Loose Women star Ruth Langsford had all her hair extensions taken out this week and uploaded a video to her one million Instagram followers in which she revealed her “real” hair.
She took the removal as an opportunity to develop a talking point that came up on Loose Women on Tuesday: hair loss.
Following her separation from husband Eamonn Holmes, Ruth has been adapting to the single life. Meanwhile, Eamonn has reportedly moved on with Katie Alexander.
Ruth Langsford reveals ‘real’ hair and talks menopause
“You can see it’s shorter and thinner,” she says in a video, holding up a cross-section of her hair. “A lot thinner here.”
“That’s why I have [the extensions] – not particularly for length, but for a bit of thickness. My hair has got thinner during menopause.”
Thinning hair is a common symptom of menopause. Understandably, it can cause distress, especially if it happens more severely.
Women’s Health Concern, a women’s health nonprofit based in Marlow, writes that it’s “very common” for the “volume and condition” of the hair to “appear to worsen” during menopause.
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Some women notice that hair doesn’t grow back as much as before and “hair brushes soon fill up” with the thinning hair.
My hair has got thinner during menopause.
Loose Women favourite Ruth’s “real” hair is totally normal for a woman of 64. The average age of menopause is around 50.
“That’s it unadulterated,” Ruth says in the Instagram post. “Quite fine. But I am having my extensions put back in tomorrow, so watch this space.”
Ruth on Instagram
How one chooses to present themselves is their choice and needn’t have anything to do with how other people perceive them.
However, for people such as Ruth, who are in the public eye everyday, public perception probably matters, if only a little.
Fans have been commenting their thoughts on her video. Some prefer her hair with the extensions, while some prefer it without them.
“Your hair – only in my opinion – looks much nicer without them,” wrote one.
“I love your hair with extensions best,” another commented. “They make you look more youthful. But it is still lovely without [them].”
A third wrote: “It looks great either way, but my worry is will constantly having extensions put in and taken out make my hair loss worse.”
On this point, the American Academy of Dermatology Association says wearing a weave or extensions “can damage your natural hair,” adding that it can “even cause hair loss if proper precautions and care are not taken”.
Let’s hope Ruth is taking the necessary precautions so as not to damage her hair!
So, what do you think of Ruth’s “real” hair – do you prefer it with or without the extensions? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.