Though beautiful hair is one of our most important natural beauty accessories, a bad hairstyle or wrong colour can cut through self-confidence and leave you looking older than you are. Luckily, it's pretty easy to update your look without spending a lot of time or money. Here are some of the most common hair mistakes you can make that can make you look older:
- Overloading with hair with styling products: Avoid an excess of layering hair gels, fixing sprays, volumising mousses and shine sprays, and instead apply a light-weight mousse on the roots of your wet hair and then blow dry it as usual, finishing up with a touch of shine spray. Overloading your hair with styling products can lead to a glued-up mountain of hair on your head that won't make you look any younger.
- Split ends: To avoid this problem, trim your locks on a regular basis and use nourishing and hydrating hair masks, deep conditioning and rejuvenating hair treatments. Split, damaged and frizzy ends can make your hair look dull and can definitely make you look older.
- Going too blonde: No doubt over-bleached hair can make you look older, so instead of going for an overall blonde colour, opt for different types of highlights. These can help add dimension to your hair and even give the illusion of greater volume.
- Using the wrong shampoo: Your shampoo affects your hairstyle, and it may be making you look older. Shampoos for normal hair types are not the best option as you age. Grey and aging hair has unique characteristics that require a mask once a week, colour-protecting shampoo, thermal protectant, and more efforts in the fight against frizz.
- Going too dark: Dying your hair very dark can accentuate fine lines or dark circles under the eyes and cast shadows on your face. Opt for soft low lights to look more natural, add dimension to your hairstyle and visually frame your face.
- A blunt, straight cut: A simple, blunt haircut can add age and make your facial lines look more evident. Try a layered hairstyle instead. Layers can correct your face shape and add girlish liveliness to your hairstyle.
- Hair length: Both too short and too long hairstyles can add age. The optimal hair length would be the one that slightly passes your shoulders. If you're over 40, and you like shorter hairstyles, go for a bob, but avoid tomboy haircuts.
- Slicked-back styles: Pulled-back styles will make you look older. While tightly pulled buns and pony tails can be flattering, they tend to put any wrinkles or imperfections front and centre. Therefore, make sure you leave some hair strands to fall on the sides of your face, if you want to add careless youthfulness to your style.
- Too much volume: If your hair is naturally thin, use volumising and texturing hair mousses instead of hair-damaging hot tools to achieve amplified volume. - Falling flat: Avoid using hot hair-straightening products on a day-to-day basis, because they can make your hair look dull, lifeless and dry. Remember, flat hair that lacks volume can make you look older.
- Dying cool tones: Cool tones can add to your age. If you are blonde, go for golden tones, instead of platinum ones. If you are a redhead, opt for brassy red instead of burgundy, and if you are a brunette, choose warm brown instead of blueish black.
