If your hair feels drier, finer, frizzier, or less predictable than it did a decade ago, you’re not imagining it.
Your hair changes alongside the rest of your body. Hormones shift. Oil production slows. Hair follicles change. Even your nutrition and sun exposure can influence how your hair looks and feels. While you can’t stop every change, understanding what’s happening can help you care for your hair long-term.
1. Hair Structure Changes
Each strand of hair has a follicle (the part underneath your skin that grows and supports the hair) and a shaft (the part above your skin).1 Both change with age and can affect your hair’s thickness, curl pattern, and texture.2 Changes in stem cell production and scalp circulation can also affect hair structure.
Hair Follicle Changes
As you age, your hair follicles may shrink, change shape, and grow fewer hairs.2 They also spend less time growing hair and more time resting and shedding. Your metabolism, or energy production, also slows with age, which may affect your follicles.3
Together, these changes can lead to:42
Changes in curl pattern, such as straight hair becoming wavy or curls loosening
Finer, thinner strands
Less volume and fullness
Slower hair growth and more shedding
Hair that feels dry, rough, or frizzy
Hair Shaft Changes
Your hair shaft is made mostly of keratin, a protein that gives hair strength and shape.1 Years of chemical treatments, heat styling, and sun exposure can wear down the protective outer layer of the hair shaft.5
These changes can make your hair:2
Dull and dry
Less flexible
More likely to tangle, split, or break
Rough or frizzy
How Graying Changes the Structure of Your Hair
Each hair follicle holds stem cells that become either the cells that build the hair strand or melanin, the pigment that gives your hair color.1 As you age, the melanin reserve decreases. When your follicles make less melanin, your hair turns gray, silver, or white.
Because these same stem cells also help build the hair strand, this decline can change your hair texture, too. Gray and white hairs may feel coarse, wiry, stiff, or unruly.2
Changes in Scalp Circulation
Your scalp circulation decreases with age, reducing the blood flow, nutrients, and oxygen to your follicles.1
Hoover E, Alhajj M, Flores JL. Physiology, hair. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2023
This may contribute to slower growth, thinning, shedding, and breakage.3
2. Hormonal Shifts
As you age, your hormone levels rise and fall, and these shifts affect your hair texture.3
Rinaldi F, Trink A, Mondadori G, Giuliani G, Pinto D. The menopausal transition: Is the hair follicle “going through menopause”?.
Female Reproductive Hormones
Estrogen (the primary female reproductive hormone) keeps your hair in its active growth phase, helping your strands grow faster, longer, and thicker.6 When females go through perimenopause and menopause (the end of menstruation), estrogen drops. This can lead to thinner, drier hair; slower growth; and a wider part.3
Androgens
Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are androgens, which are the primary male reproductive hormones. Females make smaller amounts, too. Shifts in androgen levels can shrink your scalp follicles, leading to finer hair on your scalp and coarser hair on your face.
For females in perimenopause and menopause, dropping estrogen can make androgens more dominant. You may notice darker facial hair on your chin and upper lip.6
Stress and Sleep Hormones
Middle age can increase stress and disrupt sleep due to caregiving and busy schedules. Higher stress levels and poor sleep increase cortisol, a stress hormone, which can disrupt your hair growth cycle and contribute to increased shedding.6
3. Less Oil Production
Your hair follicles contain sebaceous (oil) glands.1 As you get older, these glands slow down and produce less sebum, a thick, waxy oil that keeps your hair moisturized, shiny, and soft. With less natural oils to coat your hair shaft, your hair may become:2
Dry or frizzy
Dull, with less shine
Fragile and more prone to breakage
Thin
Other Reasons Your Hair Texture May Change
Aging is not the only thing that affects your hair texture. Other causes include:26
Certain medications and medical treatments, including chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or radiation
Cumulative hair damage from chemical treatments, like hair color, perms, or relaxers5
Excessive brushing, combing, hair washing, blow drying, and heat styling7
Genetics8
Hormone imbalances or thyroid disorders
Nutritional deficiencies, like low biotin, zinc, iron, or vitamin D3
Smoking
Sun exposure
How To Care for Changing Hair Texture as You Age
Here are a few hair care tips to help protect your hair’s strength and shine:910
Wash for your hair type: Wash oily hair more often and dry or curly hair less often to avoid excess dryness.11
Apply conditioner: After washing your hair, apply conditioner to the ends of fine or straight hair and from root to tip on dry or curly hair.
Handle wet hair gently: Consider using a wide-tooth comb to detangle wet hair. Avoid brushing curly hair once it is dry.
Loosen tight styles: Tight ponytails, braids, and extensions can cause hair breakage.
Protect your hair from the sun: Wear a wide-brimmed hat outdoors to shield it from sun exposure.
Turn down the heat: Use the lowest heat setting on styling tools, and apply a heat protectant before using. Air dry when possible.
Diet
Drink plenty of water and eat a balanced diet rich in nutrients that support healthy hair growth, including:12133
B vitamins: Eggs, leafy greens, legumes, nuts, and whole grains
Iron: Beans, lentils, leafy greens, and lean meats
Omega-3 fatty acids: Fatty fish, flaxseed, and walnuts
Protein: Eggs, fish, lean meats, and legumes
Vitamin C: Berries, citrus fruits, peppers, and tomatoes
Vitamin D: Eggs, fatty fish, and fortified dairy products
Zinc: Nuts, seeds, shellfish, and whole grains
When To See a Healthcare Provider
Talk to your primary care provider or dermatologist (a doctor who specializes in conditions of the skin, hair, and nails) if hair texture changes occur along with:2
Fatigue, body aches, or weight changes14
Rapid hair breakage, thinning, or shedding7
Scalp pain, redness, itching, or rash
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