Sacred Shedding: Hair as a Portal in Perimenopause

In my nearly three decades of walking alongside women, witnessing them in their softness, in their becoming—I’ve come to see hair as far more than just something we style. It is our antenna. Our archive. Our crown.

And as we journey through the threshold of perimenopause, our hair often becomes the first whisper of change.

Yet it’s rarely where we place our attention.

So much focus goes toward skin, diet, and body, but the hair and scalp hold a unique reflection of what is stirring within: hormonal shifts, internal depletion, emotional release, the evolution of identity.

This season is not a problem to solve.
It is a rite of passage.

A Portal of Change: What Hair Reveals in Perimenopause

Perimenopause initiates a slow and sacred unraveling. Estrogen and progesterone levels begin to fluctuate, which can affect the hair’s growth cycle, texture, and moisture retention. What was once thick may now feel finer. Curls might drop. Frizz may rise. Dryness often becomes a daily companion.

This isn’t something to fear, this is a signal.
The crown is speaking.

From an Ayurvedic perspective, this is the rise of Vata dosha—the energy of air and ether. Vata governs movement, dryness, and the nervous system. When it increases, as it naturally does during this phase of life, we may notice dryness of the scalp, brittle ends, or shedding that feels more emotional than physical.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, hair is governed by Kidney Jing—our essence and longevity. A woman’s midlife cycle marks a natural decline in Jing, which reflects outwardly through the hair and skin. The call here is for nourishment—not just of body, but of spirit.

German New Medicine (GNM) offers a psychosomatic perspective, suggesting that hair loss may be linked to unresolved emotional conflicts, particularly feelings of separation or loss .​

Energetic Shedding: The Invitation Beneath the Surface

Hair loss or change isn’t just about what’s on the head, it’s what’s happening in the heart.

I’ve witnessed it again and again in ceremony, in the studio chair, in my own mirror. There’s a sacred unraveling taking place. A letting go of outdated identities. Of younger versions of self. Of people-pleasing patterns. Of the woman who once had to hold it all together.

Hair sheds... and so too does the weight.

This isn’t decay.
It’s rebirth.
It’s the slow and holy re-weaving of a new version of you.

Crown Rituals: Reclaiming the Sacred in the Everyday

In this time of transition, your hair asks for devotion, not perfection.

At Aiya Inanna, I created our Hair & Scalp Elixir as a way to support this sacred crown. A ritual blend of nourishing oils, infused with intention, frequency, and plant wisdom. It softens the brittleness, calms inflammation, and brings you into communion with your own body.

Each application is an invitation to return to yourself.

✨ Warm the elixir between your palms
✨ Massage gently into the scalp with reverence
✨ Comb or brush slowly, strand by strand
✨ Breathe… listen… honor

Brushing your hair becomes ceremony.
A moment to reflect.
To acknowledge the journey thus far.
To honor your wisdom, your grief, your laughter, your stretch marks, your softness.

This Season As A Portal

Perimenopause is a bridge, not an ending. And your hair is the thread that weaves you through.

It teaches you to soften.
To slow.
To let go of urgency and meet yourself with more compassion.

More grace.
More wisdom.
More life experience in your bones and your breath.

Let your hair be a messenger. Let the dryness guide you toward nourishment.

Let the shedding be a symbol of surrender.

Let the ritual be the balm.

You are not losing your beauty.
You are simply learning to see it through new eyes.

And if you’re walking this path, I’m here, holding space for your transformation, honoring the cycles within your crown, and offering tools that bring you back to your essence.

With love,
Anna-Lisa Siefken | Aiya Inanna - Sacred Transformations