Bad news, ladies… as we get older our hair is going to change. Even if you were blessed with bountiful locks as a teen, you may find your hair has become finer, thinner and drier. Thank goodness help is at hand!
Especially after menopause, you might find that your hair is much drier. This is as a result of your scalp not producing as much sebum as it did when you were younger. Dry hair tends to look dull and loses its shine. Try using a product containing Argan oil like Avon’s Advance Techniques 360 Moroccan Argan Oil Leave-in Treatment or Moroccan Argan Oil to replenish dry hair and bring on the shine.
Always use a heat-protective spray when blow-drying or using your GHD. We love GHD’s heat protect spray and Gliss’s Total Repair Heat Protection Spray. To straighten out kinks and add shine, while protecting your hair from the heat, why not try VO5’s Smoothly Does It Straightening Balm with heat defence. Try and also limit heat styling to just a few times a week if you can get away with it, and do cut down on chemical treatments, which can damage your already fragile hair.
Our grannies all used to give their hair 100 strokes with the brush every evening, but did you know that this can also cause damage? Keep brushing to the minimum and make sure you invest in a good boar bristle brush to reduce the friction on your hair.
Hair gets thinner due to a variety of reasons like stress or pregnancy or even immune imbalances. Obviously, if hair loss is due to pregnancy then this will sort itself out over time. I was horrified after I had my first child to discover clumps (literally clumps!!) of hair in the shower drain one morning, but over a period of months, the hair loss got less and less, and was only really noticeable along my hairline as the new little hairs started springing up. My hubby would “charmingly” refer to them as my tentacles. If hair loss is due to stress or immune problems, then the root of the problem needs to be addressed.
Fifty percent of women will also suffer from female pattern baldness as they get older. Eek! Its true! It’s not only men who have to worry about hair loss as they age. Female pattern baldness is a genetic condition and is hormone related, so speak to your doctor if you think you may be suffering from this. There are also products that can address the problem of thinning hair. Look for keratin enriched shampoos like Paul Mitchell’s Awapuhi range. Nioxin has a variety of excellent products specifically to target thinning hair. Their products are pricey, but totally worth it.
You can also help prevent damage to hair that has started to become more brittle over time, by treating your hair with a little more TLC. Avoid pulling your hair back in tight ponies, even if this makes your forehead look less wrinkly! Avoid tight braids and weaves. Ditch the diets and rather opt for a healthy eating plan and more exercise if you are trying to lose weight. Eat lots of high protein foods like chicken and fish, and make sure to include foods containing omega 3s like salmon, nuts and seeds in your diet as well.
Get a good haircut. You don’t have to go shorter as you get older. Do what suits you and your lifestyle. Look at changing your hair colour to take years off your face. If you rocked platinum locks back in the day, try adding a few caramel highlights to soften your look and flatter your features. Raven-haired ladies could try opting for warmer tones as black can be a bit too severe as you get older.
I hope these tips have been helpful. Please add any tips of your own. I would love to hear them!
Article by: Maryanne Young