My hair changed completely in perimenopause – and not in the way I expected

I’ve often been mistaken for an Italian due to my thick brunette hair. As I turned 40, I was therefore fully briefed on the best root touch-ups, vitamin supplements and keratin treatments to help my ageing locks retain their Mediterranean sheen. But I was completely unprepared when my resolutely straight long bob started changing texture with curls gradually appearing as it grew.

I had no idea what could be causing this sudden and very noticeable hair transformation. Where brushing my hair used to increase its shine and gloss, the reverse became true. My Moana mane now exploded into frizz at one stroke of a brush and over the following year, it became harder and harder to control.

I could no longer get away with a low maintenance routine. With two young daughters and time for personal grooming at a premium, initially I defaulted to the tried-and-tested, get-it-all-out-of-the-way messy bun to avoid having to confront the mess at the back of my head. On the rare occasions that I could find time for a proper pamper session, blow-dries just became a waste of time. Even after 30 minutes with a 2000-watt dryer, any briefly tamed section would bounce back into curls within the hour.

© Ellie Fennell

I hoped the change was just a temporary blip, but as the months passed, my new-found curls only gained in volume. A conversation with friend (and menopause medic) Dr Amanda Gemmill revealed it was yet another peri-menopausal ‘gift’.

While I’d been on the look-out for greys and thinning temples, I had no idea hormone changes can also change the shape of your follicles - the cause of my texture transformation. If they change from being circle-shaped, which produces straight hair, to oval-shaped follicles then your hair becomes curly.

Consultant Trichologist Susie Hammond, MIT MRSPH at Philip Kingsley Trichology Clinics explains. "We gradually lose collagen in the skin as we age," she says. "When the skin is less elastic this can result in less support for the hair follicle resulting in a change in shape, causing the hair it produces to be a different shape too. I often hear patients reporting that their hair has become curlier as they’ve gone through menopause."

© Ellie Fennell

Now I understood what had happened and that the curls were here for good, I signed up for a fascinating two hour ‘Curl Education’ session with curly hair guru Ester Hunter from @LunaCurlStudio. It’s not only perimenopausal skin that needs moisturising – apparently hydration was also the key to my midlife curl care: "Curly hair needs moisture over products. Think 80% water to 20% products. Curly hair tends to be naturally drier than straight as we brush it less, so our natural oils aren’t regularly spread from the scalp downwards to coat the hair strands."

To make the curls truly bounce, it was time to dig deep in my drawer of discarded styling tools and whip out the diffuser. Realising I should give up fighting with my hair’s natural wave and spending hours trying to straighten it, I learnt that a diffuser spreads the air evenly and slowly which helps gently to dry the hair while encouraging its natural curl pattern to form. 

I also found a good mousse and curling jelly to help the curls stay in place for a few days — although an unexpected game changer in keeping frizz at bay was the introduction of a silk sleep bonnet. Unbeknownst to me, curls hate to be rubbed against pillows and will repay you by being even more unruly and knotted come the morning, so I now sleep in a slinky anti-bed head hair wrap. It’s certainly ‘a look’ (imagine a silky shower cap) but it is effective in prolonging shine. 

© Ellie Fennell

Having learnt to love my menopausal mane, I now swap between a wavy blow dry (the poker straight days have long gone) and natural curly days. I love how my hair can now look so different without a huge amount of effort and holidays have become much easier - high humidity turns out to be my curly hair’s best friend leaving more time for sundowners.

Looking back, I’m so happy I eventually chose to embrace my curls. If perimenopause has taught me anything, it’s that some changes aren’t problems to be solved, but simply new realities to work with - curls included.