The better Blog

If you're like many women over 40, you've probably noticed some of the first signs of hair thinning. Maybe your ponytail looks smaller or your stylist has commented on your thinning locks. Or maybe you've just noticed more hair in the shower drain and on your hairbrush.

The roles of hair masks and conditioners can sometimes be unclear. If we use a conditioner, can we forgo a hair mask? In some cases, perhaps.

But as we enter our 40s, our hair starts becoming drier, duller, thinner and more brittle and our scalps start lacking the proper nutrients they need to produce healthy strands—all these factors make it even more important to understand the difference between a hair mask and a conditioner.

Aging hair can benefit from both hair masks and conditioners but knowing the differences and benefits of each is key.

When regular conditioning isn’t enough to balance our aging hair biology and address dry, damaged hair, products like hair masks can help boost moisture levels and improve scalp function. Keep reading to learn the difference between a hair mask and a conditioner.

While you probably know that apple cider vinegar is a healthy and delicious way to add flavor to your cooking, you might be less familiar with apple cider vinegar's benefits for your hair and scalp. 

We get it—it can feel weird to put a condiment on our hair. And some of us are still recovering from recommendations to put mayonnaise on our hair as teens! But unlike mayo, apple cider vinegar really is excellent for our hair. 

So we dug into the science behind why apple cider vinegar hair-care products and homemade solutions are so good for our hair and scalp. Read on to learn more about the benefits of apple cider vinegar for healthy, vibrant hair and a balanced scalp, along with recipes for creating your own solutions at home!

Thinning hair can be incredibly frustrating, especially if it’s completely out of our control. Though our hair naturally starts thinning as we age, there are also genetic conditions that affect the way hair grows. If thinning hair is something you’ve dealt with for a while, you might already have some tips for how to hide thinning hair or how to cover thinning hair. If this is a new experience for you, though, we’re here to help with plenty of hairstyling tips and tricks to cover crown thinning, wide hair parts and other sparse patches. Here’s how to hide thinning hair.

Now that summer is coming to an end, you may notice that your hair color has changed a bit over the last few months. Depending on your natural hair color, or the color you started the season with, you might actually like your new hue. But if not, then you’re probably wondering how you can get rid of your new unwanted warm tones and which products work best for getting brassiness out of your hair.

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.

Throughout our lives, our hair is constantly changing, and as we get older, our hair absolutely needs more love than ever. Our strands start to age, which means they’re a bit weaker, a bit grayer and less springy—especially if we’ve got curls and even damaged curly hair. The natural curl pattern in our hair inevitably changes (and often not in a way we welcome), but getting curls back to the bounce we want can be done with the right techniques and the right products. 

If you’re looking to restore your natural curl pattern because your curls have lost their bounce or you have no curl definition at the roots and want to restore elasticity to natural hair, here’s everything you need to know.

If you live somewhere with a lot of humid summer air, you've probably dealt with bad hair days due to humidity. Whether your hair falls flat or becomes a frizzy mess when it's humid out, it's no secret that humidity can wreak havoc on your hair.

Tangled hair is a total pain. If your hair gets matted when wet or if your hair tangles after a shower you know how frustrating it can be, especially if you have thin aging hair that’s already a bit high-maintenance. Wet hair is one of the most common causes of tangled hair you’ll deal with—though your strands can get tangled for a number of reasons (more on that a little later!). The good news? Getting knots out of hair doesn’t have to be hard if you set yourself up for success. 

Taking care of your hair properly—like using the right products and understanding your hair type—can make it so that next time your hair is tangled after a shower, it won’t be an absolute nightmare. Here’s everything you need to know about why your hair gets so tangled, what to do when your hair gets matted when wet and why getting knots out of hair is no cause for panic.

Whether you're skipping town solo for a weekend to recharge or embarking on a road trip with family and friends, nothing beats a summer escape! But trying to pack lightly for these trips usually means leaving our full beauty and hair-care routine behind.

 

Fruits for hair health might not be something you ever considered when you sat down by the pool with your summer smoothie. But there’s more to that refreshing drink than just the delicious flavor! Some of your favorite fruits are actually quite beneficial when it comes to hair loss, scalp moisture and strengthening hair follicles. 

When we say fruits for hair, though, we don’t necessarily mean that you should take a strawberry and smash it up into your strands. While it may smell nice—and there are certainly plenty of DIY fruit hair masks you can whip up to nourish your hair and supplement the fruits you already feed your hair through your diet—there are added benefits to an actual fruit hair product that’s formulated to help your hair.

Hair-care products often use fruit extracts and oils, which can help boost scalp moisture and tone down breakage. These ingredients can do even more, though, like protect hair from free radicals, nourish hair follicles, and even bring back shine to dull, aging hair. Plus, fruit hair products often smell good, too! 

There’s a lot to love about fruits for hair health and how they can benefit your locks. Check out four of our favorite summer fruits for hair health and find out which Better Not Younger products you should reach for if you want to give fruit hair products a try.