If you’ve hit midlife and found your hair is misbehaving more than your children, we promise you’re not imagining it.
As we age and enter perimenopause and beyond, our hair can become dry and thinner, as well as resistant to tried and tested haircare routines that we’ve relied on for years.
In a bid to get our hair back to its shiny, healthy best, we called upon celebrity stylist Michael Douglas for his expert advice.
Responsible for all of Davina McCall’s incredible The Masked Singer hair looks as well as her flawless fringe, Michael is the go-to for midlife hair styling – and proved he’s ever the gentleman when we asked him what women should stop doing to their hair in their forties and fifties.
“As a man, even one considered a hair expert, I’m not massively keen on telling women what they should or shouldn’t do,” he told us.
“I actually find older women know a lot more about themselves and what they want, and in my experience, they make far fewer mistakes about their hair than younger people.”
That said, he did share a helpful set of guidelines, caveating: “Please consider these a guide and certainly not rules.”
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1. Avoid dark hair
“The darker you colour your hair, the faster you will see the regrowth – especially when the regrowth is grey or white,” cautions Michael.
“As a guide, it’s a good idea to think about having a lighter colour on your hair. This can be more flattering against your skin and less likely to see the regrowth as quickly.
“Highlights are also a good idea as they can be flattering and disguise regrowth – but I know they can be expensive to keep up.”
2. Don’t be scared of fringes
“Having a fringe is a great way of hiding unwanted lines and wrinkles, especially on the forehead and around the eyes.
“I’d tend to go for a concave-shaped fringe, shorter in the middle and longer on the sides. Davina’s fringe is a good example of this.”
3. Don’t blow-dry every day
“Allowing your hair to air dry once or twice a week and therefore not using heat on it can be a good idea.
“I recommend using an air-dry cream combined with a mousse or a blow-dry spray on freshly shampooed hair, leaving it to air-dry without touching it and seeing what happens. This will save you time and a lot of heat damage and can often look great once you’ve got used to the process.”
4. Don’t settle for an average stylist
“A stylist that you have a great rapport with and trust is crucial. It really is a valuable relationship and can be super helpful with maintaining your hair cut and colour.”
5. Don’t neglect your haircare routine
While you might have a shampoo and conditioner you’ve loved for years, Michael suggests looking into a new one in midlife – but cautions it doesn’t need to cost the earth.
“Shampoo, conditioner and a weekly hair mask are a great idea, but don’t feel that you need to spend a fortune on it. There are plenty of high-quality, affordable brands out there that I recommend.
“OGX is one of my favourite affordable ranges. The ingredients are reliable and the formulations are second to none, plus the price point is good for everyone.
“For greying hair that feels dry, go for OGX’s Argan Oil of Morocco collection, as all of the products are suitable for greying older hair.”
6. Don’t always rely on the experts
“Learning to blow dry your own hair properly with a round bristle brush and a hairdryer with a nozzle is a brilliant way to smooth frizzy hair.
“This is a skill well worth learning. Once you’ve learnt how to do it, it’s like riding a bike, and you will always be able to do it, which means you will always be able to make your hair shiny for free! Check out the tools and brushes from mdlondon.com.”
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