When it comes to our hair, it seems like the grass is always greener on the other side of the salon. Many of us with fine, straight hair spent years trying to curl and volumize our locks. And those of us with waves and curls wished for the smooth shine of pin-straight tresses. And cowlicks? Don't get us started!

It can be hard to love our hair, quirks and all—especially as we move through menopause. But embracing our natural hair texture is just like loving any other part of ourselves. We fix what we can, and we learn to appreciate that our differences are what make us beautiful and set us apart.

That’s why we’ve curated our top tips for how to love your hair, no matter your hair concern, along with our favorite sulfate-free, plant-based hair-care products to help you fall in love with your locks!

Protect Your Fine, Straight Hair

Those of us with fine, straight hair know that embracing our natural hair texture can be hard. Fine hair can be easily damaged by heat, and it often lacks volume because of the structure of fine hair shafts.

When styling fine hair, avoid heat styling when possible. But when you absolutely must apply heat to your hair, be sure to always use a heat protectant product. Our No Remorse Heat Protection & Taming Spray nourishes and coats each hair strand to prevent heat damage up to 450F! (No matter your hair type, never apply heat higher than 450F to your hair—super hot temps can cause the hair shaft to discolor and bubble!)

Another option to help you love your natural hair is to add a leave-in volumizing product to help boost fullness. For maximum volume, try our Lift Me Up Hair Thickener. Packed with niacinamide and Ceramide-NG to help retain moisture and support follicle health, this lightweight spray wraps around each individual hair shaft, lifting hair at the root for instant body and shine.

Pro tip: To further protect fine locks from damage, avoid tight ponytails and buns. These cause tension on both the hair strands and roots and can lead to breakage. Instead, try low-tension styles like braids or loose twists, and wear your hair down whenever possible. For more hairstyling inspiration for your fine, delicate strands, we compiled 17 great heatless hairstyling hacks that let you leave the heat behind and still look your best.

Hydrate and Add Bounce to Your Curls

Many of us spent our teens and 20s flat-ironing the life out of our gorgeous curls. Curls are now enjoying a moment in the spotlight, and rightfully so—shiny, vibrant curls are gorgeous!

The trick to manageable curls is hydration. Dry curls are unruly and frizzy. Using a frizz-taming product like our No Remorse along with a hydrating butter hair mask are excellent ways to bring hydration and bounce to your curls. Because curly hair has a corkscrew-shaped hair shaft, it's physically more difficult for our scalp's natural oils to make it down each strand.

Because of this, curly-haired ladies tend to deal with dryness more than straight or wavy hair types. To combat dryness, we love our Hair Redemption Restorative Butter Masque. It's packed with plant-based butters and argan oil, and it is sulfate-free to give you glossy, manageable curls!

How often you should use a hair mask is specific to your hair's particular length, texture and moisture level, but in general, twice a week is good to start. (If you have especially oily hair, start with once per week and adjust from there.)

And remember, curl care starts in the shower, so even before you butter up, a shampoo and conditioner designed specifically for curly hair like our Bounce Back Super Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner for Curly Hair will help to revive, strengthen and define curls that have lost their bounce.

Pro tip: Try hair plopping along with your Hair Redemption mask! Hair plopping refers to literally "plopping" your post-wash hair into a T-shirt, microfiber towel or plopping cap and allowing hair to dry this way. Plopping is gentler than towel drying, and it allows hydrating leave-in products like butter hair masks and oils to penetrate hair strands more deeply, resulting in softer, more manageable locks. No more crunchy strands!

Give Support to Flat, Lifeless Tresses

Nothing makes you fall out of love with your hair faster than catching a glimpse of limp, lifeless tresses in the mirror. You're not alone if you struggle to add body and volume to your hair—after all flat hair doesn’t discriminate against straight, wavy or curly tresses. If you find your hair falling flat by the time you get home from work, oil and build-up at the root might be the culprit. To combat flat hair, we recommend a two-pronged approach: Add an oil-absorbing product and switch up your go-to style.

An oil-fighting hair-care product for natural hair like our Fresh Start Scalp Renewing Dry Shampoo is the perfect, talc-free option for absorbing excess oil at the root to help stave off flat hair. When you add your dry shampoo, try parting your hair in a new place. This gives instant lift regardless of hair texture because it forces your hair out of its normal pattern. (You know that stubborn cowlick you've hated since you were a kid? If it's located near your hairline, part your hair on the other side, and let it work for you to add lift!)

Pro tip: Don't wait until your hair is in need of a wash to apply your dry shampoo! Within 24 hours of washing your hair, apply your dry shampoo by sprinkling it on your roots. (No need to move down the hair shaft with it!) Preventing greasy, flat hair—rather than fixing hair once it has become very oily—is where dry shampoo shines!

Fight Hair Loss and Thinning Hair

As we age, it can be hard to watch our hair grow thinner. This is especially true if your hair was thin at the start. The good news is that you can love your hair again! We don't have to resign ourselves to living with thin, lifeless hair after 40.

A hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is responsible for many cases of age-related hair loss for women. As women age, estrogen levels decrease, which allows DHT levels to become more dominant. DHT causes hair follicles to produce thinner, wispy strands and decreases the rate of overall hair production.

Adding products to your hair-care routine that are designed to help combat hormonal hair loss can help. Our Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum supports hair health by increasing hair follicle activity and rebalancing scalp oil production. (Balanced oil production is vital because too much or too little sebum on the scalp can contribute to increased hair fall!)

Pro tip: Add a scalp stimulating massage to your routine whenever you apply your serum! Massaging the scalp helps increase blood flow, which helps nourish and stimulate under-performing follicles. Our Superpower Liquid Comb Massaging Serum Applicator is our favorite tool for 2-in-1 scalp stimulation. Simply add 30mL of serum to the massaging applicator (that’s about two weeks’ worth of daily applications), and it evenly distributes the serum on your scalp!

Let Better Not Younger Help You Love Your Hair!

At Better Not Younger, we believe that loving ourselves and practicing self-care and acceptance is one of the most important, radical acts we can take. That's why we designed our entire line of plant-based hair-care products to be free of harsh chemicals and surfactants. None of our products are tested on animals, and all of our hair-care products for natural hair are vegan and cruelty-free. Let us help you address your aging hair concerns and get you on the road to falling in love with your natural hair!

Tell Us: What hair-care steps have you made a part of your self-care regimen for loving your natural hair? Share in the comments below.

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