Q. I am getting older, 43, and don’t know what to do with my hair. It’s showing some grey, and it’s boring. I don’t want to go really short either. What do you suggest?




A. The New York Times Bestseller, “How Not To Look Old”, by Charla Krupp lists some very specific strategies for staying young and hip. The book makes suggestions for hair that I have found to be valuable. Charla states that nothing ages you like grey hair, too-short bangs, too-long hair parted down the middle, helmet head hair, hair that is too high, a severe up-do, or visibly thinning hair. She goes on to claim that once you reach a certain age, you look better with bangs. I have found this to be the case unless you have very curly hair or cowlicks in the front hair line. Bangs accentuate your best features and camouflage negative ones like a large forehead, wrinkles on the forehead, or a receding hairline. Soft fringe (the term in the beauty biz for bangs), can draw attention to your eyes and away from your jaw line which may be starting to show some signs of age. It may seem like a simple thing to cut bangs but it’s really best left to a professional stylist. A good stylist can assure you the correct length of bangs, the right angle and can make sure your hair is balanced. The popularity of bangs peak and valley but they never go out of style and they almost always make you look younger. Your question seemed to suggest that you are thinking about color for your hair as well. Going back to the Charla Krupp philosophy she states that in order to look young, fresh, and vibrant color your hair two shades lighter than your natural color and around your face 3 or 4 shades lighter. She calls hair highlights the makeup you never take off. Ms. Krupp claims that hair color is fashion and that the current fashion trend is shiny, expensive color. She goes on to claim that a great hair color is a status symbol, like a designer hand bag. She calls hair color and investment and suggests that you protect it with the proper shampoos and conditioner. I agree with her. As we age we all become a little more high maintenance. Investing in our self keeps you in the game both at work and in your personal life. Being 43 is a great age, you are still young and vibrant plus you are most likely wise from your life experiences. Your appearance should be as full of life as you are, but don’t get too caught up in the trap of younger is always better. Be the best you can be and embrace the strength and power that only comes with the richness of having lived a while.