4 Hair Care Tips for Women Over 40

Discover effective hair care tips tailored for women over 40 to maintain healthy and vibrant hair.

As you age, your body starts to wear down. This often results in noticeable physical symptoms of aging, like sagging skin, wrinkles, and weight gain. Additionally, you may notice your hair become duller and less vivacious.

But there are things you can do to restore some of this youthfulness.

How to Keep Your Hair Looking Young and Healthy

Hair loss is known to be a common problem in most men. In fact, by the age of 40 or 50, the majority of men have noticeable thinning or balding. It’s hard to ignore. But hair loss doesn’t just impact men. Women also experience hair loss, graying, and dryness of the scalp as they age. And, unfortunately, it can induce feelings of inadequacy and even shame.

Research shows that more than 50 percent of women will experience a noticeable degree of hair loss in their lifetime. The most common cause is female-pattern hair loss (FPHL). This condition affects roughly 30 million American women.

In addition to thinning hair, many women notice that their hair gets coarser and grayer. It may also become more brittle, which leads to breakage. These factors work together to inhibit healthy hair growth over time.

If you’re one of the tens of millions of women experiencing hair deterioration, the good news is that there are solutions. Here are a few suggestions that are proven to work:

1 - Load Your Diet Up With These Vitamins and Nutrients

A healthy diet is important for every aspect of your health, but is especially important when it comes to the vitality of your hair. The food you eat can impact everything from hair growth to strength and texture.

According to WebMD, essential fatty acids – omega-3s in particular – are critical for the health of hair, skin, and nails. You can get more of it by consuming fresh fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna, etc.), walnuts, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, soybeans, and vegetables like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and cauliflower.

In addition to fatty acids, you need a proper intake of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12. And since hair is largely made up of protein, it’s important that you consume protein-heavy foods like chicken, lean meat, soy products, and eggs.

2 - Use Laser Therapy

If you’re one of the millions of women experiencing hair thinning as you age, you may want to give laser therapy a shot. The Kiierr laser cap system is proven to have a 93 percent success rate in clinical studies. It leverages low level laser technology to increase blood flow to areas of the scalp that have gone dormant. This reignites the growth cycle and encourages follicles to move back into the anagen phase (where they can sprout new and healthy hair).

3 - Drink More Water

Your hair needs moisture to thrive. When it becomes dehydrated, growth is delayed (and may even stop altogether). You also become prone to brittle hair and split ends.

It’s believed that water comprises 25 percent of a healthy strand of hair. So if you lack the proper hydration, your hair will lose both strength and volume. Doctors recommend women consume 11.5 cups of fluids per day. 

4 - Be Mindful of Hair Care Products

Many of today’s hair care products are loaded with chemicals and harsh ingredients that can irritate your scalp and strip hair of the essential qualities it needs to thrive. To grow strong and healthy hair, be mindful of which products you’re using.

As a side note, dry shampoo is a great option for aging women. If you don’t already use it, now’s the time to start. It allows you to keep your hair clean without drying it out. For best results, only wet wash your hair a couple of times per week. The rest of the time, you can get away with dry shampoo.

Putting it All Together

There’s never a convenient time to have your hair turn gray. It’s never a welcome sight to notice that your hair is thinning. Breakage isn’t something you wake up and wish for. Yet, these are the natural results of aging. Thankfully, there are ways to overcome these visible signs of aging and “turn back the clock” to a more vivacious version of yourself.