Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Beauty Boss: Your locks lost their shine? How to solve those age-old hair woes

© Shutterstock / Milan Ilic PhotogPortrait of beautiful senior woman in front of white background.; Shutterstock ID 1025380411; Purchase Order: -
Portrait of beautiful senior woman in front of white background.; Shutterstock ID 1025380411; Purchase Order: -

No matter your age, being able to swish and flick a head of thick, shiny and healthy hair always feels amazing. But keeping your tresses in tip-top condition can be tricky, and each decade brings new challenges, from broken ends to thinning layers.

Here, leading hair expert Michael Van Clarke shares advice for every age bracket.


20s: Frazzled and dry ends

In your early twenties, you pass peak metabolic vitality and hair-growth cycles return with slightly less lushness than in the late-teens peak.

So, hair needs to be cared for, especially if you want to wear it long. It’s also a decade of experimentation and flat irons, which make hair care and treatments even more important for avoiding dry, frazzled ends. My 10 Second Transformation grooming balm and Magic Oil (both £24.50) are great recovery products if you’ve been a little careless.

30s: Postnatal hair loss

During pregnancy normal hair-growth cycles are interrupted, and locks get thicker and more lustrous. However, about three months after the birth, the hair resumes its cycle of falling, and a larger number of hairs than normal enter the resting phase, which is followed by hair shedding.

So, new mothers will experience greater than normal hair loss. It starts to recover from month six, but a fringe can help if the loss is mainly around the front hairline.

© Peter Clark
Michael Van Clarke

40s: Brittle hair

During this decade, at each cycle, the hair returns a little thinner and less strong. A good system of hair care is even more important, and it’s harder to just “wing it”.

Shorter styles may be more appropriate, as they demand less of the hair quality. The line of the haircut will be crucial for this, too – for example, long A-line haircuts will demand too much from the weak hair at the front. Long shaped face-framing works better.

50s: The menopause

In your 50s, it’s important to avoid or mitigate lifestyle factors that weaken hair, including sun, sea, chlorine, excessive tinting, heat styling, and poor-quality products loaded with silicones and heavy oils. Conditioning is key!

60s: Thinning hair

The haircut is the most ­important factor here, and the right style can eliminate any suggestion of thinning hair. Styles that give lift around the face and partings that are angled towards the crown, so the eye doesn’t look straight down them, are ideal.

Treatments like my pre-wash LifeSaver (£29) and styling products, like volumising mousse, can work wonders.


Visit vanclarke.com