Five ways to keep your locks looking young

You spend a fortune keeping your face peachy but what’s a girl to do when years of styling and stress catch up with her hair?

Don’t overdo the shampoo

Like your skin, the scalp has a hydrolipidic barrier that can be damaged by UV exposure and sensitising ingredients like alcohol and fragrance, making it difficult for the area to retain moisture.

We protect the skin on our faces from these threats every day but are rarely so careful north of our foreheads. Gentle, moisturising formulas are a great way to cleanse.

Try Natural Tech Nourishing Shampoo, €16.75 at www.LuxuriousLook.co.uk , for hydrated hair with body.

Finally, shampoo residue can really dull your hair so don’t slosh it on and make sure you have enough time to rinse till the water runs clean.

Don’t lose it

Growth-stimulating and anti-loss haircare is a burgeoning market, making it tough to determine what really works without months of spending and patience.

It is helpful to remember that minoxidil is the only topical ingredient for hair retention and regrowth (available in the EU) that is backed by substantial independent research.

Perhaps recent innovations will test just as well in non-brand funded studies but why risk your time and money in the interim? Regaine is a well-known minoxidil brand and many pharmacies do cheaper in-house versions.

Before you shop, it is important to know that minoxidil is a long-term commitment that requires frequent and consistent application to work.

Use a hair primer like Kerastase Resistance Ciment Thermique, €23.50, to avoid breakage through styling.

Colour me youthful

Colouring your hair can make you look like a new person in more ways than one. Colour roughens and swells the hair shaft, making strands look and feel bulkier.

Single-shade tresses can look flat, so enlist professional help to create dimension with contrasting slices one or two shades from your base. Ask for highlights in front or wherever the sun naturally lightens your hair.

If grey has well and truly set in, a buttery blonde will give your look a youthful lift. Prevent brassiness with Tigi Dumb Blonde Shampoo, €21.70.

Try long layers

A layered, mid-length cut can soften features and make your ‘do look instantly healthier. Cate Blanchett wears low-maintenance layers to her shoulders, which creates a lot of movement and keeps the ends thick.

Jennifer Aniston has worn face-framing layers in front and long, blunt-cut layers in back far longer than “The Rachel” for a reason. Your stylist should never use a razor when layering, as this make the ends wispy and fragile.

If you’re determined to keep your hair all one length, finger-tousled waves with a side part will always look playful and girly.

Need texture? Try Shu Uemura Art of Hair Clay Definer, €27, for non-greasy “bedhead.”

Fake but fuller

Thickening shampoos and conditioners work by bulking up the each hair shaft with film-forming agents.

Although these ingredients make strands appear fuller at first, their build-up leaves hair looking flat and dull over time. Alternate such products with a clarifying shampoo to keep them working as intended.

Try Redken Speciality Hair Cleansing Cream Shampoo, €16.96. I also recommend Paul Mitchell Thicken Up Liquid, €16.99, for a thick, bouncy blowdry.