Like every part of our bodies, hair is subject to the whims of time. Beyond going grey (I’m currently experiencing a boom in silver strands that my hair stylist refers to as “sparklers”), hair can become less dense and finer as we age, which means growing it out may look very different today than it did in your 20s.
To update your hair care routine, Toronto-based hairstylist Aaron O’Bryan recommends washing hair less frequently – about three times a week – using a shampoo created with the needs of fine hair in mind. “When you wash it too often, it can dry out the scalp and it can also cause breakage if you have fine hair,” he says. The Volume Shampoo from AOB, O’Bryan’s new made-in-Canada hair care line, contains biotin and other ingredients with this in mind. Instead of scrubbing your hair in the shower, O’Bryan recommends emulating a soothing salon scalp massage. “This creates more blood flow on the scalp and helps create healthier and thicker hair.”
Longer hair may also emphasize the yellowing that can happen as you go grey. “Being in the elements and with day-to-day buildup outside with pollution or smoking, hair tends to grab onto that, and it can start to go yellow,” O’Bryan says. To counteract any environmental tinting, look for a purple or silver shampoo, which will neutralize the yellow on the hair, and use a clarifying shampoo once a month.
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AOB Volume Shampoo, $32 through aobproducts.ca.
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