10 Tips For Keeping Your Hair Healthy And Happy After Age 50
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Creams, injections and of course going under the knife can trim years off your appearance.
But believe it or not, so can the right haircut. Nowadays, styles don't just stop the clock -- they turn it way back.
Here are 10 tips for keeping your hair healthy and happy after age 50, courtesy of Salon Blue Artistic Director Lisa Abbey.
1) Keep it nourished! Our younger generation clients care more about healthy hair – and it shows! In addition to eating a well-balanced diet, both Biotin and Niacin are important for hair and nail health. Vitamin stores sell over-the-counter hair & nail supplements that really work.
Tip: Get a hair treatment regularly. Everything we do to our hair (coloring & chemical straightening, products, heat tools & sun exposure) dries out the hair. Feed its need for inner moisture with a treatment ritual at least every other haircut or color service.
2) Go for the shine! Young-looking hair has lots of natural shine. To keep your hair looking shiny & vibrant get a color gloss at least every other time you do your roots – colored hair fades, resulting in dry, dull & lifeless-looking locks. Color gloss refreshes the color, seals the ends for a healthier look and adds tons of light-reflecting shine.
Tip: avoid dulling hair products like mousse and aerosol sprays-they have too much alcohol which dries out the hair and adds a matte finish. Update your products: stick with a light volumizing spray (at the roots only) and a drop of serum for shine, and/or pomade or light wax for hold.
3) Keep it current! Nothing dates your look like wearing the same hairstyle you did in your thirties and forties. (You wouldn't do it with your clothing or shoe style, either).Women get too comfortable with an 'easy' hairstyle and are afraid to embrace change if it means they may have to work at their hair, but the right hairstyle for your hair type & texture should fall into place with minimum effort.
Tip: Talk to your stylist about options that will freshen up your look and fit into your lifestyle!
4) Go fuller & softer! Soft volume and styling full on the sides or toward the face rather than away is more flattering – severe styling or away from the face highlights every fine line.
Tip: Try Velcro rollers for quick and easy volume! After blow styling with a volume spray, pop the rollers in, lightly spray with a setting mist at the root and let set for 15-20 minutes. Remove and fluff.
5) Keep it moving! Stiff or flat hair is an aging no-no. Texture and layers add youthful movement. Shorter layers around the face & hairline fill-in the areas women naturally thin as they age.
Tip: Razor and texturizing haircuts add soft, natural looking volume and flatter the face.
6) Go shorter (or short!) As hair ages, it gets wispier and thinner on the ends. Even if you like to wear your hair longer (and it's healthy enough to do so) keep those ends trimmed every 6 weeks! Shorter layers around the face & short hair are super flattering, and easier to manage if you're short on styling time.
Tip: for really fine hair, try a shorter and 'stacked' blunt cut to help hair look thicker.
7) Keep away from the middle! Avoid a middle part, which accentuates vertical lines in the face (forehead 11's, marionette lines around the mouth and nose). Wear a style with no part, an offset part or to the side for a more flattering, youthful look.
Tip: Adding full bangs or a side-swept bang or fringe is an easy styling solution. Full bangs work best to hide deeper horizontal forehead wrinkles.
8) Go lighter & brighter! (and & disguise that grey while you're at it!). It's not a mid-wives tale that you should go lighter as you age – in most cases, too-dark hair color truly ages and makes the skin look garish. Unless you have deep olive skin (which looks great with both black and all-white!) you should soften your color (and the regrowth line that comes along with it). Blondes and lighter browns can brighten up with a few strategically placed highlights around the face & part line; darker shades should think rich chocolate or soft cocoa browns.
Tip: Keep it your secret by retouching the roots every 3-4 weeks.
9) Keep it dimensional! There's no way around it; no matter what they promise, one-box over-the-counter hair colors are flat and unnatural looking. Having professional coloring services helps add dimension and shading, just like natural healthy hair has.
Tip: Ask your colorist to use two (or even three) shades in your formula, and get highlights or lowlights at least every third visit to keep the dimension fresh through the ends.
10) Keep it fresh! Product laden, slept on hair can also look dull, lifeless and old. Hair should be shampooed lightly every day if your scalp is super-oily; every 2nd or 3rd day is the rule of thumb for healthy hair and normal scalp conditions. If your ends are dry, avoid the shampoo, and simply rinse well & recondition every other time.
Tip: Try a sulfate-free shampoo to keep hair fresh without stripping the natural oils.
**Bonus Makeup Tips:
Stay Mineral! Mineral makeup reflects light rather than absorbing it, making your skin look brighter and less made up.
Go bronze! Keeping your skin lightly (and safely) bronzed minimizes the amount of makeup you'll need to apply! Use a light spray bronzer (sprays are better than creams to avoid streaks and unnatural tones) every 2-3 days. We love DEX New York's 'Body Glow' DHA mist formula best!
Keep it Dewy! Stay away from heavy foundation and powdery makeup – moisturized, lightly bronzed skin w/light eyes and sheer lips is an instant youth-ifier!
Fore more information on hairstyles that will make you look younger, check out http://www.visitblue.com/.
