I grew up with thick, lush hair – and a lot of it, the kind that could barely be contained in an elastic. I was the only child in my family who was born with any hair at all, and it was a huge dark swatch on top….a newborn with bangs! My mom was sure I was not her baby. I’ve had a couple cowlicks all my life, like the swirl at my crown that requires monitoring and the occasional comb-over, or the hair at my nape that grows up before it comes back down (a real challenge to manage with short hair). I must have had hundreds of hairstyles over the years. I’ve always had the luxury of a lot of hair that grows on average 1-1.5” per month. Back in the 80s when perms were in style, I found my hair took to perms quickly….I mean, “holy cow, what the hell happened to your hair” quickly. There was a razor fine line between body wave and full-on, dandelion-like helmet-head…and I’ve had my share of those (thank you, mom).
“The Change”
And then came menopause. The cowlick that was once a small swirl on my crown is now a full-blow part down the back of my head that requires curling, back-combing, hair wax, and heavy duty hairspray. Then, before heading out, I do a few quick prayers to the hair gods that it’s not windy and it doesn’t rain. Where I once had thick bangs, I now have a receding hairline and thinning bangs. And the texture…don’t get me going on the texture. Stick strait and flatter than a platter. It won’t hold a curl, and fries easily even with a tepid flat or curling iron. My best opportunity for great hair days is the first two weeks after getting it professionally colored, which, because of how quickly my hair grows, is an expensive every-four-weeks ordeal.
The irony of this whole deal? Thanks to menopause and the lovely hormonal whack-job that comes along with it, I have hair sprouting in places it shouldn’t. It’s a daily battle to ensure I keep my sprouts under control and don’t frighten the little ones. Although, if I let things go it’s great for Halloween…One scary witch, coming right up! And that, my friends, is Menopause…without the Pause.
