How to Keep Your Hair Healthy As You Age
It's no secret that aging changes your body. Your metabolisms slow down, yourbodies take longer to bounce back from injuries, and your hair growth slows. Because yep, hair ages, too!
We're here to help with a handy guide to healthier hair at any age. Learn how to protect delicate strands with lifestyle adjustments, plus discover the perfect products for a health boosting hair care routine.
Why Hair Changes as You Age
Let's start with a little science. Why does aging hair happen?
"Hair changes as we age," said cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Michele Green. "We experience an increased amount of hair loss, the texture of the hair becomes coarser,drier and the hair turns grey in color." If your hair is aging, you might notice that hair follicles appear brittle or dull, even before you begin go gray.
So, why does it happen? "The decrease in oil production and change in hormones is one of the key reasons that the texture, quality, and quantity of our hair change," said Dr. Green. "As the number of melanocytes in the hair decreases, the color changes, and we lose the pigment in our hair, [which makes it] turn gray."
The experience of going gray is universal across sexes. "The most common complaint among my patients is thinning of one’s hair, both in my male and female patients," Dr. Green said.
Your hormones change as you get older, as estrogen levels and the production of natural oils that lubricate hair follicles at the scalp are reduced over time. So, some aspects of aging hair are inevitable. But according to Dr. Green and other experts, it's possible to have healthy hair at any age if you nourish your strands from the inside out.
Shop: The Hair Wellness Collection
Nourish Your Body
One of the key factors impacting hair and scalp health is diet. If you're not "eating the rainbow" on a daily basis, your body could suffer frrom nutritional gaps that lead to increased hair loss, and a slowed down rate of hair growth. Make sure you're stocking up on these key nutrients every day to keep hair happy and healthy:
- Vitamin A, found in spinach, carrots, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes
- Vitamin B, found in whole grains, almonds, and dark leafy greens
- Vitamin C, found in citrus fruits, strawberries, peppers, and guavas
- Vitamin D, found in mushrooms, fortified tofu and plant based milks
- Vitamin E, found in avocados, almonds, spinach, and sunflower seeds
- Iron, found in lentils, blackstrap molasses, dried fruits, and spinach
- Zinc, found in pumpkin seeds, lentils, spinach, and wheat germ
- Protein, found in tempeh, legumes, and whole grains
By filling your daily diet with these key nutrients, you're giving your body a chance to support healthier hair and sustainable long term hair growth.
Shop: GRO Hair Products From VEGAMOUR
Reduce Stress
Stress impacts your body on every level, including causing the earlier appearance of gray hair and hair loss. While the connection between aging hair and stress is still being studied, experts agree that reducing your overall levels of tension is one of the best things you can do for your all overall health and wellness, including the health of your hair. Here are a few easy steps you can take to cut down on stress:
- Exercise: Elevating your heart rate is a great way to cut down on anxiety. Take a fun exercise class like yoga or pilates, or simply go for a walk through your neighborhood, stopping to smell the flowers along the way.
- Meditate: Taking time to check in and live in the moment is key. Meditating for even ten minutes a day is an amazing way to feel centered in your body.
- Reduce Screen Time: We all love the internet, but spending too much time online (especially on social media!) can damage your mental health. Take steps to reduce your screen time, and watch yourself thrive.
Taking the time to nourish yourself each day is great for your hair, your health, and your spirit.
Also: How to Care for Your Hair in Your 60s
Change Your Product Routine
In an ideal world, the products you use should be nourishing your hair. Unfortunately, many drugstore products contain harsh chemical ingredients that can damage hair, causing dry hair and accumulating on strands over time, weighing them down and putting additional stress on aging scalp follicles.
To save your hair the strain, consider switching to a wellness-oriented product routine designed to nourish strands. Upgrade to a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner, along with weekly nourishing mask treatments that support hair health. In addition, using detoxifying scalp treatments to remove product build up from your scalp can help clear the way for stronger, healthier long-term growth.
Read: Compare GRO vs GRO+ Advanced
Keep Grays Away
Did you know that it's actually possible to reverse and delay gray hair? With the right products and stress-reducing lifestyle, it is! GRO Ageless Gray Delay™ Hair Supplements can help delay gray hair — plus they're vegan and cruelty-free. These daily supplements have been carefully formulated to help preserve the hair's natural pigment for longer. Pair it with GRO AGELESS Anti-Gray Hair Serum for a comprehensive approach to reducing the appearance of gray hair. Fortified with fo-ti, peptides, caffeine, glycoproteins and a blend of B vitamins, this serum can help reduce the appearance of grays in as soon as 90 days.
Beat the Heat
Even the best products in the world can't stand up to heat damage! If you love taking super hot showers, or using hot tools like straighteners and curling irons as part of your hair styling routine, your thinning hair might be caused by heat damage as well as aging. We know heat tools can be fun, but they're your hair's worst enemy, especially as you age.
So, how to break up with your favorite heat styling tools? Start slow. Make sure you only use heat tools on the lowest setting. Invest in a tool with a temperature gauge so you know the exact level of damage you're subjecting hair to. Get a heat protectant product, and apply it to hair every time you even get near a source of heat! And pro tip: regular trims can help tame unruly locks, cutting down on your need for heat.
Supplement Your Health
Last but not least, there's one daily habit that can seriously boost the health of aging hair. Taking a daily supplement designed to nurture hair health is an excellent way to make sure your body is getting the nutritional support it needs to grow healthier, happier strands. GRO Biotin Gummies features vitamins B-5, -6 and -12 to help support your body’s production of keratin and collagen. It also has Vitamins A, C and E, which help neutralize follicle-damaging free radicals, while zinc works to promote and maintain scalp health.
Embrace Change
Ultimately, the best thing you can do for aging hair is to accept it. Aging is a natural part of life, and by responding to the inevitable changes that passing time brings, you can adapt your beauty routines to keep you feeling nourished and beautiful for years to come!
More From VEGAMOUR
- Shop: GRO AGELESS Collection for Graying Hair
- What You Need to Know About Biotin Deficiency
- Hyperbaric Chambers Are Being Used to Reverse Aging - Is This the Future of Aging?
- Dull Hair? Things You Can Do to Bring Your Hair Back to Life
