Almost all the women around the world have to deal with menstruation for a certain period in their lives. Be it the tolerable aches or those intolerable cramps, there is nothing that can help us not get our monthly cycles disappear all of a sudden. While we are in the belief that our PMS and periods happen just once a month, the reality has something else to say. Women, after they start menstruating in their lives, are constantly dealing with hormonal flux and are affected both in the inside and the outside and from their heads to their toes all throughout the month.
Menstrual cycle has proved to affect both our skin and hair to a great extent. In some cases, it has been found that hormonal fluctuations during a menstrual cycle can directly and indirectly affect the scalp and the hair of a woman. There are tricks that we can follow to ensure that our hair is in its best health no matter what time of the month it is.
Post-Period Hair Care
During your final days of your period and until the next week, you often tend to feel that you look your best. This is because, in these days, your estrogen levels start increasing and the testosterone, which is responsible for oil production, decreases. This works great for your skin as you experience less sebum buildup and your complexion looks clearer. However, this doesn’t work great with your hair as less production of oil in the scalp results in the overall drying of your hair. You tend to struggle more with a dry scalp and dry hair during these days.
It is recommended that you condition your hair more in your post-period phase of the month and during your final days of the menses. Wash your hair less often and get deep-conditioning done during these days. To maintain the vibrancy of your hair, use a hair serum on the hair-ends during this phase.
Ovulation Hair Care
Ovulation generally starts about 14 days before your period begins, and this is the time when the egg makes all its way out from the ovary through the Fallopian tube and into the uterus. This is the time when the body produces a lot of estrogen in the body and triggers the secretion of LH, the luteinizing hormone. This hormone slightly increases the oil production in the body which is a good sign for your scalp. Although the high estrogen and low testosterone levels prevents the production of too much oil and prevents excess sebum buildup, the LH lets the hair get a little extra oil and this results in a very healthy scalp and beautiful hair.
Care for your hair by washing and conditioning gently as the senses are quite active during this period. Intensive scrubbing of the hair during ovulation might leave the scalp overworked.
Pre-Menstrual Hair Care
During the pre-menstrual days, if fertilization doesn’t happen, the body undergoes abrupt shifts in hormonal secretion. The estrogen levels decrease, and the testosterone and progesterone levels increase a lot a week before your period. This leads to an increase in the production of oil in the skin and scalp. The hair, as a result looks and feels oily as well.
Use a dry shampoo during these days and take care of your hair. It has also been found that these are the best days for dyeing your hair.
Period Hair Care
During your period, the estrogen levels go terribly low and the progesterone and testosterone levels are the highest. You feel lethargic and the hair looks oilier and lusterless than any of the other phases. These days, keep using the dry shampoo to keep the excessive oil out of your scalp and hair. Pamper yourself with cramp-relieving tea, a bubble bath, and a lot of rest. Avoid any kind of hair appointments that were scheduled for chemical straightening, big dye jobs, hair extensions, etc. During your period, keep yourself relaxed and let the dry shampoo work on your scalp and hair rather than getting any heavy hairdos.
