The Better Blog

As we age, we start to think more and more about how to support and protect our mature tresses. We know which ingredients to avoid in our hair-care routine to best protect our hair.

Motherhood isn’t one size fits all. Just as there are all sorts of moms, the role each mother plays evolves with each passing year. As her children grow and their needs change, so too do her responsibilities and place in their lives. From nurturing toddlers to disciplining teens to raising responsible young adults who will one day have children of their own—a mother’s job is never done. And what a comforting notion when we reflect on the indelible impact she’s had in our lives—as a caregiver, a teacher, a confidant, a friend.

For many of us, pregnancy brought healthy, shiny hair and glowing skin. (And an adorable, chunky baby, which is a pretty good deal!) But what about after we've given birth and the influx of estrogen and hormones is over?

More women than ever are choosing to become first-time moms at 40 and beyond. We've been hearing for years that 40 is the new 30, and the increase in women having their first pregnancy over 40 shows that 40 isn't too late for women who want to become mothers. (Some women even experience a miracle pregnancy after menopause!)

Chia seeds are an ancient superfood that have been used for centuries for their nutritional benefits. But did you know chia seeds benefit hair, too? Using chia seeds for your hair—both by eating them and choosing hair-care products that include them—is a great way to promote strong, shiny hair. This is one of our favorite benefits of eating chia seeds for hair, because who doesn’t want lustrous locks! Plus, chia seeds can even help promote hair health, something that’s very important if you’re dealing with hair loss. 

Knowing the benefits of chia seeds for skin and hair, and especially how chia seeds benefit hair, can help you get your own aging hair back to its shiny, lustrous glory. Keep reading to find out how chia seeds benefit hair in addition to being a nutritional powerhouse.

At Better Not Younger, we don't believe in the age taboo that a lady should never reveal her age, and the reason is in our name. We know that aging is a privilege, not something to hide, and we know that we become better (not younger!) as we age. 

Unfortunately, we also know that ageism against older women is very real, whether in our lack of representation in Hollywood or in biases that creep into our workplaces. In fact, PBS NewsHour reported in 2016 that ageism against women in the workplace starts at 35 for women. Ridiculous! 

We are here to tell you that age transparency is our superpower, as women. It's how we can support other women, push back on ageism against women, and change the conversation around aging. Age transparency means radical acceptance of ourselves as we age and living so fully that nobody can say that our best years are behind us!

Sometimes thinning hair sneaks up on us. Because women aren't prone to patchy or concentrated hair loss patterns like men, our hair loss tends to show up gradually. We start to notice more hair in our shower drain. Our ponytails become thinner, and our hair part becomes noticeably wider. 

The realization that we might be dealing with thinning hair can be upsetting, but there are steps we can take to tackle female-pattern hair loss and thicken our ponytails and hair parts. 

To understand why our hair parts are getting wider, it's important to look at what can cause hair loss and thinning, along with steps we can take to support healthy hair growth and how to camouflage a wide hair part in the meantime.

Spring is in full swing! We love the longer days and warmer weather, but with the seasonal shift comes the seasonal allergies we don't love. 

We know that the uptick in pollen, mold and ragweed in the spring can cause sneezing and itchy, watery eyes. But did you know that seasonal allergies can also affect your scalp and hair, causing itchiness, flakiness and even hair loss? Yikes! 

Keep reading as we answer your biggest questions about seasonal allergies and hair loss, scalp allergies and even how your hair itself can have an impact on your seasonal allergies.

If your hair has lost its shine, it can put a damper on your look. Glowy hair not only draws others’ eyes to you, but it can instantly make you feel more confident while it’s swishing around your head. This is why we’re letting you in on our favorite secrets to shiny, healthy hair. While heading to the salon for a glossy hair treatment is one way to boost your hair’s shine, there are things you can do right at home, too. In fact, the secrets to naturally glowy hair that’s glossy and shiny are all pretty easy to incorporate into your routine—and if you do, your aging strands will thank you.

The first step to getting coveted shiny hair? Pick out products to make hair glossy. While this is a not-so-secret secret to shiny hair, it’s one that many people don’t even realize they should do. Select shampoos and conditioners that are formulated with natural ingredients that can help you out if your hair has lost its shine. And if you already have shiny hair and just want to maintain it? Using products to make hair glossy can help you do that, too. The secret to great hair is taking care of it, which is what we’re here to help with. Your secret to shiny hair can be found right here.

Sometimes reading product labels can feel like reading a foreign language. There are numbers and dates that seem random, along with ingredients and terms we're unfamiliar with. Even terms we do know can be unclear. 

Should we avoid specific ingredients in our hair products? What's the difference between "unscented and "fragrance-free?" And how can we break down the label itself? 

We sat down with Dr. Debra Lin, Chief Scientific Officer at Better Not Younger, to get the 411 on how to read hair product labels. Keep reading for answers to the most common questions related to reading labels, plus a handy list of terms typically found on beauty and hair-care labels to help you decode them like a pro and make the healthiest hair product choices.

"There's a reason why 40, 50 and 60 don't look the way they used to, and it's not because of feminism or better living through exercise. It's because of hair dye." —Nora Ephron 

Recently, the internet was buzzing about a meme that pointed out that the cast of The Golden Girls were the same age during filming as the cast of And Just Like That…, the Sex and the City sequel series.  

People were flabbergasted that both shows depicted women in their 50s. The stark difference in the appearance of these women—and their vastly different storylines in each series—highlights a broader cultural shift in how society perceives aging women. (And, more importantly, how aging women perceive themselves!) 

We welcome this shift because youth has been made synonymous with beauty and desirability for generations. 

And we're over it. 

For far too long, society has had a skewed picture regarding what women "should look like,” "should want” and "should be doing" at certain ages. The media has finally started to recognize that women don't disappear or lose value after 40. Slowly, we're seeing more complex roles for older women in Hollywood, and we're seeing older women in advertising more often.  

They're finally learning what we've known all along: Older women are beautiful, vibrant and multidimensional. Women are aging better than ever today because we are pushing back on the outdated idea that we're past our prime at 50 or 60.  

Read on to learn more about why women today are only getting better with age!

Hirsutism (HUR-soot-iz-um) is a condition in women that results in excessive growth of dark or coarse hair in a male-like pattern—on the face, chest and back. This unwanted hair is referred to as “terminal hair” and it affects roughly 5 to 10% of women. It is a common reason why women visit the dermatologist.

Hirsutism can be emotionally distressing. And although hirsutism doesn't cause physical complications, the underlying cause, which is a hormonal imbalance, can. Facial hair growth during menopause is typically caused by an increase in the ratio of androgen (testosterone) to estrogen. This does not necessarily point to a problem, but the increase in facial hair can be bothersome.