Is Your Menstrual Cycle Affecting Your Hair?

November 2, 2024 Mikey Moran

Regardless of whether you hate them or enjoy them, a menstrual cycle is a part of life, and it can have some huge effects on your hair.

Hormones are considered to be a large part of just our menstrual cycles, but the reality is that we're always dealing with an influx of hormones.

Hormones can affect every part of life and are essential to the basis of our health.

The hormones that we experience before, during, and after our cycle can affect the changes we see in our hair.

For me, my period has always been awful, but something I never paid attention to was my hair. 🩸

After discovering the different ways that my menstrual cycle was affecting my hair, I always paid attention to the differences.

For example, when I'm on my cycle, my hair is oily. When I'm not, my hair is severely dry.

Before my period comes, I notice that my hair doesn't respond well to heat. The styles that involved heat never lasted long enough.

It can be frustrating to understand the ways that a menstrual cycle can affect hair, but it's important to know how! Keep in mind that not all reactions are the same.

Thank god for headband wigs to rescuing me during these times.

The fantastic thing about our bodies is that each one is different. We won't all have the same, but when we know the most common ones, we can look out for them.

Are You on Birth Control?

Being on birth control means that your hormonal levels will be completely different from those that don't take birth control.

When I'm on birth control, my hair behaves completely differently than when I am not on birth control.

This is important to keep in mind as you move through this post. Birth control usually causes menstrual cycles to be irregular and cause hormonal hair loss.

Also, with birth control, your hormonal levels may fluctuate less often.

Be aware of how your form of birth control may affect your hair by asking your doctor or a hair specialist!

Black Hair Woman Going Through Menstrual Cycle Standing

Pre-Menstrual Hair

Throughout the days before your menstrual cycle and during ovulation, your uterus lining thickens to provide space for an egg.

To make a baby, the egg must be fertilized by a sperm. When this doesn't happen, your body must undergo some shifts.

Your uterus must prepare to shed. Typically, your body will indicate this by signs of acne, emotional changes, cramps, tenderness around the breasts, and more.

For me, I always get bloated before my menstrual cycle. About a week before your period, your levels of estrogen, progesterone, and tester 1 increase.

When all of these increase at once, it's common for oil products in skin glands to increase, especially the glands on the scalp.

During this time, it's normal for people with cycles to feel oily. Around this time, hair may be more oily than usual.

If you're at this stage of your cycle, try to utilize dry shampoo and increase the number of showers you take. This will help you feel less sticky.

Closures with Bundles can be an easy way to switch your hair quickly during these days like the 6x6 Closures with Bundles.

Black Hair Woman Going Through Menstrual Cycle Sitting

During the Cycle!

If you've made it here, that means you're not pregnant, and an influx of changes is about to occur.

First, expect your moods to change moderately. During this time, most people feel exceptionally tired and run down.

Our bodies are more sensitive during this time as well. The scalp becomes more and more sensitive during the menstrual cycle.

This means that you may need not to do anything drastic to your hair during this time.

Using harsh chemicals such as colors and perms is something you need to avoid entirely.

Since your hair is more sensitive during this time, it's essential to take extra good care of it and use protective styles like medical wigs.

Black Hair Woman Going Through Menstrual Cycle Lying Down

After the Period

These will be the days when you feel and look the best.

Your hormonal levels and oil production should be balanced out. However, even though the decrease in oil is significant for your skin, it's not always great for your hair.

The reduction in oil can lead to drier hair. This means that you'll need to get back to your hydrating methods.

Also, keep in mind that if your hair is usually dry, then it's normal for your hair to be dehydrated after your cycle is over.

You'll want to do a deep condition, but don't wash your hair too often. Washing hair isn't the best idea since shampoo strips hair of oils.

Be mindful of that as you move through these changes!

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It's Ovulation Time!

Ovulation time is when you'll be glowing.

During ovulation, there is only a slight increase in oil in the skin.

Before the effects of PMS come around, your body will begin producing more estrogen, which will trigger the production of LH. LH is known as the luteinizing hormone.

This hormone is responsible for increasing your oil production; this increase is not the same as the increase you experience right before your cycle begins or during your cycle.

It's different because it's only a slight increase, and it's meant to bring your hair and skin a natural glow.

It's important to be gentle with your hair during this time. You should gently wash and condition it, but don't overdo it.

You can use color and other chemicals, but you want to be mindful of how much you use. Also, try to limit the amount of heat that you're using on your hair during this period.