"Dearest granddaughter, come close and look into
my eyes." Grandmother Growth beckons and her voice grows deeper
and more resonant. "Look deep into my eyes and acknowledge the
beauty there.
"Yes, my skin is wrinkled. My face is the face of
age, and to many, that is fearful. But my beauty, like my wise blood,
now resides inside of me. Can you see it? Can you feel it? Can you look
beyond the hair on my chin?" she says grinning, flicking her fingers
under her chin in a most unladylike manner.
"Can you forgive the places where my scalp shines
through? Can you find the truth of my beauty, the beauty of age, which
is so different from the beauty of youth?" Her eyes grow fierce,
but sparkle with amusement. "I know you can, for I know how beautiful
I am."
Grandmother Growth takes your chin in her strong hand and looks at you
with eyes so intense you fear you may catch on fire. She commands: "When
you look into your mirror, I ask you to look deep into your own eyes
and to acknowledge your own inner beauty.
"I know, I know, metamorphosis is changing you and
you don't like it. Like a teenager, you peer and peer into the looking
glass, noting every new wrinkle, every hair on your face (and other
new places). Counting each grey hair as it grows. Worrying that your
hair seems to fall out by the handful.
"Dear one, my most precious child, take care, but
do not fret. And do not tell yourself that you are becoming ugly. I
know it is difficult, in fact it may be one of the most difficult tasks
of your menopause, but you must recast your own opinion of beauty so
that it includes old women who have hairy problems and live well with
them - like you!"
Too much hair (on the chin), too little hair (on the scalp),
falling hair, thinning hair, greying hair, no matter what the complaint,
many women notice something happening to their hair during menopause.
As hormone levels shift during the menopausal years, hair responds to
the changing hormones by changing texture, falling out, or by growing
in "odd" places. Here are remedies for those who want more
hair, and for those who want less.
Hair Loss (Alopecia) & Grey Hair
Step 1. Collect information . . .
Menopause does not cause grey hair; taking hormones doesn't stop it.
Greying, thinning hair is a normal part of aging. Women whose menopause
is induced in their 20s and 30s do not suddenly go grey.
Hair loss at mid-life (androgenic alopecia) is more strongly linked
to genes than diet or lifestyle. Those of European origins are far more
likely to experience it than Asians, Native Americans, Africans, or
African-Americans. Hair loss starts earlier and becomes more extreme
on men's heads, but just as many women deal with receding hairlines
and balding pates. Roughly half of all women experience some hair loss
during their menopausal years. Two-thirds of post-menopausal women deal
with thinning hair or bald spots. And no one likes it. Americans spend
a billion dollars a year trying to regrow their hair!
Normal hair loss (50-100 hairs a day) is gradual. Sudden unexplained
loss is not normal. Events which can trigger hair loss include pregnancy,
childbirth, menopause, severe emotional stress, rapid or profound weight
loss, thyroid disorders, pituitary problems, malnutrition, iron deficiency,
lack of protein, large doses of vitamin A, chemotherapy, radiation,
general anesthesia, chronic illness, scarlet fever, syphilis, certain
medications (see Step 5), and hair abuse including bleaching, permanents,
tight braids, tight pony tails, tight wigs, and tight hats.
o The National Alopecia Areata Foundation, 710 C St, Ste 11, San Rafael,
CA 94901 (415-456-4644) can help you contact a local hair loss support
group, and gather more information.
Step 2. Engage the energy . . . .
o Homeopathic remedies for women with hair loss include:
+ Lycopodium: loss precipitated by hormonal fluctuations.
+ Sepia: especially for menopausal women who have sweaty flushes and
heavy bleeding
+ Phosphoric acid: loss after grief or extreme emotion, accompanied
by exhaustion.
Step 3. Nourish and tonify . . .
~ Infusion of stinging nettle, 2-4 cups a day, strengthens hair and
checks falling hair with its superb supplies of protein, B vitamins,
vitamin E, iron, and other minerals. Regular use restores thickness,
body, shine and sheen to hair. If you have any infusion left over, pour
it on your head and rub it into your scalp for faster results.
o "Every grey hair represents a day with too few minerals,"a
wise woman said to me. Actually, the color of hair is produced by special
cells which gradually die as we age. But it is true that hair is loaded
with minerals, and getting extra minerals may keep those color cells
alive longer. To increase my mineral intake, and keep my hair healthy,
I eat more yogurt, drink more nourishing herbal infusions, prepare more
mineral-rich soups, use more herbal vinegars, and increase the amount
of seaweed in my diet.
~ Lack of minerals, especially iron, can cause hair loss. Yellow dock
is one of my favorite iron-tonics.
o Natural hair dyes can cure the grey blahs. Henna (Lawsonia inermis)
is a plant that is easily purchased ready-to-use to change the color
of your hair, and you are not limited to carrot-top red. So long as
it is not overused (less than four times a year) henna is strengthening
to the scalp and hair.
o Other natural hair dyes include coffee, black walnut hulls, or infusions
of sage or rosemary herb.
o Herbalist Amanda McQuade Crawford suggests using lemon balm or lemon
grass infusion as a hair rinse to prevent hair loss.
o Burdock seed oil, one of the best selling hair tonics in Russia, is
especially recommended for those with thinning hair or hair loss. Apply
to your hair and scalp, leave on overnight and shampoo it out the following
day. Repeat as needed.
~ Just plain olive oil is also a tremendous hair tonic. So is jojoba
oil. Apply a handful of either to hair and scalp, wrap well and leave
on overnight, washing it out the next morning.
o I know you know, but let me say it again, exercise! Yes, it can make
your hair healthier too.
Step 4. Sedate/Stimulate . . .
~ While some temporary loss of hair at menopause is considered normal,
something worse may be brewing. Thin, dry hair is one of the first signs
of an underactive thyroid. (See page XXX.) Hair loss is also an early
sign of lupus, an autoimmune disease.
o Chugging down a gulp of cod liver oil or wheat germ oil every day
for six weeks could help your hair.
o Menopause sends lots of energy to the crown of your head. That can
overstimulate the scalp and cause hair loss (and/or headaches). Get
your energy moving with a scalp massage. Let your head calm down and
your hair cool off.
o Blow dryers, dyes, perms, and other harsh treatments damage hair and
scalp. Rosemary essential oil, a few drops rubbed into the scalp several
times a week, repairs the damage, increases hair growth, and improves
hair texture.
o Other essential oils which improve hair growth and reduce hair loss
include lavender oil, lemon oil, thyme oil, sage oil, and carrot seed
oil. You can mix 10-20 drops of any of these into 4 ounces of plain
olive oil, infused burdock seed oil, or jojoba oil. Other essential
oils said to reduce hair loss include birch, calendula, chamomile, cypress,
rose, and yarrow.
o Avoid chlorinated water on your hair. A shower filter is more important
than a drinking water filter. And cut down on the number of times you
wash your hair. Once every 5-10 days is ideal for healthy hair.
o Avoid cayenne. Heroic herbalists say it increases hair growth by improving
blood circulation to the scalp. But when there is hair loss, says Janet
Roberts MD, specialist in women's hair loss and member of the Oregon
Menopause Network, there are inflamed follicles. Cayenne increases inflammation,
ultimately increasing hair loss.
Step 5a. Use supplements . . .
o Dry, brittle, thin hair is often due to a deficiency in one or more
of these nutrients: protein, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin C, iron,
zinc, essential fatty acids. Food and herbal sources of these nutrients
are
listed on page XXX and are preferable to pills.
o Avoid hair weaving, a cosmetic treatment that weaves replacement hair
in with the still existing hair; it actually causes more loss (by creating
traction alopecia).
Step 5b. Use drugs . . .
o Hair loss can be caused by drugs, including: birth control pills,
anticoagulants, diet pills, thyroid medications; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs including aspirin, ibuprofen, and Aleve; cholesterol-lowering
drugs such as clofibrate and gemfibrozil; arthritis medications such
as gold salts (auranofin), indomethacin, naproxen, sulindac, and methotrexate;
beta-blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin), metoprolol (Lopressor), nadolol
(Corgard), propranolol (Inderal), and timolol (Blocadren); and ulcer
drugs such as cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac), and famoridine
(Pepcid). And, of course, chemotherapy.
o Minoxidil (Rograine) dilates blood vessels, encouraging baby-fine
hair. Only the 2% solution is approved for women. Of those who use it
only 19 percent achieve even moderate regrowth; 40 percent have minimal
regrowth. Meanwhile, 40 percent of the women using the placebo had regrowth!
CAUTION: Side effects in women include unwanted hair growth on the face,
heart disturbances, and dizziness.
o Fertile women are not allowed to use (or even touch) finasteride (Propecia)
for fear of the severe birth defects it causes. This is probably a blessing
in disguise, as the side-effects (loss of libido, lip swelling, breast
engorgement, birth defects) are not pleasant. Finasteride is completely
ineffective in reversing hair loss for postmenopausal women.
Tell your men friends a dose of .2 mg (one-fifth the normal dose) works
just as well, costs less ($10 a month instead of $50), and is gentler
on the liver.1
o Hormones, including ERT, HRT, birth control pills, and anti-androgens
(cypoterone acetate, spironolactone, and fluramide) are used singly
or in combination to treat women with androgenic alopecia.
Step 6. Break and enter . . .
o Hair transplants can cover a bald spot but are far less successful
on women than on men. Micrografts do a better job of dealing with women's
diffuse pattern of hair loss.
o "Scalp lifts" tighten the scalp, making hair appear thicker
and fuller.
Hirsutism/Too Much Hair
Step 0. Do nothing . . .
o A few brazen souls just grin and bear it. Seriously, does anyone else
notice that extra hair? Ask a few people who will tell you the truth.
Perhaps you are making a mountain (beard/moustache) out of a molehill
(a couple of extra hairs)?
Step 1. Collect information . . .
It is not at all unusual to find extra hairs growing on the chin, upper
lip, breasts, and legs during or after menopause. It is thought that
menopause makes some hair follicles more sensitive to testosterone's
hair-promoting effects. However, sudden hair growth can be caused by
a tumor on the ovaries, thyroid, adrenals, or pituitary.
Step 2. Engage the energy . . .
o Visualize a large mirror. Look at yourself in this mirror. When you
see something you don't like, ask the mirror how you can change. Finish
by telling your image how much you love her. Repeat frequently.
Step 3. Nourish and tonify . . .
o Oatstraw infusion tends to increase the activity of testosterone;
increased levels of testosterone contribute to excess hair growth during
menopause. It's a long shot, but avoiding oats, oatmeal, and oatstraw
infusion may help eliminate or reduce those extra hairs.
Step 4. Sedate/Stimulate . . .
o Natural bleaches, like lemon juice or sunlight (or both together),
are generally safe even for use on the sensitive skin of the face.
o Shaving, plucking, and waxing are minimally invasive means of removing
excess hair. Such means may increase the rate of hair growth, however,
or make the texture of the hair coarser, or cause hair follicle inflammation
and ingrown hairs.
Step 5b. Use drugs . . .
o Hirsutism may be caused by corticosteroids and medications for high
blood pressure. (Rograine was originally a blood pressure drug.)
o Drug treatments - which are 80 percent successful according to one
MD - include the corticosteroids prednisone and dexamethasone. Hormones,
including birth-control pills and anti-androgens such as spironolactone,
are occasionally used.
Step 6. Break and enter . . .
o Electrolysis is expensive, painful, tedious, must be done several
times over, and can cause scarring. Most sources advise against home
electrolysis.
If you liked this excerpt by Susun S.
Weed, you will want
NEW Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way:
Alternative Approaches for Women 30 - 90
by Susun S. Weed
Foreword by Juliette de Bairacli Levy.
304 pages, index, magical illustrations.
Completely revised with 100 new pages. All the remedies women know and trust plus hundreds of new ones. New sections on thyroid health, fibromyalgia, hairy problems, male menopause, and herbs for women taking hormones. Recommended by Susan Love MD and Christiane Northrup MD.
Retails for $27.95
Read Juliette de Levy-Bairacli's introduction:
This
book should be in the hands of every woman, of every race,
no matter
what age, worldwide.
Read some excerpts:
Building Better Bones
Kundalini Meditation
Order New Menopausal Years in our Bookshop
"If this book had not been given to me by a close friend, I would be experiencing menopause in an entirely different manner. The Wise Woman approach to the various and unexpected discomforts and joys of the Change has motivated me to seize this experience to transform my life for the better."
