Old age signs appear as a drastic change in the color and texture of your hair. Your hair type decides the hair changes along with your progressing age. It is an indication to follow a proper hair care regimen. Although it’s a natural phenomenon, you can slow down the changes in your hair as you age. A prominent sign of onset of aging is the appearance of changes in color and texture of hair. Noticing your straight hair becoming more wavy or coarse or your curly locks getting less bouncy is the start of a journey towards getting old. What? Getting scared? Hey hey, look! All is not lost!
You have a great opportunity to learn how to care for your hair and save yourself from a great hair loss due to the aging process. Let’s get prepared to embrace a new hair texture with an effective hair care regimen.
Does Aging Affect Your Hair?
As you age, your hair gets changed in several ways. How? Here are some symptoms you surely can experience when you age:
Thinning of Hair
As you age, several transformations appear in your body, weight, and appearance. Similarly, changes in the color and texture of your hair are natural transformations. Your hair gets thinner and duller than usual, and you may experience hair loss.
According to experts, this is a usual hair growth cycle in which the hair growth period becomes shorter and their growth rate declines with a progressive age in most people.
In Addition. The follicles supporting hair growth produce in lower quantities with the aging process. This can stop the new hair production process. Thus your hair density goes down.
Moreover, hair experts and dermatologists also claim that with progressing age, your body’s natural oil production decreases, which results in coarse, hard, and dull hair. Sebum, your body’s natural oil, is essential for your hair’s shine and smoothness. Your hair diameter also becomes smaller, losing its shine and softness. Therefore, in this phase, your hair becomes thinner and shorter.
Loss of Hair
Although hair changes signal you about aging, however, sometimes an underlying health condition can also be responsible for hair loss. This condition is a sign of a change in your hormonal balance. According to research, losing 100 to 150 hairs a day is normal because your hormones can grow new hair and shed the old ones daily. This is the normal rate of hair growth that can be sustained throughout your life, even if your hair growth declines.
Experts and dermatologists in the hair treatment centers declare that people assigned as male at birth experience more hair loss which is known as male pattern baldness while hair loss in females is called female pattern baldness.
According to the report, both types are similar except for the pattern of hair loss.
A 20223 study reveals that stress is another cause of hair loss. Emotional stress and life-changing or life-disturbing events also contribute to hair loss. Because the stress-causing hormone “cortisol” damages the hair growth follicles over time. These circumstances strengthen the process of hair loss as you age. Bald patches and hair shedding are the symptoms of this type of hair loss.
Graying of Hair
As you age, melanin production decreases and results in graying of hair. Melanin is a natural pigment-containing hormone that produces melanocyte cells. Melanocytes are responsible for your hair color. The decreased number of melanocyte cells is a cause of gray hair. The absence of melanin compounds causes the appearance of white hair, as you age.
The aging procedure also affects the texture of your hair. Understanding your hair type helps to learn how to style and maintain your changing hair texture with growing age.
Science and Change in Hair Texture
What does science say about hair change with aging? The science behind hair change assures you that you can’t control all changes in hair texture caused by the aging process. However, understanding the causative agents of such changes can help you to slow down hair-changing problems such as hair thinning, hair graying, and hair loss. These include:
- Oxidative stress.
- Using alcohol.
- Smoking cigarettes.
- Exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
- Genetic mutations.
- Inflammation.
According to hair loss consultants and nutritionists, poor digestive health along with several gut conditions including inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome are also contributors to hair loss when you age.
A 2015 article reveals that malnutrition can also cause hair loss. However, more research is needed.
In addition, the studies done in this field are not enough to decide whether nutrient-dense food can help restore hair growth or prevent more hair loss. They also explain long-term stress exposure due to your family or work circumstances and also impact your hair health. Stress-creating hormones such as cortisol target and damage your hair-producing follicles which may lead to hair loss as you age.
Moreover, some life-changing events, including thyroid problems or menopause in females also cause dryness in hair that results in brittle or broken hair. Breaking and brittling of hair cause thinning of hair leading to hair loss as you age.
Hair Changes According to Hair Type
Learning about hair changes is as necessary as identifying your hair type. You can find out your hair type with a thread test. In this test, the thickness of your hair is compared with the thickness of a thread. According to the thread test, one or more of the basic thicknesses are:
- Fine.
- Medium.
- Thick.
If your single hair is thinner than a thread your hair is classified as fine hair. If your hair has approximately the same thickness as a thread, you have medium hair while thicker hair than a thread can be categorized as thick hair.
In addition, your genetics also plays a role in defining your hair type. It typically depends on your hair’s coiling pattern. The amount and quality of your hair curls depend on the number of follicles you have.
Moreover, hair follicles are responsible for your hair type as well. Hair Follicles with irregular shapes such as oval or asymmetrical shapes are responsible for your hair curls. Research has supported the Andre Walker Hair Typing System as the best method to understand your hair type. According to this system, hair can be classified into four categories. All four hair types are further divided into subcategories that have minute details about the coils, curls, looseness, and tightness of hair. The texture of your hair can be different at the roots and ends. Thus styling and management of hair according to their type is tricky. The most important thing is to understand what you need to provide your hair so that you may tailor your hair care routine to match. According to Andre Walker Hair Type System, your hair may be:
Straight Hair: Type 1
These hairs lack natural curls. Their strands are fine, thick or thin but all are straight from root to tip without any waving. Straight hair is considered best for styling. However, as you age your straight hair can become slightly curlier in nature. This is because your skin loses the ability to produce enough oil to nourish them after the age of 45.
Wavy Hair: Type 2
A tousled and soft texture of natural hair is found in wavy hair. From the end to the shoulder, your hair will be straight but there may be an undefined and loose wave from shoulder to roots. So having curly or wavy hair is easy to distinguish due to their more than one curl pattern in different sections of hair. This becomes more common as you age.
Curly Hair: Type 3
This type has loose lips of curly hair with an s-shape that is particularly known as the 3A type. These curls are wider than the large end of the taper candle and this wider circumference makes them more beautiful. However, the aging process makes these loops loose and forms new curl patterns due to hormonal imbalance as in menopause. This type of hair is greatly influenced by environmental factors, such as pollution, gravity, and climate. Therefore these become weaker and thinner as you age and become less likely to have actual curls.
Coiled Hair: Type 4
The prominent identification sign of this type of hair is its s-shaped coil that can be easily wrapped around a chopstick. As your age progresses, the coils of your hair are more likely to get dried and broken. This structure makes it difficult for them to retain more moisture. Thus these hairs lack softness, smoothness, and natural shine. This type of hair looks frizzy and harder to manage for styling.
Experts recommend gentle management and styling for this type of hair because they lack natural oil making them more prone to damage and dehydration.
Revamp Your Hair Care Regimen
The number of hairs on your head refers to hair density. People with lower hair density can observe their scalp easily even without parting their hair. A versatile and effective hair care regimen can help you improve your hair density and decrease hair loss. Right products with a perfect hair care regimen with prescription medications can take you to the path of betting strong and smooth hair with natural shine. Here are some basic steps to revamp your hair care regimen:
Conditioner and Shampoo
Hair health experts say that a healthy scalp is the guarantee of healthy hair. It’s important to keep your scalp well-nourished and healthy. Experts of the American Institute of Dermatology recommend washing your hair often with shampoo, according to your hair type. New research has shown that using conditioners and shampoos can help to increase the volume of your hair and is particularly helpful in increasing the thickness of your hair in case of hair thinning.
In addition, you can buy over-the-counter Rogaine to increase the thickening of your hair. However, always discuss with your doctor before using such medications because their potential side effects can be serious sometimes.
Wavy and Straight Hair
These types of hair tend to get more oily than other types of hair. Frequent shampooing triggers more oil production in your scalp. Therefore, it is advised by hair experts and hair stylists to avoid products made with harsh chemicals like butter or heavy serums.
Studies show that straight or wavy hair needs a more gentle hair care regimen involving the following steps:
- Gentle and dry shampoos.
- Drying your hair with a towel gently.
- Applying texture sprays.
Your hair gets more dried as you age. Avoid brushing or combing your hair in dried form. This will save them from breakage. And may increase the volume of your hair.
Coiled or Curly Hair
These types of hair tend to dry easily due to a lack of mixture. As you age such types of hair get thinner and weaker. This dryness also causes breakage of hair which often results in hair loss.
If you want to add shine and bounce to your curly hair, you should follow a proper hair care regimen with high-quality hair care products. Always look for conditioners, shampoos, and hair products that are specially formulated for curly hair. These products are prepared to retain moisture in such types of hair. Avoid hair care products that cause weight loss and cause dryness.
These tips can help you to care for coiled and curly hair:
- Bind your hair when you sleep.
- Protect your hair from heat and sun.
- Keep your scalp healthy with nutritional remedies.
- Lock moisture in your hair.
- Wash your hair less, only when needed.
- Detangle your hair.
Experts recommend using conditioners after using shampoo to rehydrate your hair after shampooing. This can prevent hair shafts from drying out and enhance their shine and healthy looks.
Conclusion
As you age, hair loss and thinning of hair become a matter of concern for you. Your hair type finalizes the changes in your hair as you get older. Your hair may look dull, grey, and dry with growing age. After 45, your hair density also goes down. However, you don’t need to be disheartened as there are hair care regimen steps that can help you start embracing your hair changes throughout your life.
