What are the effects of aging on you hair? Ever wondered?

Different stages in our lives affect our hair differently, each stage brings with itself  different hair care requirements. And in this post I’ll tell you ALL you need to know about how aging affects our hair. 

There are mainly :

• The Infant or Baby Stage

• The Child Stage

• The Adolescence Stage

• The Adult Stage

• The Pregnancy Stage

• The Late Adulthood Stage

The infant or the baby stage

 

It is during the time the baby is conceived that the baby’s hair characteristics are determined. During the 16th week of pregnancy the fetus is covered with lanugo (body hair that’s shed before birth). And at 20 weeks gestation the first hair appear on the head and it is also at this time that for the first time pigment (melanin: which determined the color of the hair) is produced.

Soon, within weeks of the baby being born, the baby starts loosing his/her’s original hair and these hair are often rubbed off. The new hair is very different from the original downy mass. That is why a baby born with blond curly hair may have brown, straight hair by the age of 6 months.

Some good baby shampoos you should consider buying for your child:

 

The childhood stage
 

 

All children have have beautiful hair, and it is best to keep them cut and styled simply. However, children don’t really need a visit to the hairdresser until they’re 2 years of age. Children will rarely have hair problems that adults, and adolescents do. It is best if you choose a very mild shampoo for their hair. Conditioner for children isn’t really necessary. A good diet, will usually take care of all their hair and body needs. It’s important to pay attention to their healthy diet to strengthen their constitution at this time.

Some mild shampoos to consider buying for your child (The Shampoo(s) mentioned are free from SLS, Silicones and Parabens:

 

The adolescence stage

 

It is usually at this age when when children start going through puberty. They want to experiment with their hair. However, this is when the time to establish a good hair care regime starts.  It is at this time when conditioners should ideally be used (ages 13 onwards) while it isn’t a doctor given guideline, but children below this age don’t really need to get into condition. According to the hair type and texture an appropriate shampoo and conditioner should be chosen.

So re-evaluate the shampoo your child, or you as a child had been using and get your self a shampoo and conditioner more suited towards your need. This is the stage where your hair should be healthy with a good hair growth rate. Still, choosing mild shampoos is a good option. Even as an adolescent try taking care of your hair through practices such as oiling the hair.

However, you don’t need to get into more intermediate hair care like using hair masks etc.

Products to add in your hair care routine at this stage in life (Products mentioned are SLS, Silicones and Paraben free):

Conditioners

 

Hair Oil

Oiling your hair has various benefits, some of these benefits are a good hair growth, soft and manageable hair, and healthy hair. I recommend hair oils starting this age because now the hair needs more care, as adolescents are more likely to be wanting to experiment with their hair. Hair oils are pure and 100% natural. You can use any you like but I recommend these:

                 

 

 

 

The adult stage

 

When I say adult I mean the ages 18+ which even though is still teenage but you’re now an adult and it’s important that you know that some people can experience hair loss during puberty, some can have thick lush hair, it all depends on what you’ve been given and blessed with in the genes.

However, I would say this is the best time to start all your hair care practices now and make them a habit. Make sure your hair care routine suits your hair type. Your hair should ideally be at it’s optimal growth during your “young years” that is 16-24 years of age. Not to say, you’re old at 25 but thats just when your hair grows most.

Using a mild shampoo, a good conditioner, hair masks, essential oils, and oiling your hair will keep problems like hair fall, split ends, breakage etc. at bay.

Apart from using mild shampoos, conditioners and oiling your hair consider buying these products as well at adult stage:

Hair Masks

When you’re an adult, this is exactly when you should care the most for your hair. As children, just a good diet and apt shampoos and conditioners along with oiling should keep most hair problems away. But as you grow, you need to really care for your hair, specially if you’re growing them out long. Consider getting yourself hair masks to strengthen your hair even more, I recommend these hair masks as they are natural and have no side effects:

                    

 

Essential Oils

Essential oils are a great and very beneficial addition to your hair care products, they are natural and boost hair growth, they also help fight dandruff and other fungal and microbial infections from getting to your scalp. Rosemary and Lavender Essential oils are particularly great for hair growth, and fighting dandruff.

                       

 

  

 

The pregnancy stage

 

During pregnancy hair looks its best, but it is after that, or rather breast-feeding that women suffer from excessive hair loss.

This is related to the stages of hair growth.  What happens during pregnancy is that the hormones in the mother’s body keep the hair in the growing phase for a longer time, this makes them appear fuller and thicker. 12 weeks post birth though what appears to be excessive hair loss is just postponement of a natural occurrence, this condition is known as post-patrum alopecia.

Hair may become drier and brittle after pregnancy, due to depletion of protein content in the hair. It is advisable to use mild shampoos and intensive conditioning treatments, and conditioners. And by regularly oiling.

Avoid chemically treating your hair during this time. As hair are already in an altered state and can be unpredictable.

Hair care products at this stage are not really any different from those you should use in the adult stage, however, avoid using essential oils during this period in your life.
         

The late adulthood stage

 

Aging slows down the whole body. This takes means the body now produces thinner and shorter hair. Te sebaceous glands produce less sebum and hair begins to loose its color as the production of melanin decreases.

Blod hair fades, brunettes loose their natural highlights and redheads tone down to brown shades. Melanin also makes the hair flexible and soft, when melanin production is stopped, hair become even drier. Thus white hair or rather gray hair appear much coarse and rough.

It is at this time that you need to you need to concentrate on keeping your hair conditioned with really intensive treatments. Regular conditioning and use of essential oils to promote a healthy scalp.

When in late adulthood try to make intensive hair treatments and hair serums your best friend:

Hair Serums

Intensive Hair Treatments