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Free radicals and genetics play a part in how your hair ages, but these products can help.
Start Slideshow Credit: Getty / Simon Winnall
Everyone wants to age gracefully—and we know how to do it. Follow along with Live Well for beauty tips, exercise routines, and lifestyle changes to make as the years go by. Together, they’ll make aging simple, which gives you more time to embrace each moment.
No matter how old you are, your hair ages a little bit each day. We have free radical exposure (which is a scientific term for the cell-damaging, unstable atoms in our environment) to thank for that. The good news is that there are steps you can take now to slow the process down. The secret? In order to keep your hair strong, healthy, and shiny for longer, multiple experts explain, you need to change your hair care habits in your 30s, which allows you to get ahead of these changes.
And while we can’t fight time—and don’t necessarily want to!—there are multiple ways to protect your hair for as long as you possibly can. According to Heather Butterworth, an Affinage Salon Professional and National Artistic Educator, this includes using products with anti-aging properties and keeping up with regular visits to your salon. “Trimming your hair every six to eight weeks helps to keep ends looking fresh, plus, the extra attention to your scalp during a luxury shampoo doesn’t hurt, either,” she says.
“These regular visits are also important in terms of building a relationship with a professional stylist who can help you to monitor changes in your hair and make recommendations to ease the process,” she notes. You have many things to consider as your hair ages, like whether you want to embrace your changing color, how to style gray hair (which could become more coarse or fine over time), and what you can do to mitigate thinning strands. Having a trusted expert with you to guide you through them makes the journey less daunting.
Depending on these specific concerns, your stylist might recommend one of these age-defying (and in some cases, age-enhancing) products to help you achieve a look that you will continue to love, year after year.
Foam Treatment
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If you’re looking for a treatment to restore some of that strength your hair might lose over time, this is the one you want. Nourishing to both your hair and scalp, this option will add bounce and moisture back to weak or damaged strands.
Shop Now: Alterna “Caviar” Anti-Aging Multiplying Volume Styling Mousse, $30, dermstore.com.
Plumping Serum
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This plumping serum uses hyaluronic acid to moisturize dry strands and protect from further loss of hydration.
Shop Now: Phyto Phytodensia Plumping Serum, $40, dermstore.com.
Illuminating Treatment Mask
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Brighten and illuminate your gray and white tresses with this treatment. The blue-and-silver pigments blended into the formula remove the dull yellow tones that overtake these hair colors over time—it restores your mane’s natural brilliance, too.
Shop Now: Oribe Silverati Illuminating Treatment Masque, $63, dermstore.com.
Peptide Serum
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Use this serum to bolster your hair’s thickness and moisture levels. The formula’s calming ingredients also combat flaky scalps.
Shop Now: The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density, $17.90, sephora.com.
Bond Repair Shampoo
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This restoring shampoo’s gentle formula cleans your hair while reinforcing the surface to reduce breakage and split ends. The best part? It’s paraben-, sulfate-, and phthanlate-free.
Shop Now: Alterna “Caviar” Anti-Aging Restructuring Bond Repair Shampoo, $34, sephora.com.
Conditioning Water
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Use this mist after the shower for an extra layer of moisture (it’s the ultimate choice if your hair is too fine or delicate for an in-shower conditioner). Plus, the water-based formula is light as air, and keeps your hair bouncy and soft.
Shop Now: Philip B Weightless Conditioning Water, $22, spacenk.com.
Thickening Treatment
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This product helps thinning hair by bulking up the diameter of your strands with vitamin B3, panthenol, and caffeine.
Shop Now: Pantene Pro-V Expert Collection AgeDefy Advanced Hair Thickening Treatment, $20.93 for set of three, jet.com.
Scalp Detox
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You can eliminate some of the buildup your scalp accumulates over time—and, therefore, stimulate hair growth—with this scalp detox, which should be used once every week.
Shop Now: Act+Acre Cold Processed Scalp Detox, $42, actandacre.com.
A New Regimen
Credit: Courtesy of Aveda
Searching for a new hair-care regimen? Look no further than Aveda’s Invati Advanced System. This package contains a shampoo, conditioner, and scalp revitalizer, all of which are designed to support aging, thinning hair.
Shop Now: Aveda Invati Advanced System, $135, aveda.com.
Supplements
Credit: Courtesy of Nutrafol
Stop shedding in its tracks and improve hair growth with this effective supplement. The formula promises to bring shine back to dull and lifeless hair, as well.
Shop Now: Nutrafol Women, $79 for a one-month supply, nutrafol.com.
