Drop a decade by changing your hairstyle

There are hundreds of treatments you can have in the pursuit of looking younger, but many are costly and they're not always effective. A change of haircut, on the other hand, is quick, easy and has immediate impact - without resorting to the surgeon's knife or therapist's needle

Celebrity inspiration

It's all about know-how and an individual approach, according to Frederic Fekkai, who's worked his hair magic on Michelle Pfeiffer and Sharon Stone: ‘Women can look fantastic at any age,' he says. ‘There is no one size fits all. A good stylist will take many factors into consideration - your eyes, your bone structure and the texture of your hair, as well as your height, body shape, the clothes you wear and your lifestyle. Even after you've found a style you're happy with, you need to re-evaluate the way you look regularly, then hone it, refine it and make minor adjustments. There's nothing worse than being stuck in a style rut.'

Celebrity hairstylist and Silvikrin Style Consultant Sasha Breuer works with top models Elle MacPherson and Naomi Campbell. He suggests simply changing your parting: ‘The older you get, the harder it is to pull off a middle parting because it draws the face down. A side parting gives a fresher look and is the easiest thing to do,' Sasha explains. ‘Part the hair with the tip of a comb and smooth it down on either side. It should look defined, without flyaway hairs, but avoid using heavy gels and waxes as these make hair look greasy. Instead, use a spritz of hairspray to fix.'

Stylist's tip: Try Silvikrin Hydrostyle  £1.99 (0845 070 8090)

When to go shorter

Braving it and losing length that looked good in your 30s may give you the effect of a mini facelift, as well as a new hairdo. ‘Long, lank hair on a woman who is 40-plus accentuates the downward droop of the facial muscles,' warns top colourist Jo Hansford. ‘A sharper cut needn't be unsexy - look at Catherine Deneuve, who has a fantastic short style and looks all the better for it.'

It isn't just the length that can be ageing but also the quality. In your 20s and 30s hair tends to be more lustrous and shiny, but keeping it in tiptop condition is harder as the years go by. Dry, frazzled ends do no one any favours.

‘Ninety per cent of people with long hair don't keep it in great condition - the ends get wispy, especially if the hair is fine. You have to cut it to a length that looks healthy,' says Andrew Barton, former British Hairdresser of the Year and expert stylist on hit TV show 10 Years Younger.

‘Long, shapeless hair isn't sophisticated for a woman over 35,' he continues - although he does concede that if you have a round face that tends not to suit a shorter cut, a long style might work best for you - but only if you keep it in fabulous condition.

Andrew's style tip: Have long layers cut into the front to shape and frame the face.

How to maintain a youthful shine

Haircare is becoming as high-tech as skincare. The first brands in the race to produce an anti-ageing hair offering were as pricey as some high-end skin creams. Fekkai Ageless Crème Luxe Hair Treatment (www.fekkai.com) is one example, priced at a hefty £60 and boasting ingredients such as conditioning orchid root extract and strengthening proteins. Since then, a host of brands have made anti-ageing know-how more affordable.

Anti-ageing hair products to try

1. Wella Lifetex Resist Serum, £10.49, contains a potent dose of keratine and creatine to strengthen hair fibres from within and help hair's resilience to the effects of time.

www.wella.com; 01256 490690

2. Charles Worthington Time Defy Shampoo and Conditioner, £5.49 each at Boots, are packed with fortifying B vitamins, seaweed and antioxidant sunflower extract to help fight free radical damage - in much the same way as an anti-ageing face cream.

www.charlesworthington.com

3. Dove Pro Age Shampoo and Conditioner, £2.59, are formulated to care for hair afflicted by dryness and changes in texture.

www.dove.co.uk

4. If you want to go the natural route, you can't beat a fortnightly home hair treatment such as Aromatherapy Associate Enrich Hair Oil, £19.95, which contains nourishing murumuru butter. Just massage into your hair and leave for 20 minutes - or for as long as you can stand the greasiness - then wash thoroughly.

www.aromatherapyassociates.com; 020 8569 7030  

5. A daily hair treat is simply to brush it with a natural bristle brush. Kent makes a gorgeous cherrywood one for £25. The tiny fibres in the bristles distribute the natural oils throughout the lengths of your hair, boosting the shine and combating greasy-roots-dry-ends syndrome.

Call 01442 232623 for stockists  

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