Does your hair really need an anti-ageing regime?

Haircare ranges aimed at older women are the latest trend. But do they help keep you looking youthful?

JUST as I’m observing my ash blonde highlights being muscled out by silvery streaks, and my strands getting noticeably more brittle, comes news that 52-yearold me is the cosmetics industry’s latest target demographic.

It’s sort of boringly predictable. The over-50s are now the biggest buyers of beauty products, with those over 60 accounting for a quarter of all beauty sales — more than double what it would have been a decade ago — so it was only a matter of time before ‘old’ hair was pitched as its own lucrative category.

The question is whether this is progress — has innovation made it possible to slow signs of hair ageing? — or snake oil that preys on our obsession with youth while not offering anything new.

The answer seems to be ‘a bit of both’. Hair and follicles do age, just like skin and muscles, says consultant trichologist Anabel Kingsley.

‘The quality of hairs post-50 just isn’t the same: they will be finer, more brittle, less manageable and more susceptible to wear and tear,’ she says. ‘Meanwhile, hormonal shifts around the menopause affect hair density and can cause a gradual loss of volume.’

Treating age-related issues is important, says hairstylist Belle Cannan. ‘Unlike skin, hair doesn’t continuously repair itself and is technically a dead material.’

Also, some conditions, like androgenetic alopecia (a common form of hair loss) are progressive and need to be treated as soon as possible, she warns.

Anabel says ageing or menopausal hair certainly requires more attention, but she leaves the jury out on whether branded ‘ageing hair’ products are helpful.

What experts do agree on is that, with age, we should be giving hair more TLC: patching up damage to the lengths with bond-building masks; ensuring strands are healthy and strong with scalp treatments; and, if necessary, seeking medical or specialist advice for hormone and nutrition-related issues.

Here are the main problems that could be affecting your hair — and what to do about them...

SHIFTING HORMONES

AGE-RELATED hair issues are part-genetic and part-environmental. ‘Hormonal shifts leading up to and during menopause can have a huge impact on the hair growth cycle,’ says Anabel.

‘Oestrogen keeps hair in its growth phase for longer and protects against the follicleshrinking, hair-thinning effects of male hormones in those genetically

sensitive to this. So when oestrogen levels decline, women can experience excessive shedding and find their hairs much thinner and shorter.’

These fragile hairs are prone to breakage and this is exacerbated, says hairstylist Errol Douglas, by the fact that sebaceous glands that produce hair’s natural oils slow down with age. ‘Consequently, hair gets drier, duller and less strong, which is especially true of curly and Afro hair. Hairs may also become more unmanageable and wirier,’ says Errol. The latter is often seen in greying hair, which is due to a progressive drop in melanin production.

LIFETIME OF DAMAGE

ENVIRONMENTAL damage builds up over our lifetime, so causes more problems the older you get. ‘Oxidative stress — from free radicals produced by pollution, UV light and stress, but also increasingly by our bodies as we age — damages the scalp, hampering healthy hair growth,’ says Anabel.

Hair can’t get sunburn like skin can, but, says Windle London lab development chemist Shona

Bisset, ‘UVB light is responsible for protein loss in hair (protein being the hair’s building blocks), while UVA is responsible for colour changes. Once hair is grey, it’s even more sensitive to UV damage.’

Excessive styling is another scourge: over time, tightly pulled styles will lead to traction alopecia and breakage, while ‘aggressive styling gels, spritzes, relaxers and too-heavy emollients are implicated in hair loss and can eventually weaken strands,’ says Errol.

THINNING, BREAKING

IF HAIR thinning (which can happen at any age but often worsens in menopause) is your main concern, Anabel advises speaking to your GP first.

Alternatively, she says a dermatologist or trichologist can prescribe ‘highly effective’ scalp drops containing growth-boosting minoxidil and anti-androgens, which will also help if hair loss and thinning is due to a thyroid imbalance or other diseases.

Hair supplements, she says, can be helpful if shedding is caused by a nutritional deficiency: ‘Low vitamin D and B12, zinc and protein are most common in women over 50. Aim to get these from your diet and boost their levels with supplements.’

Bond-building treatments, usually recommended for chemically-damaged hair, are also helpful for ageing hair prone to breakage ‘because they protect and help re-form some of the bonds in the hair’s cortex that are responsible for its strength’, says Shona Bisset.

Look for the word ‘plex’ in products (including bond-builder Olaplex), but choose wisely, says Anabel. ‘You don’t want a complex with heavy conditioning agents (such as silicones) as it will prevent the penetration of bondbuilding active ingredients. They will make your hair feel smooth but don’t actually do any bonding. Alternate instead between a good hydrating conditioner and a bondrepair treatment.’

DRY AND DULL

TO COMBAT dryness, which can also lead to breakage, hairstylist Paul Windle advises using shampoos with mild surfactants (ditch the sulphates) so as not to strip all natural oils and avoid using loads of silicones, which can weigh hair down and make it dull and brittle. Post-wash conditioners, weekly hair masks and heat protection sprays should be non-negotiable, adds Belle: ‘Even if you’ve always been fine without them, with age, your hair needs these for strength, bounce and shine.’

LOST VA-VA VOOM

WITH age, hair loses vitality, shine and colour. Good scalp care is important for minimising this. ‘Revving up microcirculation in the scalp boosts its condition and brings nutrients to the follicles, which means stronger hair,’ says Errol. ‘Use your fingertips or invest in a little scalp massager.’

According to Shona, the scalp is where you need antioxidants: ‘Scalp is skin and antioxidants protect it from free radicals that’ll cause damage and greying.’

Anabel says scalp protectors, in the form of leave-in sprays and creams, protect against UV-induced melanin and protein degradation.