Dull hair may not be the MOST critical hair problem to have, but it does affect our mood every time we catch sight of us in a mirror or photo. Dull, lifeless hair reflects our mood and perhaps conveys that WE are dull and lifeless too! Shiny, bouncy, full hair lets others know that we are healthy, happy, on the move even if we are not quite so successful. In our quest to look younger longer, shiny hair is an easy fix. We can do our “100 strokes” with a hair brush to redistribute sebum or oil from the scalp to the ends of the hair. We can make sure that we use less shampoo or at least shampoos that don’t have the sulfites that give us lather. The newest low-sudsing shampoos clean the scalp and hair without taking out the lipids or fatty acids that reflect light and create shine. Since our natural hair and scalp oils drop dramatically after 40, this becomes more critical as we age. Oils, hair masks and using your blow-dryer, curling iron or flat-iron less often all help conserve or replace what aging is taking away.

A second inevitable hair-happening is the process of graying. Some folks are unlucky enough to start graying at 20, but most start at 30. Some of us gray all over, and others gray in patches, but as the color producing cells in our hair follicles start to die, new hair is produced without color. The only benefit is that most times these grayer (or actually clear) hairs are sometimes thicker, stronger and wavier.

They can also have dryer cuticles or coatings with gaps where the hair bends or cracks which causes light deflection. So…our hair is not only gray, but dull too! Hair dyes come in permanent or semi-permanent (less damaging) types, but most of us will turn to their use to cover our inevitable graying strands.

The third common hair problem is thinning and balding. We start to realize that we can see our scalp through our hair easier, find more hair in our brushes, the shower drain or on our pillows. Again, in our 30s we start to see the increased shedding and it only gets worse as time goes by. The pattern of thinning or balding follows our parent’s process, but heredity is only part of the story. Hormonal changes, decreased blood flow and the overall lowering of protein levels all contribute. Hair breaks more easily too, so hair is thinner per strand and thinner in number! A double whammy! A richer diet, vitamins and medications that specifically promote hair growth along with shampoos and conditioners that thicken by coating each hair shaft all can help.

The most amazing of thinning hair treatments however, is the latest in laser use. Lasers no longer just cut and remove things, they now can be used at low levels so that their cool light therapy in a laser hair brush can actually be used to increase blood flow and therefore nutrients to the hair follicles. Increased nutrients mean that each hair follicle can produce a stronger, healthier, fuller hair shaft. This all means that our hair and WE can look younger.

Dull, gray and thin need not be a part of our look as we get older. Shampoos that promise shine and dying our hair has been around for a long time, but use of a laser hair comb or brush is a new natural hair loss treatment. Amazingly, laser hair restoration will probably become just as common and as easy to obtain as going to your salon or even done in your own home.