10 Signs Your Hair Is Aging
We know that aging is inevitable, but we might not know the signs of aging hair and what we should look out for. If you've noticed some not-so-subtle changes in your hair color, texture or general manageability at midlife, these might be signs of aging hair. Optimal hair care in your 30s, 40s and beyond will look different than in your teens and 20s because your hair has different needs and concerns as it ages.
At Better Not Younger, our entire focus is hair care for aging hair, no matter your unique hair concerns! Read on to learn more about the 10 signs of aging hair and how you can address each issue to make your mature tresses look their best!
1. You See Silver Strands
Going gray or silver is a classic sign of aging hair. As we age, our hair follicles produce less pigmentation (melanin), which causes the hallmark white and gray tresses we get as we grow older. This is a natural part of the aging process, and more and more women—in their 20s through their 60s and beyond!—are eschewing hair dye and embracing their gorgeous silvers and grays. We love to see it! After all, beauty is not synonymous with youthfulness, and we know that we only get better (not younger) with age!
Our Silver Lining Purple Brightening Shampoo and Silver Lining Purple Butter Masque are an important step in your silver care regimen because they’re formulated with D&C Violet 2, an optical color agent that reduces the intensity of yellow tones and brassiness to help brighten and boost the vibrancy of hair color.
2. Your Hair Feels Like Straw
Dryness is common in aging hair because our scalps produce less sebum as we age, which means our hair has less natural oil to keep it moisturized. It takes time for our natural scalp oils to work their way down the hair shaft, which is why we typically see extra dryness at the ends. (The "crunchy" ends struggle is real!)
To hydrate hair that feels like straw, try incorporating a deep conditioning treatment that helps to smooth hair cuticles (raised cuticles can exacerbate roughness in aging hair) 1 to 2 times per week. Our rich plant-based Hair Redemption Restorative Butter Masque is packed with a proprietary blend of butters like mango and macadamia, plus caffeine and argan oil, to hydrate, smooth and seal moisture into even the driest tresses!
Pro tip: If your ends are extra parched, try using a small amount of Hair Redemption as a leave-in product. Rub a dime-sized bit of product between your palms and then distribute it onto only the ends of your hair—about 2 inches from the bottom. (Working higher up the hair shaft runs the risk of losing volume!)
3. Your Hair Is Frizzier
Aging frizzy hair is related to dryness, and it happens for many of the same reasons. Both these hair concerns are more pronounced in highly porous hair.
To specifically address frizz, we love a smoothing spray that nourishes our tresses while fighting frizz, like our No Remorse Heat Protection & Taming Spray. It's formulated with argan oil and essential fatty acids to moisturize aging frizzy hair, and restorative vitamin E also helps with softness and frizz control! (Plus, if you're heat styling your locks, No Remorse contains avocado oil to provide heat protection up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit!)
Check out our list of 10 ways to tame frizzy tresses for more pro tips for fighting frizz in aging hair!
4. Your Hair Looks Duller
A loss of liveliness and shine are another common symptom of aging hair. Much of it can be attributed to less sebum but it can also be a result of product buildup and damage from overuse of hot styling tools.
Our fragrance-free, dermatologist-tested and hypoallergenic Full Transparency Pure Revitalizing Shampoo and Full Transparency Shine Revitalizing Conditioner are a powerful shine-enhancing duo designed to gently cleanse and condition to revitalize lackluster strands while nutrient-rich ingredients like chia seeds and yuzu help to increase the duration of shine without weighing hair down.
5. You See More Breakage
As hair ages it also becomes weaker, and this means more breakage. Breakage is different than regular hair shedding and even hair loss because while hair loss happens at the root, breakage can occur at any point along the hair shaft and often results in shorter pieces of “shed” hair. While there are a bunch of factors that contribute to hair breakage (harsh hairstyling and hot styling tools among them), a lack of moisture is the main culprit behind the brittleness.
Enter our Wake Up Call Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner—a dynamic duo clinically proven to reduce breakage by up to 98%.* The shampoo cleanses with a volumizing, hydrating boost for fuller-, healthier-looking hair, while the conditioner moisturizes for more manageability and smoothness without the weight.
*3rd party instrumental compatibility study of Wake Up Call Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner compared to a regular shampoo. Individual results may vary.
6. Your Curls Lack Bounce
If you’ve got curls, as your hair ages you might begin noticing that your curls are becoming less defined and bouncy over time. Curls often become droopy and dehydrated as we age, so adding moisture without overloading the scalp is key to reviving lackluster curls.
Our 3-step curl care line strengthens and adds hydration to parched curls while reshaping and reactivating loose, thinning curls for up to 24 hours of definition and frizz control!
7. Your Tresses Tangle More Often
Our hair can get tangled for a number of reasons anytime throughout our lives—product buildup and overuse of hot styling tools are some factors that lead to hair strands tangling—but the fact of the matter is that aging hair is simply more prone to tangling. Why? Because aging hair tends to be dry, and a lack of moisture is one of the most common culprits for hair tangles since cuticles on dry strands are open and easily snag on each other. Yet another reason to make our Hair Redemption Restorative Butter Masque a regular part of your hair-care regimen.
8. Styling Is Becoming More Difficult
When our hair starts losing its suppleness and shine or we experience frizz or texture changes that lead to less volume, styling can become more of a challenge. Less sebum production plays a big role in many of the changes that make our hair more unmanageable. While the tendency is to turn to our favorite hot styling tools more frequently, remember that heat is no friend to our delicate, aging tresses—and it will only make matters worse.
Using hydrating hair products designed for aging hair, applying gentle styling techniques and adopting the right hair washing schedule are all steps you can take to turn your hair issues around. And keep in mind, a healthy, well-balanced diet is just as important for your hair’s health as it is for your overall wellness. So consider adding a daily supplement to your hair-care routine to promote healthier-looking hair from the inside out.
9. Your Hair Texture Is Finer
Hair texture refers to the circumference of the strands (fine, medium and thick/coarse), and as our hair ages, its texture tends to become finer due to decreased estrogen and hair follicle activity. This change in hair texture starts at our hair follicles, which even if still relatively active, begin producing strands that tend to be smaller in diameter, making aging hair look and feel thinner and less voluminous.
To boost volume and combat hair thinning as you age, try adding a volumizing product like Lift Me Up Hair Thickener to your hair-care routine. This lightweight spray wraps around fine strands and lifts aging hair at the root to add instant volume, while ceramides and niacinamide nourish the scalp to support healthier hair over time!
10. You’re Seeing Early Signs of Hair Thinning
Along with a change in hair texture can come a change in hair density, which refers to the actual number of hairs on your head. Nearly everyone experiences some degree of hair thinning as they age due to decreased estrogen and hair follicle activity. In these early stages you may start to see a few more strands of hair in the shower or on your hair brush, making aging hair products that focus on both the hair and scalp an essential part of any aging hair-care routine.
Why We Love Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum for Aging Hair
Hair care starts at your roots. This is why we believe a nourishing scalp serum is an important part of every hair-care routine for women over 40. We designed our lightweight, non-greasy and quick-absorbing Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum to help address the early signs of aging hair to help it look healthier and stronger by the day.
Our proprietary Superpower™ blend of proven plant-derived ingredients along with Ginger and Centella Asiatica Extracts nourish the scalp and follicles to help your hair reach its fullest potential. In fact, 90% of women saw visible improvement after 8 weeks!*
*Independent consumer trials with daily usage. Individual results may vary.
Tell us: Have you switched up your hair-care routine to support your aging hair? What are you doing differently? Share in the comments below!
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Better Not Younger knows that the hair-care routine that worked for you in your teens and 20s probably isn't the regimen you need for hair care in your 30s and 40s. That's why we developed our entire product line—from restorative hair masks to hair thickening sprays—to support mature hair. We have all the aging hair products you need to keep your mature tresses looking healthy and vibrant, no matter your aging hair concerns!