They say a woman’s hair is literally her crowning glory, and we feel that sentiment every day. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of swinging your shiny locks on the way out of the salon. Or waking up to a kickass hair day. Now here’s the big question: What exactly is going on with our mane? What happens with aging hair?
Help! My Hair Is Getting Old! What Can I Do About It?
We can accept that hair colour and texture changes over time. But why does it happen? If we understand what’s at the root of hair changes, we can do something about it. We’re going beyond the obvious here, like grey roots and frizzies, and asking our hair experts, Bernard Hill, North America Hair Care Senior Technical Manager of Henkel (the parent company of our beloved Schwarzkopf), and Olivia Colacci, Hairstylist + Founder of Twentyseven Toronto, to share some hair wisdom.
As we get older, our bodies shift in chemical makeup due to hormones, genetics, stress and lifestyle. Our hair is not immune to the process. The scalp tends to produce less fatty acid and sebum (oil), making the hair dryer and less elastic. There is also a reduction in keratin proteins, which the hair is made up of, making the strands weaker. The melanin—the colour— decreases in the hair shaft causing it to look grey. These hairs tend to be coarser and more unruly than pigmented hair.
Here are 4 ways a woman’s hair changes over 40—and what to do about it.
Hair Change 1: Dullness, Lack of Shine
The Problem: As women age, their hair can lose shine and start to look dull. This is often related to over-processing their hair when trying to cover greys; they continue to deposit colour into the cuticle, over and over, leaving little room for shine to reflect.
The Fix: Stop over-processing and start nourishing.
The Step-by-Step:
- For over-processed and damaged hair, try the GLISS Hair Repair line of shampoos, conditioners and treatments with the repairing benefits of liquid keratin.
- To cover your greys, try hair colour that’s designed to protect your hair like the Schwarzkopf Keratin Color line. This line is especially helpful if you colour your hair at home because it has a great pre-colour serum to hydrate dry ends and ensure an even colour result from root to tip.
Hair Change 2: Grey Hair
The Problem: When grey hair grows in, the texture of the hair changes. Grey hairs tend to grow in with more of a wiry texture that often causes the hairs to stick straight up from the scalp, making them more noticeable.
The Fix: Covering your greys makes them less noticeable even if they are wiry.
The Step-by-Step:
- If you colour your hair at home, try the Schwarzkopf Keratin Color line for 100% grey coverage and even colour results from root to tip
- In between colouring, Schwarzkopf has a new Root Retoucher that’s super easy to use at home with no mess: just spray it on your greys and it dries in 30 seconds.
Hair Change 3: Thinning Hair, Hair Loss
The Problem: Many women complain about loss of volume and fullness due to thinning hair.
The Fix: With less or thinning hair, don’t use a lot of styling product as it may weigh down your hair.
The Step-by-Step:
- A lightweight volume-boosting product like the GLISS Extra Volume Lift-Up Spray can give you some extra bounce and lift from the root. It can be applied on dry hair or on damp hair before styling and doesn’t weigh your hair down.
- Blow dry your hair upside-down to get the most volume out of your hair.
Hair Change 4: Hormonal Changes
The Problem: Women with children often find their hair changed after pregnancy; for instance, stick-straight hair may get a bit of a wave, and curly hair may go more limp.
The Fix: Be open to trying a different set of styling techniques and products than you used in your pre-mom years! Your stylist knows your hair best and can help you by making some great recommendations and tips for your personal hair concerns.
The Step-by-Step:
The following products can help replenish keratin:
- The GLISS Ultimate Repair collection includes shampoo, conditioner and a leave-in Express Repair Conditioner. These products have been designed specifically to repair hair in need of attention and to replace lost keratin.
- For those who want to colour their hair or cover greys, Schwarzkopf Keratin Color intense caring colour with K-Bond-Plex™ provides 100% grey coverage with professional quality colour results, in addition to addressing the struggles of aging hair.
- As a quick touch-up for grey roots, try the Schwarzkopf Root Retoucher to camouflage greys in seconds.
Although we were compensated for this post, all opinions, as usual, are ours.
