Top 5 tips for Styling Your Hair after 40

Comment below to win a Chi Flat Iron!

If you are not used to styling your hair one of the tools that have been popular for a while is a hair straightener.

Here are some tips on how to use one so that your hair will not get damaged and prepare your hair for the flat iron.

• make sure your hair is clean and conditioned first
• while hair is still wet, use a thermal spray our heat treatment to prime your hair
• first fluff your hair with a hair dryer using just your fingers (no brush) to get most of the moisture out
• then use a round brush to get your hair as straight as possible
• make sure to use a hair straightener coated with ceramic so that it won’t damage hair

Congratulations to Melissa McMaster for your styling tip. You have won a  Chi Flat Iron.

Trying a New Hair Color and Style? Yes, it can affect the way you dress!

Have you ever felt tired of your hairstyle?

Just thought I (JoJami) would share with you my adventure growing out my hair for the last year.

This biggest change is how I can dress. When it is shorter and more tailored looking, it looks best when I dress more conservatively. Now that it is longer, I think I can wear things that are a little more funky.

Your hair style definitely affects how you dress.  That is why when old styles  that we wore 20 years ago come around they do not look right on us if our hair is different.

Does your hairstyle fit with the way you like to dress? Let’s discuss this one, comment below:

Here I am a year ago:

This was my short "bob" I had for about a year.

Here it is starting to grow out, last fall.

Here is the latest photo...I added just a touch of red to it, with the help of stylist Toni Albreight! photo credit: Shirley Williams

Just wanted to share with you that one of our newest FAF fans, Shirley Williams took this  photo at the David Morgan Hair Studio, in Miramar Beach, Florida.

Thanks Shirley, you are so adorable and full of joy and energy!

Check out this Age-Mazing gal! Shirley Williams (age 66). She says her secret is having kids! Her youngest daughter is 33 years old!

Thinking of going grey? Read on…

Are you considering going grey?

Dear Glam Gals,

My hair is about 75% grey/white and dark in the back underneath.  It’s very curly/frizzy and course and thick.  My usual natural color (the color I color it) is fairly dark brunette with a tint of red.  It’s about shoulder length.  I get a lot of compliments on my hair, but it also grows very fast, therefore the roots need to be colored every 2 and a half weeks.  I have olive skin and bright light blue eyes.  Do you think I should try to go grey and if so, how do you proceed with this without looking like a skunk?

Hi Debb:  

Greetings from the red carpet here in Hollywood.  I must say you’ve come to the right place for beauty, fashion and everything “fabulous after 40!”  I’m thrilled to be part of the team for hair, make-up and skin care tips and yes, intelligence does start to show up a little more in these fine years in the form of silver linings here and there.   But fortunately, there are lots of options.

First of all – red is a very difficult color to commit to if you’re concerned about grey coverage.   Red fades the fastest, needs more routine touch-ups to keep the color true and vibrant, and it’s hard to shift or move the color once its set.    I suggest moving into a brunette with highlights.    Anytime you use a single process color to cover grey, the regrowth is very obvious because of the single process application.  However if you break up the color with subtle highlights, then the regrowth is not as obvious and you can get a little more “wear and tear” out of the color.

In the meantime, try going brunette with subtle highlights.  I think you’ll like the results, and I think you’ll be less frustrated by regrowth and in-salon time.

In beauty,

Billy Lowe

LA Celebrity stylist, Billy Lowe

P.S.

I’m excited to roll out my Billy Lowe Be Beautifull campaign this year where I’m traveling around the country, working with clients  just like you and helping them discover the right cut/color/styling.  Many clients may never make it to Hollywood or New York for their own make-over, so this year, I’m bringing the red carpet to you.    So if your salon is interested in hosting a fabulous week with celebrity beauty brought right to you, please feel free to reach out to my team by visiting billylowe.com.

How Does This Look On Me?

Hi Glam Gals,

Should I wear my hair up with this outfit? Should I wear the necklace or scarf? I found this dress for $12.99 at Ross and tried it on with my daughters leggings after reading your articles.
Thanks,

LaAnja Gough (age 50)

You have permission to print my photos on your web page if you would like to.

Does this outfit look better like this or....

Boy, you got a great deal on this dress and it looks terrific on you. We think this outfit works either way and  you should enjoy mixing it up whatever your mood.

Or with this scarf and my hair up?

BTW, you really can’t be 50, can you???  You are Age-mazing™ (our special word for looking amazing for your age!)

Keeping Up Your Blonde when your Silver Wants to Rule…

You would think it would be easy to hide the grey by going blonde, yet we got this letter recently from a reader:

Even Nicole Kidman, seems to be having trouble hiding her grey roots! photo credit Daily Mail

I have always been blonde with  a “little” help, but now my hair has turned to what appears to be a silvery white and I am having trouble finding a product that will work to keep me blonde.  Even my hair stylist had trouble.

There’s lots of advice out there about dying gray hair dark, but what about keeping it light. Any suggestions?  I really don’t want to give up “blonde” yet.

~Janie

We took the question to the one person we knew was experiencing the same dilema…my (JoJami’s) mother, JoBee.

Here is her response:

Hi Sweetheart,

Having to deal with silvery white roots has been a constant challenge for me.  I have not found a perfect solution and for years I  have tried the best hairdressers I could find in Chicago, Los Angeles and Paris. No one seemed to have the answer until I found my present hairdresser (Adrianna at Christophe in Beverly Hills).

She  is using L’Oreal Majirel for the roots and following up with Sunflower by Artec Shampoo for golden blond effect.

I am happy to report, that finally, my blonde has been consistent!

~JoBee

 

JoBee has found the secret to keeping her hair looking "golden"!

Thanks for sharing you beauty secret with us, Mommy!! As usual, you are an amazing inspiration to us on how to stay youthful and fab after 40 and forever!

Do you have a suggestion or tip for this problem? …please comment below!

How Long Can You Wear Your long Hair After 50?

Dear Glam Gals,

I will be 50 on May 8th.  I have never had short hair. This picture is with my son at his best friend’s wedding. I’m thinking about going longer for my 50’s debut.

Cindy Ramirez

Almost 50 and looking youthful and radiant, but should she go longer?

Wow…you look FAB, Cindy!

We wanted to make sure you got the best advice available so we sent your letter and photo to our friend, celebrity hair guru, Billie Lowe to get his input on your question.

Here is what he said:

Dear Cindy,

I think you look fabulous at 50 and I love it when women are confident enough to wear longer tresses.
I do, however, think a shoulder length cut (maybe a tad longer) would be perfect on you.  When I saw your photo, my first glance caught your hair at the right shoulder area and I missed the tresses at the back.  I immediately thought that shoulder length look would be perfect for you, yet still give you some length to play with.

Find a great stylist and one that knows your hair type and can work with you on this journey.  Longer hair?  Not so sure.   But 3-4 inches off to start would be a fun look for you.   You can always take more off later, but start with a few inches for now and see how you like it.

Best of luck and send us updated photos!

Billy Lowe

www.billylowe.com
for Fabulous after 40

Billy Lowe, LA's premier stylist!

Good luck Cindy… and have a great Birthday!! ~JoJami and Deborah

If any of you are out in LA, you can visit Billy and get a $50.00 discount on a Keratin Straightening  treatment or Brazilian blow out! Call 310-430-4045 to book your appointment!

Will Growing Your Hair Make You Look Younger?

Hi Glam Gals,

I just randomly saw your article on long hair after 40, loved it. I am 53, 5ft., 105lbs. work hard at wellness, eating right and keeping fit which all contribute to good hair & skin quality . It’s just as healthy as when I was younger just that it now shimmers with silver.Thought y’all might get a kick out of  seeing short to long, so here is a picture taken last week , celebrating my twins 21st B-Day.and a picture of my short hair when I cut it super short to  get the dye out and let it start growing , quite a process whewwww. My kid’s love my hair as do their friends and I am happy to be a role model/advocate of the option of going gray and still rock long hair! Have a great day and thank you for your awesome articles are much appreciated.

Best,

Denise Buchoz

Hi Denise,

You are such a wonderful example of how to wear long hair and on top of that you are doing it with your natural color!  Thanks for sharing your story and photos with all of us!  You are a true Glam Gal and we love your long silver tresses!!!

Before: Here is Denise with short sporty hair.

After: A recent photo of Denise now that she has grown out her gray hair...looking youthful, sexy and gorgeous!

Gray Hair Confession

We’re going to make a confession that some of you may not want to hear…. We’re not big on gray hair. Sorry, we know it’s vogue to say how wonderful and sexy it is, but we just feel on many women it tends to wash them out and can make them look older.

We do admit, there are women where it  works and their gray hair can look stunning, but that’s usually because the woman is usually so darn attractive to begin with, she could wear purple and orange striped hair and still look good!   She is also the same woman  the color industry labels as a winter or summer, whose hair, when it turns gray, turns that striking silvery white color.

This former model revived her career because she went gray!

On a more positive note, we recently met this beauty, who had modeled professionally and then retired to have a child.  The good news is that this over 40 model (actually she is over  50) was able to revive her modeling career, simply  by being one of the few to be so bold as to sport her gray locks! She is another one of those gorgeous silver foxes!

It wouldn't matter what color hair this gorgeous woman had, she still looks great!

But that being said, we still feel that  being gray can definitely be tricky to pull off.

We know coloring your hair is a pain, yes it totally is!!

Moreover, some of you may say, who cares if you look old(er), you are not a young woman anymore -fine then go gray. We’re just saying if you want to stay looking youthful ( youthful- not ridiculously young) think long and hard about going that route.

We know we’re going to get some flack about this one but that’s o.k. There is no right or wrong in this “gray area”.  It’s just our opinion.