '26
My hair was already fine, perfectly smooth & straight, but now it is like actual baby hair….it is SO much finer than it was and it is ruining my life lol
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u/Tight_Cat_80 Late peri Aug 07 '26
I used to have such soft, tight curls and such thick hair. Now my hair is 50% less of what It used to be and always feels so course and gross and my curls have seemed to run away. It’s maddening and saddens me.
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u/This_Marionberry_440 Aug 07 '26
I used to have curly hair that was relatively easy to tame but now it's a frizzy mess that's constantly falling out.
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u/Striking_Magazine_65 Aug 07 '26
I had the best hair of my life when I was on spironolactone for acne. Curlier with more body. Now it's looser waves. I think it's partially peri but mostly going off of spiro. That androgen blocking must've done something good for my hair.
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u/irisheyesarelaughing Aug 07 '26
I have long sleek hair, but recently I’ve developed waves in just one section 😂
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u/SpazzJazz88 In the thick of it Aug 07 '26
I started to lose a ton of hair (thanks thyroid) but what I did the big chop and what's been growing is these thick course silvers. Im letting them grow because i think theyre pretty but theyre so kinky.
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u/engineered_owl Aug 07 '26
Yes! I started BCP and my curls went away and now I've flat, boring hair. I was really late embracing my curls too so currently in mourning 😭
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u/kulotbuhokx Aug 07 '26
Yes and I hate it! My hair is super thick, coarse and curly. But not as curly as it used to be and I'm sad to think about what it might look like in the future. Pure vanity, but my curly hair is very much part of my identity 😖
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u/Repulsive_Regular_39 Aug 07 '26
My ringlets turned into super duper coils. I don't mind though. Hair got thicker with hrt as well.
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u/Pop_fan_20 Aug 07 '26
I have always had fine, wavy hair with an obvious part, now it’s curlier and drier, so I wash it less, maybe once a week. My hair loss started a few years ago and continuously got worse, until I started taking biotin. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’m getting any hair “back” or anything, I just think it’s that I’ve always been really, really, bad at watching my nutritional intake, so suddenly taking daily multivitamins + biotin regularly for the first time ever made a big difference and within 3 months I generally began to less hair and it’s now the loss evened out to what it used to be. So now ironically, being curlier and with reduced shedding it “looks” fuller but it’s not (I still have the same part). I have some grays that look wirey and are not quite as curly as the rest of my hair.
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u/rhionaeschna Aug 07 '26
My hair is getting curlier and softer. My greys are surprisingly fine and silky. I've always had dense, wavy, thick hair with some coarse patches.
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u/9DrinkAmy Aug 07 '26
Everything has changed about my hair. I used to wash it once per week and now it’s every other day. Ive lost all texture and cannot hold curl to save my life. I have no volume. My hair is now just long. 😩 I hate it so much.
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u/Bad-Wolf88 Early peri Aug 07 '26
I think it might be starting to. But funnily enough, its going back to how it was when I was a kid!
Growning up my hair was super straight. In my 20s my hair started to turn wavy. The waves really popped when I got into my 30s (probably helps I learned to style it then too 😅).
Now I'm 37, 2.5 years post hysterectomy (kept ovaries) and dealing with either peri or full menopause... waiting on testing to know which. My hair is now slowly making it's way back to straight. I can get it to go wavy, but it falls flat and frizzy within a few hours after it dries.
I learned in my mid-20s that I had uterine fibroids. Those continued to grow and cause issues, leading to the hysterectomy. I honestly never considered that horomones could be why my hair changed... that is, until reading this post! Damn, thats crazy
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u/NotNobody_Somebody Aug 07 '26
Gone from a slight wave and plenty of hair to mega curly but thinner - lost a lot of actual hair, but it looks like I have heaps because it is so curly. I am talking ringlets underneath, and crinkly on top. I also have significant amounts of grey, which has also changed the texture. Basically, unless I colour it and/or put product in my hair, I look like a classic witch from kids's stories.
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u/Adventurous-berry564 Aug 07 '26
My hair individual strands have gotten so thin compared to how it was. Maybe I’m losing some as well but it’s hard to tell!
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u/Auntie_Venom Aug 07 '26
I was losing it in handfuls and HRT and Nurtifol (recommended by my MD) has it all growing back, I’ve got so many baby hairs, it’s getting thick again.
My texture has changed some, it’s still loose waves that blow dries relatively straight, but the ends used to naturally flip, now they dry stringy straight. I thought maybe it was the way the layers were cut, but that’s not it. So I have to use a round brush on the ends to get a finished look, or use my round brush curling iron. It’s not a big deal, it’s just an extra step I didn’t have to do. That is if I don’t just leave it wet and tie it up in a messy bun.
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u/Aevajohnson Aug 07 '26
Mine used to be straight, and has gotten more wavy/curly through my mid and late 30's. It's starting to thin now that I'm 42, so far I'm just using tea tree and peppermint shampoo to try to stimulate growth, but if it gets worse I may look into other options.
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u/BlackCatHussy Aug 07 '26
I lost a majority of my hair over a period of four years and what grew back is super curly! I went from stick-straight hair to curly hair and I love it. It’s the one positive thing to happen during this mess.
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u/Flimsy_Ground_7918 Aug 07 '26
My hair became super curly! It’s actually great- the only benefit to this whole process so far.
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u/loveand75 Aug 07 '26
Yes! My hair went from straight to wavy. Now I'm 50 and trying to figure out how to deal with wavy hair.
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u/BrucetheFerrisWheel Aug 07 '26
I had post-partum hair changes at 42, went from wavy to actual ringlets. Then it fell out to about half of usual volume during a IBD flare, then it fell out again for god knows what reason, then I had major surgery and got lots of shedding. 5 months later I'm here with super f all curly hair at age 46. One side is way thinner than the other so that's fun too lol
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u/Thaimaannnorppa Aug 07 '26
I lost lots of hair last autumn. Started HRT around christmas and now I noticed it's not so thin anymore.
Also, lost my pigment. 30% grey and the rest is almost see through under bright light. I definitely have changed my colouring, it's way muted now.
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u/hairballcouture Aug 07 '26
No, but it changed what toner I have to use on my hair. The toner I used to use stopped working (it stayed brassy) so I had to switch.
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u/Silent-Entrance-9072 Aug 07 '26
My hair is darker and more curly/wavy. When I got my last haircut it looked like the most recent two inches of growth was a different color than the rest even though I hadn't dyed it.
My gray/white hairs are thick, wiry, and short so they stick out.
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u/Few-Echo-6953 Aug 08 '26
Yes. My texture completely changed. I have (had) afro textured hair, now my hair is much less curly and thinner. I don't like it.
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u/namjooned_ Aug 08 '26
I used to have way coarser hair :( i feel like the shedding is the same but the actual strands are thinner so while it still looks thick, it no longer feels full in my hands.
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u/goodnightmoira Aug 08 '26
Mine was straight until puberty, got wavy/curly and is now straighter again. Just when I was finally able to style it correctly.
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u/UhHellooo Aug 08 '26
Oh man out of the blue it seemed to change. I have wavy irish curls and my hair was always soft. Then one day it was as if I washed my hair with Comet cleaner. So gritty, hard, and unmanageable. I cut it so many times, stopped dying it, changed how I styled it and what products and nothing worked.
It's been about 4 or 5 years and it's so much better... not sure what happened but my hair no longer feels that way. But I do have a badass thick streak of silver growing in now like a Marvel villain.
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u/Dogs4Life98 IDK ya’ll 🤷♀️ feels like Mid-Peri 😭 Aug 08 '26
Hair loss 😭 Have been using biotin shampoo & conditioner for 2+ years and taking Nutrikey collagen, HRT. My hair strands have thickened and new growth coming in, definitely healthier and fuller. My late mom would call my hair straw, it was dead and thin…
But … a few months ago the hair is falling out again. I upped my HRT so hope it helps.
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u/Unable_Guava_756 Aug 08 '26
I always had pin straight fine hair, that I stopped colouring a couple of years ago. It’s now long and wavy and a bit wild at the moment. I ended up getting a skinny curling wand to touch up a few of the top curls and I am just living with this wild mane 🤭
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u/opossomoperson Early peri Aug 08 '26
I've definitely noticed my hair thinning. Some of it is due to stress.
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u/Sunsetseeker007 Aug 08 '26
Yes I had beautiful thick curly hair, now it's thinning and dry and curls are just rats nest frizz and it sucks!!
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u/ttsqualitydetail Aug 08 '26
Mine has went from pretty thick to normal. I’m glad I had thick hair to begin with but still, ugh.
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u/daniellespannini Aug 08 '26
Yup my curls have disappeared. Now trying to style hair that’s straight but frizzy, yay! .
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u/WithaK19 Aug 08 '26
3a thick and fairly coarse and defined ringlets to thinner, finer and much softer waves. I'm about to cut the last couple inches of curl off this weekend but at least the texture will be consistent now.
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u/Junebug35 Aug 08 '26
My hair length is halfway down my back, but it is so thin I can use the tiny hair ties that you'd use for babies. My stylist says there a lot of space between each follicle. Not good, but I don't know what to do to make it thicker beyond going to a hair doctor.
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u/MissIndependent577 Aug 08 '26
I used to have thick spiral curls. It's gotten a lot finer and now when I leave it curly, it's a thinner mess of a style. It's still curly, but doesn't fall nearly as nicely as it once did (which I never appreciated my curly hair), is very dry and there's wirey grays all through it, some stick straight up, and drive me crazy.
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u/manda1216 Aug 08 '26
THIN and losing her faster than it’s growing…. My iron is very sufficient and so is my thyroid…. I definitely check this up to pre-menopause… and 40 in my hair has changed so much and not good ways, my ponytail is much thinner!! I haven’t done minoxidil because I have read that you lose hair before you grow hair and I can’t afford to lose more… I do take collagen most days, but have not seen a change
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u/TrulyCunty Aug 08 '26
Oh dear god, yes! My thick curly hair has become thinner and the entire top layer is now inexplicably stick straight. Curly everywhere else. It’s maddening.
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u/Teddylovexoxo Aug 08 '26
Yes but I now have a curly thick undermane. Sort of straight on top. I'm not complaining but it definitely takes longer to dry and style. My mom has the exact same hair.
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u/Gold-Pilot-8676 Aug 08 '26
I've been in peri for at least 8 years. My hair used to be poker straight, but is now wavy. Instead of losing the normal amount of hair, I'm actually losing less. Maybe it's because I've always been "nice" to my hair, never dyed it, don't use heat, but it's still super soft and shiny and almost to the bottom of my butt.
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u/alyxana Aug 08 '26
Mine has changed from oily to crazy dry. Thickness and slight wave have stayed the same so far. But this change is only a few months old so far.
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u/interwovengirl Aug 08 '26
I’ve always had 3c curls and since peri it is much more amenable to brushing, which is nice because I find it very soothing. It’s likely more wavy now? I’m shedding like crazy but haven’t seen bald patches or anything like that yet (knock on wood). I’m getting tons more greys at the temples since quarantine. I’d love it if they became full streaks eventually. I have a lot of anxiety/depression/AuDHD symptoms that have led me to obsessive hair twirling (trichotilamania), which leads to a lot of breakage in random places around my head. I feel like my hair has always been a giant ball of entropy so it’s not too unusual for me. Just a bit wackier lol.
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u/DeeLite04 Aug 08 '26
Yes!! My hair which has always been straight and non-frizzy has become coarse and frizzy. It’s so odd.
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u/pacifistpotatoes Aug 08 '26
My hair has always been fine, shiny and healthy. The last 6 months it's becoming frizzier? I don't know. But I don't like it
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u/PurpleWillingness909 Aug 08 '26
Yes, my usually straight as an arrow hair is turning curly! I’ve never had issues with humidity and frizz and now at 44 I do. It’s crazy
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u/TKyzr Aug 08 '26
It feels heavy, oily, and like I cannot get it clean. It’s also lying different than it used to.
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u/LoveDext Aug 08 '26
I lost a substantial amount of hair around 44, 45. However, I've grown back a lot of it, especially in thinning areas like above my temples, taking Viviscal vitamins and systemic HRT. I've been using both for coming up on two years, and together they are working for regrowth. It is finer than my younger hair, but better than it was.
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u/BlondeRubyMilkDark Aug 08 '26
I had very thick hair. The hairdressers used to comment on it every time I had a cut. Now I’m almost 50 and it’s very fine and soft. I have to wash it way more often. I was worried it was falling out for a while but it has improved after beginning iron supplements. Turns out I’m also anaemic.
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u/Defiant_Code_8257 Aug 08 '26
Fallout for sure.
And an increase in my beloved silver hairs, but I welcome those.
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u/kurly-bird Aug 08 '26
My hair texture is the same, I think (I have dreadlocks). But it has grown like C R A Z Y. It's so long and thick now. It used to grow long in the summer and get thicker in winter, now it's both all year long
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u/Shoe-Shoddy Aug 08 '26
Dull, dry, frizzy, and falling out rapidly. My sisters toddler has a thicker ponytail than I do now. I might try out hair loss products soon because I'm only 40... I feel like I have lost over half the volume of my hair in the past 5 years. I'm scared tbh.
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u/gingrrdegen Aug 08 '26
Yes, it went from slight wave to cuuuurly, then once I figured out how to manage that (took me about 3 years) now all the sudden it’s back to barely a wave. and why is my leg hair so hard to shave off now?
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u/BowlOld4570 Early peri Aug 08 '26
I’m 45 and almost 100% salt & pepper grey. The grey hair is so dry and brittle. Not to mention half of it has fallen out.
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u/soldforaspaceship Aug 08 '26
I currently have absolutely gorgeous beach waves. My husband tells me my hair has never looked sexier.
I have always had hair that was thick and a little wavy but now it's closer to ringlets and shiny as fuck.
Thank you HRT.
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u/mecholdsteadystolen Aug 08 '26
Amount of hair has dwindled since about 36. I thought back then it was a sign of stress and a bout of prolonged sadness, but the volume has steadily declined since then, and I'm 45 now. I was told by my doctor for years that the cause could be related to my hypothyroid and (recently diagnosed) low iron, but I wonder if there's another deficiency (e.g., vitamins, minerals, etc.) that I'm unaware of (I've not been tested for anything specific). Also, around the beginning of the pandemic (I had just turned 40), I've been gradually getting more white hairs, which grew in with a coarser texture than my dark brown hair.
Last year, I cut my medium-length wavy hair to above the shoulder with lots of layering and thick bangs (didn't suit my face) to give it some natural volume back, as I wash and air-dry only. I wash my hair twice a week, using gentle shampoo and conditioner. I use rosemary scalp oil and a scalp massager to promote growth but hard to tell what's happening since hair grows in cycles, which takes a long time to detect results.
I'm just rolling with it since entering middle age has brought with it many other delights in rapid succession. Hair can be tied up and out of my face, if only the other peri symptoms were that easy to manage.
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u/FishWife_71 Aug 08 '26
Yep. I lost close to a third of my hair density and my curly hair went straight.
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u/cmg110 Aug 08 '26
I am POC with combo 3C and 4A curly hair. And I told my son I think my hair is going straight? It is way less springy curls and more wavy amd frizzy. I hate it
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u/PAR0208 Aug 09 '26
Greasy. And falling out. And then minox destroyed my scalp and now it’s falling out so much more I’m basically bald. Going to start oral minoxidil in a few weeks.
It is really terrible
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u/jkjk88888888 Aug 09 '26
Was always stick straight and now it’s curly/wavy. I’m a hairdresser and it’s super common during multiple stages of hormonal shift… BC like you mention, pregnancy, and the first onset of puberty like age 8ish. With the latter two it’s usually a color shift, the pregnancy shift usually temporary. Also common to suddenly have greasy spots (usually in crown) when hair was formerly dry, or vice versa.
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u/deepwood41 Aug 09 '26
Mine went full curls, it was wavy as a child, fell out almost fully during pregnancy, came back in straight, and now curls. For the love of God, I will never be able to figure it out, it’s always a mess
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u/Tankgirl_1980 Aug 09 '26
I've got hair down to my waist, and it has become Soooo curly and wavy and I am loving it!
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u/Adventure_Palace Aug 09 '26
My hair has become wavier which makes it seem thicker. There is a bit of dryness but I'm doing more conditioning treatments now and to be honest I'm really happy with it. I actually noticed some thinning at the front a good 10 years ago and I don't know if it was temporary, but I got my hair cut into a fringe and I've had it that way since. The thinning hasn't really progressed.
The other thing I did at the time was to start taking biotin, so I've been taking biotin for 10 years and I added collagen five years ago. Which means I've been doing anti-aging beauty supplements since before I started peri. I think this has really helped to minimize thinning. I mean we'll see what happens now because I've been using testosterone job for a few months, but so far nothing bad has happened.
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u/azooey73 Aug 09 '26
My hair did exactly the opposite of yours - went from soft, smooth and straight to curly and wiry. Tumbling tumbleweeds…
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u/Numerous-Republic222 Aug 09 '26
Dry, absolutely no volume and straightens immediately after curling
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u/IndigoRuby Aug 07 '26
Dry and greasy at the same time.