“Conversations about menopause are generating more buzz": Personal stylist on tackling thinning hair

As a personal stylist, making others look and feel their best is at the heart of Kerry’s job, so when menopause started to make it harder for her to find that feeling herself, she knew she needed to make some changes to get her old spark back. 

The 50-year-old from East Preston in West Sussex knew menopause was inevitable – she just didn’t realise it would have such a big impact on her hair. Through perimenopause and into menopause, Kerry has experienced hair thinning, breakages and split-ends, and feels her hair just doesn’t grow like it used to.

She said: “I didn’t think much about it until I started experiencing it. Most people think menopause is just a hot flush every now and again, but it affects so much more. Your brain, your mood, your hair – it impacts every area of your body, and that can have massive implications for your confidence. Your old hair routines no longer deliver the same results, and you feel a little lost.”

Like all women in their 50s, Kerry’s hair has been through all the ups and downs of hormonal changes. In her case, this began in adolescence, spanned pregnancies in her twenties, all the way through perimenopause and menopause. While she misses the length and resilience her hair used to have, Kerry quickly learned that with some extra TLC, menopausal hair can shine just as much as it used to.  

Kerry’s menopausal hair education began by using the Temperature Calculator from hair care experts, Cloud Nine - a recently launched tool that promotes a bespoke approach to healthy hair styling. With just a few questions about her hair type, colour, texture, and styling habits, she found the ideal heat setting for her styling tool to maintain her hair condition.

Kerry said: “I didn’t even realise I was using my products at such a high temperature – I was a switch-on-and-go kind of heated tool user. I don’t think many women are aware of the negative effects their styling temperature is having, or that they may need to adapt it with age and hormonal changes.

“When I tried the Cloud Nine Temperature Calculator, I was so surprised to learn that I really needed to lower the temperature on my tools. It’s such a valuable reminder to look after your hair because the healthier it looks and feels, the better you’ll feel as well.”

Kerry is now proudly representing the menopausal hair journey in her role as one of Frankie’s Nine – a partnership between Cloud Nine and style icon Frankie Bridge in which nine unique and inspirational people from across the nation are sharing their hair journeys to inspire others to be more confident and find their unstoppable.

Kerry said: “Feeling my best comes from looking my best. When I’ve done my hair and makeup, then I feel good about myself. In my case, feeling unstoppable wasn’t about just carrying on as usual, it was about taking a minute to reassess my hair’s condition, and adapt to its new needs.” 

While Kerry now has a wealth of menopausal hair knowledge to help her, she wants all women going through hormonal changes to have access to the same education. She said: “Conversations about menopause are generating more buzz, but you rarely hear anyone talk about the ramifications for your hair.

“While hair changes may seem trivial compared to some of the other symptoms of menopause, as a stylist, I see that hair is at the centre of many women’s self-confidence. Watching it change before your eyes can be stressful, so raising awareness of why this happens and how women can change their approaches to styling to combat it is so valuable. 

“There are a lot of people struggling with menopause so it would be nice if there were more people talking about it and more advice for women trying to style menopausal hair."