A healthy 'condition': How to keep hair shiny and healthy as you get older

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It's sad but true: Our bodies break down as we get older, and that includes our hair. In fact, many professional and drugstore brands, from Redken to Pantene, are introducing anti-aging products for the hair -- and local stylists say they're actually worth a try.

"The professional lines do have more moisturizers and more vitamins," says Charlotte Knupp, a stylist at Belladona Salon & Spa in Cape Girardeau. "Some have added a certain degree of hormonal substitutes. They do tend to help considerably, depending on the type of hair you have."

So how exactly does our hair age? According to Melyssa Terbrak, a hairstylist at Shear Madness Salon in Cape Girardeau, hair becomes more coarse as we get older, and it may become more brittle, depending on how you style it. Hair can also become thinner.

"A lot of times your hair will change texture. It has to do with hormonal changes in our bodies, mainly in women, but even in men," adds Knupp. "As hair becomes gray, gray hair will change texture to be very wiry and coarse, or limp and baby fine. Basically, it's very hard for some people to accept the fact that they have to change the way they do their hair or care for their hair, as opposed to the way they've always done it."

Knaupp says drinking plenty of water and brushing your hair will do wonders in keeping your hair healthy and shiny. Terbrak recommends using all-natural products that are healthy and gentle on hair, and having the ends trimmed every six to eight weeks -- hair tends to damage more easily as we get older, especially if we style it a lot, she says.

And, never underestimate the power of a good conditioner.

"Not using a conditioner is one of the worst things you can do," says Terbrak. "Shampoo gets all the grunge out of your hair, but if you're only using shampoo, you're not feeding the cuticle of the hair." Daily conditioning protects the hair from everyday damage, like the blow dryer -- speaking of which, be sure to use an additional heat protectant before using a blow dryer, flat iron or curling iron. Terbrak also recommends using a deep conditioner at least twice a month or, even better, once a week.

Winter haircare

The cold, dry air of winter wreaks havoc on your hair, so conditioning is as important as ever during these months, says Melyssa Terbrak, a stylist at Shear Madness Salon in Cape Girardeau.

"It's also good if you can find a light oil to help seal everything after you're done styling," she says. A lightweight oil, like Moroccan oil, will help protect the hair and cut down on pesky static electricity, another side effect of dry indoor air. A couple drops of a hair serum or dry oil will also do the trick, says Charlotte Knupp, a stylist at Belladona Salon & Spa in Cape Girardeau. Running a vaporizer in your home can put some moisture back in the air, too, giving your hair a break from the winter.

"Regular deep conditioners and keeping oil on it help all around," says Terbrak.