Aging gracefully: The Chapel's guide to mature hair maintenance

Colour

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As we age it isn’t just the changes to our skin we may notice. Hair texture, colour, and manageability can often cause concern and create styling issues. Feeling comfortable and confident with your hair is vitally important, regardless of your age. Despite the changes you may be noticing, if you are equipped with a good understanding of your hair and its needs, there’s no need to worry.

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The Chapel - Tunbridge Wells: Balayage and babylights are great colour techniques to subtly blend grey with a palette of multi-tonal blondes including ashy tones.

Get creative with colour

Wrongfully, ‘going grey’ has been something we have been brought up to fear: but should not be considered with such negativity. After all, it is not the colour of your hair that necessarily ages you, but the cut, style, or condition — you are only as old as you feel. Naturally, as times goes by and greys will begin to appear, and it is your choice whether you embrace the change or invest in professional colouring. If you have lighter hair naturally you may find that this works well to blend the grey and you don’t really notice it. Those with darker hair or that colour their natural shade darker may find as time goes by the root regrowth becoming more noticeable. If you are partially grey and not keen on an all over colour, balayage and babylights are great colour techniques to subtly blend grey with a palette of multi-tonal blondes including ashy tones. They are also low maintenance, with their bespoke application creating a colour which tailors to your hair's condition, and the amount of grey throughout.

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This Kerastase range is extremely effective at moisturising and nourishing, including grey hairs.

Prime-time products

Keep in mind that more mature hair may need additional moisturising. Your hair has a life cycle of two to seven years, meaning that if you have longer locks the mid-lengths and ends can become dry and dull if you rarely use nourishing conditioners or moisturising treatments. To inject some life into your locks try an in-salon treatment which instantly adds moisture to hair follicles, and also helps to boost your scalp condition. You may experience a dry and flaky scalp due to hormonal changes or medications used, with this in mind try to avoid shampoos that contain sodium lauryl sulphate as these can aggravate a delicate scalp. Look for natural ingredients in products such as the antibacterial properties of tea tree oil and calming lavender. Remember to massage your scalp well when washing or carrying out a treatment, to stimulate blood flow and relieve stress as both are connected to hair growth and repair. Sometimes if your hair and scalp are showing signs of stress or damage this can indicate a health underlying issue, so it’s always worth keeping an eye on these signs and consulting an expert if necessary.

To combat hair looking and feeling flat, mix hair care ranges to tailor to your needs. A volumising shampoo used with a moisturising conditioner will give volume but also avoid hair looking dry. You may find your hair can break and become brittle, losing elasticity due to ongoing styling routines and over colouring. For those treat your hair to protein rich conditioners which help strengthen the hair.

Which style should I opt for?

As hair ages, it becomes finer, and less dense, which can often leave the hair looking sparse and lacking bounce. Thinning hair can be distressing, but a great cut can help disguise any worries you may have, and make hair appear thicker and cheat more volume. Going for a shorter textured cut that avoids blunt lines, can remove bulk and give a blended more modern softer look. Following the nape of the neck can prove elegant and flattering. Slightly longer face-framing pieces with a shorter layered crown and nape, look fantastic when styled with a light wax or pomade to create texture, or smooth with serum for a sophisticated finish. If you want to leave your hair longer, a graduated bob or ‘lob’ will balance hair and flatter longer, oval face shapes. Face shape can often change as you get older so it’s important to understand which styles will suit as this may not be your usual style. Ask your stylist during consultation about styles which they would suggest, as they can take into account your face shape, hair type, and lifestyle.

The stereotype of a blue rinse and perm is most certainly an outdated one: now is the time to find your style, embrace your look, and step out in confidence. Not sure which style or routine will suit you best? Get in touch with one of our expert stylists, they’ll be more than happy to help.

Mastering maintenance

Grey hair can look beautiful if maintained and looked after. Dirt will show on grey hair more so than any other hair type. Discolouration can be an issue from over processing with heat, chemical treatments and environmental factors. If you want to keep your grey looking fresh you can use a silver shampoo to knock out any brassy tones or yellow hues. In addition, excessive exposure to sunlight can also be damaging, as grey hair is lacking in melanin: a pigment that protects hair and skin from the sun. Look out for leave-in sprays and conditioners that can help protect and nourish sun-kissed locks.

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