Just like the rest of our body, hair changes as we get older. Our body’s cells replace themselves every 7-10 years. Our hair’s life span is a bit shorter: 6 years for women and 3 years for men. So what can we do to keep our hair looking young?
Let’s start with some fun hair facts:
- Hair grows approximately a ½ inch a month. A single hair can live for up to 6 years. Let’s say a strand is 12 inches long. That means it’s been exposed to almost three years of ultraviolet light, friction from brushing, heat from blow dryers and curling irons, and chemicals used to color or straighten the hair. Yikes!
- As you age, your hair follicles lose the ability to produce melanin, causing not only gray hair, but a change in texture with drier, coarser hair.
- Blonde and gray hair have a more open cuticle, meaning they won’t look as shiny as darker hair, which has a closed cuticle.
InStyle Magazine reported that “with age, the length of the hair growth cycle gets shorter, the diameter of the hair follicles gets smaller, and the scalp can become drier.” If you have curly hair, your hair is already drier than your straight-haired friends since curly hair has difficulty holding onto moisture. Textured, curly and coily hair will typically get even drier as you get older.
Great, right?
No need to pull your hair out. The right hair care, maintenance and products can keep your hair looking shiny, healthy and full.
Tips to Keep Your Hair Looking Great at Any Age
- Just Add Water. Your hair is like a sponge – absorbing what it needs, and evaporating what it doesn’t. Even if you have straight hair, we recommend you use products designed for curly hair, like Rici curly hair care products. People with curly hair naturally have drier hair. So curly hair products are designed to add in more moisture than most hair care products.
- Some hair care products are making things worse. Check the ingredients of hair care products before you buy. Look for hair products that are water-based and sulfate-free. Do NOT use silicone-based products. They are working on the surface only and will leave a film that blocks shampoo and conditioner from doing their job.
Not all curly hair products are designed equally! Some curly hair product lines are designed to have you buy MORE product by making you use too much – weighing hair down, sometimes causing hair loss and ultimately drying hair out. We’ve designed Rici products so that you can never use too much. The goal is to load the cuticle with moisture so that the elements won’t affect it. For an extra boost, use a rich conditioning treatment, such as Rici Deep Treatment. - Moderation: Don’t over brush hair or overuse hair products, causing breakage and buildup. Shampoo every other day.
- Bye Bye Dye: As we mentioned earlier, blonde and gray hair have a more open cuticle. Hair dye seals the cuticle, giving it back some shine and gloss. During the pandemic, many people chose to stay silver. Which means that the cuticle is staying open, exposing the hair to dryness. Rici Thirsty Gel and Rici Curl Créme close the cuticle, add shine and define curls.
How to Keep Hair Healthy for a Long, Long Time
In addition to the right products, here’s how to keep your locks looking luscious:
- Minimize exposure to the sun.
- Avoid harsh chemicals.
- Don’t expose the hair to too much heat. We’re not asking you to ditch the blow dryer. Just try to keep the dryer at least 6 inches – even better, 12 inches – from your head.
Here’s to aging gracefully from head to toe. Treat your hair to our specially-formulated products. You’re worth it!
Ricky Pennisi is a prominent stylist, educator and founder of RICI hair care, a custom line that focuses on hydrating curls and combating frizz. With two decades of industry leadership, Ricky is known as the “king of curly hair” whose passion and dedication created the innovative line of products designed to moisturize, tame frizz and create shiny hair with each and every use. The RICI hair care product line is sold exclusively online at www.ricicurls.com.