WOMEN SHOULD STOP CUTTING THEIR HAIR SHORT IN MIDLIFE – IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO HAVE LONG LOCKS
Celebrities over 60 with long hair – and by that I mean properly long, waist-length hair – are few and far between. And when they are spotted, it causes a controversial beauty statement. At Monday night’s Met Gala in New York, the already long-haired Demi Moore, 61, fabulously threw the midlife beauty rulebook out of the window and made even more of a statement by adding extensions to her hair, bringing it to knee-length. Who says you need to tone down your hair and cut it short once you reach a certain age? Whoever they are, Moore isn’t listening.
But while knee-length hair isn’t a practical, or even a desirable, look for anyone except for those on a red carpet (can you imagine trying to tackle a metre’s worth of hair on wash day?), what Demi does prove is that if maintained well, long hair can look brilliantly striking in midlife. While the bob has long reigned supreme as the go-to hairstyle for a slick, sharp and – let’s face it – easier to maintain look, there’s no reason why long hair needs to be chopped shorter in midlife.
“Long hair over a certain age is a statement,” says the celebrity stylist DJ Quintero, who styled Moore’s hair at the Met Gala with 50-inch extensions. “Whether your hair is left up or down, air-dried or braided, past your elbow takes guts and care commitments but it’s certainly a strong, distinctive look in your 60s.”
The thing is, long hair just is harder to maintain over 50 if you don’t have the correct know-how. “Just like our skin and muscle tone, our hair and hair follicles age,” says the leading trichologist Anabel Kingsley. “You won’t have the same quality of hair in your 50s, 60s and 70s as you had in your teens and twenties. You can also experience more issues with hair growth as you get older.”
But if you want to grow your hair longer or want to maintain the hair you have, it can still be done. “The number of years you’ve been on this planet should never come into consideration when planning a hairstyle,” the hairstylist Tom Smith points out. “It is more important to focus on the quality and density.” So here’s the expert guide to long hair.
Our tips
Start from the inside out
Hair growth depends largely on nutrition; telogen effluvium (hair shedding) due to nutritional deficiencies can often be treated with changes to your diet. “As hair is not an essential tissue, it is the last part of you to receive nutrients and the first to be withheld from,” explains Kingsley. “This means any nutritional deficiency, even a small one, can negatively impact your hair.” A balanced diet rich in proteins and fats will ensure your hair is off to a good start.
Supplement if you need
As well as ageing, hormonal shifts during the menopause can affect the overall density of your hair, causing a gradual and progressive loss of hair volume. You can supplement your diet with a vitamin and mineral rich complex such as the Density Healthy Hair Complex, £32, by Philip Kinglsey. The Hair Growth Vitamins For Women, £34, by Viviscal, have biotin and zinc in to help hold onto the hair you have for longer.
Density Healthy Hair Complex, £32, by Philip Kinglsey; The Hair Growth Vitamins For Women, £34, by Viviscal
Start with the scalp
To promote healthy, long hair, use specialised products that help to maintain healthy hair both on the scalp as well as the lengths of the hair. Serums are now no longer just for the skin. These specialised serums can promote healthy, dense hair. The best-selling Pitta Growth Serum by Champo, £34, is lightweight and fast-absorbing, and can be used daily on wet or dry hair. “By treating your hair and scalp with the same care as you do your face, you will most certainly see an improvement in its strength and condition,” adds Kingsley.
Pitta Growth Serum by Champo, £34
Nourish the strands
For the strands, the pre-shampoo conditioning treatment, Elasticizer, from £21 by Philip Kingsley, is an iconic product for a reason: it really helps to hydrate dry hair, adds shine and reduces damage. For Smith, it improves the stretchability and softness of the hair. The Leave-In Conditioner by Gisou, from £12, is also excellent. Before using any form of heat on the hair, whether it’s a blow-dryer or a styling tool, ensure you properly coat the hair with a protective hairspray.
Elasticizer, from £21 by Philip Kingsley; The Leave-In Conditioner by Gisou, from £12
Moisturise the ends
“You wouldn’t go for a facial once a month and do nothing to your skin in-between, so treat your hair the same way,” says Smith, who recommends a daily drip-feed of conditioning to help improve the quality of the hair as you sleep. We really like the Triple Bond Complex by Living Proof, £42. All hair should be trimmed regularly, too. This is even more important if your hair is long – chances are it’s had more wear and tear – so a regular micro-trim every couple of months can keep it in good condition.
The Triple Bond Complex, £42, by Living Proof
Avoid mechanical damage
The way you brush your hair and style it impacts how well it grows, too. “Brush your hair gently with a high quality Boar bristle hairbrush which will stimulate the scalp at the same time,” says Smith. He adds that if you brush your hair quickly and vigorously, you will almost certainly cause breakage. If you often wear your hair in a ponytail, take extra caution when you pull out the hair tie as it can lead to breakage, too. The silk hair scrunchies by Slip are gentle and effective.
Silk scrunchies, £29
2024-05-07T18:22:08Z dg43tfdfdgfd