How Hormones Affect Your Hair (And What To Do About It)
If your hair has suddenly become thinner, oilier, drier, flatter, or more prone to shedding without you
changing a single product, hormones are often the reason why.
Hormonal changes affect the hair growth cycle, scalp oil production, thickness, and even texture. For many
women, these changes happen gradually during life stages like puberty, pregnancy, post-partum, coming
off contraception, stress, or perimenopause.
The problem? Most people blame their shampoo. Understanding how hormones impact your hair is the first
step to fixing it, without overloading your routine or using the wrong products.
The Link Between Hormones and Your Hair?
Your hair grows in a cycle: growth, rest, and shedding. Hormones control how long each of these stages
lasts.
When hormones fluctuate, this cycle becomes disrupted. Hair can start shedding faster, growing back finer,
or becoming oilier or drier depending on which hormones are changing. The main hormonal culprits behind
hair changes are:
- Oestrogen
- Progesterone
- Testosterone (and androgens)
- Cortisol (stress hormone)
- Thyroid hormones
Each one influences your scalp and strands differently.
Oestrogen: The Hormone Behind Thick, Glossy Hair
Oestrogen keeps hair in the growth phase for longer. This is why many women notice thicker, shinier hair
during pregnancy when oestrogen levels are high.
When oestrogen drops (post-partum, coming off the pill, perimenopause), hair can suddenly feel thinner
and shed more than usual. Gentle, strengthening shampoos, scalp stimulation and lightweight nourishing
treatments that don’t weigh the hair down, all help.
Strengthening shampoos such as Olaplex No.4 Bond maintenance Shampoo and a good scalp treatment
like Color Wow Youth Juice Collagen Scalp Treatment helps to stimulate collagen in the scalp to promote
new healthy hair.
Androgens: Why Hair Can Become Oily and Thinner
Higher levels of androgens (male hormones present in women too) can shrink hair follicles over time. This
often leads to: Greasier roots, thinner strands, hairline thinning and increased shedding. This is common
with stress, PCOS, and hormonal imbalance.
What to and what helps this:
- Clarifying the scalp without stripping it
- Keeping follicles clear of build up
- Balancing oil production
Using a Clarifying shampoo such as Olaplex No.4C Clarifying Shampoo or K18’s Biometric Hairscience
Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo will help keep the scalp clean and free from aggressors that contribute to
product build up in the hair.
Cortisol (Stress): The Silent Cause of Hair Shedding
High stress levels push more hairs into the shedding phase. This is called telogen effluvium, and it often
appears 6–12 weeks after a stressful period. In this phase you might notice excess hair in the shower, thinner
ponytail and hair not growing as quickly.
To help this issue you can give yourself a scalp massage to increase blood flow, use nourishing hair oils and
avoid tight hairstyles and breakage to help reduce the loss of hair.
Using a really nourishing hair oil such as the Redken All Soft Argan-6 Oil deeply conditions the hair and is
designed to replenish lost moisture, smooth frizz, add shine and improve manageability. Leaving hair feeling
silky, supple and visibly healthier.
Thyroid Hormones: Why Hair Can Become Dry and Brittle
Thyroid imbalances often cause hair to feel coarse, dry, and fragile. Hair may lose its shine and elasticity,
and break more easily. To help this, your hair needs deep hydration, think repairing conditioners, hair masks
and leave-in treatments to increase hair health and shine.
Shop Farae favourites hydrating conditioner such as Redken All Soft Conditioner and our favourite LeaveIn Conditioner Color Wow Money Mist to help with dry and brittle hair.
Post-Partum Hair Loss: What’s Actually Happening
After pregnancy, oestrogen levels drop back to normal. All the hair that stayed in the growth phase during
pregnancy sheds at once. This can feel alarming, but it’s temporary.
Avoiding panic cutting or over washing, focusing on supporting regrowth with scalp care and using
volumising products to disguise thinning all help in reducing the risk of hair loss. We recommend using
Color Wow Raise The Root to give your roots the extra lift they need.
Perimenopause and Menopause: Why Hair Changes Texture
As oestrogen declines, hair often becomes finer, drier, more frizzy and less dense. This is when many women
feel like their hair has “changed completely”.
To help prevent this, use smoothing and anti-frizz products with lightweight hydration and strengthening
treatments.
Shop our favourite treatments to keep you hair frizz free. Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray and
K18 Biometric Hairscience Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask
The Biggest Mistake People Make
When hair changes, most people switch shampoos repeatedly, thinking the product is the issue.
But if hormones are the cause, the solution isn’t changing everything it’s adjusting your routine to support
what your hair now needs.
Think more scalp care, less over washing, more hydration and less tension styling.
A Simple Hormone Friendly Hair Routine
- Cleanse gently with a strengthening or clarifying shampoo
- Use a hydrating conditioner focused on the ends
- Apply a scalp serum or oil regularly
- Use a leave-in to protect and hydrate
- Avoid tight hairstyles that cause stress on follicles
Hair changes can feel frustrating, especially when they happen suddenly and without explanation. But in
many cases, your hair isn’t damaged it’s responding to what’s happening inside your body.
By understanding how hormones affect your scalp and strands, you can stop guessing, stop overloading
your routine, and start using the right products that actually support your hair through every life stage.
Because great hair isn’t just about what you put on it, it’s about understanding what it’s going through.
Click here to shop all our haircare products to build the perfect routine for healthy and strong hair.