New year hair resolutions to keep - and break!

Use a deep treatment once a week

To reduce dryness and breakage and impart shine, use a weekly hair treatment. With consistent use, you'll see a difference. Some, like Michael Van Clarke's 3 More Inches Deep Treatment System, from £16, are designed to be used before washing your hair. Visit the website at www.3moreinches.com for more information. Alternatively, simply replace your regular conditioner with a treatment such as L'Oréal Elvive Full Restore 5 Replenishing Masque, £3.99, www.loreal.co.uk.  

Whatever you choose, divide your hair into four sections and work separate portions of product through the section with your fingertips.

To deal with dull locks, try a detox treatment on your hair once a month. I'm a fan of Louise Galvin's Sacred Locks Vitox, £25, www.louisegalvin.com. It's great for brightening highlights and removing product build-up, and you use it before washing. Or try a bottle of sparkling mineral water as a final rinse for a similar residue-removing effect, says Gary Richardson, creative director for Daniel Hersheson and Clairol Perfect 10.

Used daily, Fekkai Ageless Damage- Defense Capsules, £31 for 45, from Space NK and Selfridges, give visible strength and shine to the hair and protect against free radical damage.

Get a great cut

A poor haircut won't flatter you and will be hard to manage at home - though the blow-dry may disguise this. Michael van Clarke isn't a fan of traditional wet-cutting, saying it doesn't consider the individual texture of your hair. He explains:

‘Most hairdressers train on young hair and cut in flat planes, which is fine if you are 18, but as you get older - and especially if your hair is fluffy or wavy - you'll end up with an unsuitable cut.'

I've been going to Michael for his Diamond Dry Cut technique for two years now and it has transformed the shape and manageability of my hair. Call 020 7224 3123 or visit www.vanclarke.com to make an appointment.

3 hair 'rules' to break

You must get a short haircut when you reach a certain age

 Some women go for a dramatically short cut because they think it's more practical. Warning: severely short hair can make you look 105. According to celebrity stylist Richard Ward, something soft, with texture, volume and movement, is much more flattering.

You're not allowed to have long hair as you get older

I don't know who made up the rule that you have to go for the chop when you get older - the same man who invented the perm, perhaps, when, style-wise, all we had to look forward to on hitting 40 was a perm and a pinny. (Long-haired) hairdresser Louise Galvin says, ‘It's fine for women over 40 to wear their hair longer, but it must be kept in great condition with regular trims and weekly deep-conditioning treatments. If the condition is good, it means the hair is healthier and will look younger.

If your hair is long, beware of being too blonde, especially if you are also slim and brown - it might make you feel younger, but you'll look older.'

Lots of highlights are mandatory when grey starts appearing

According to Zoe Irwin, Silvikrin style director and creative director at Hari's in London, this is not just old-fashioned, but can also be unflattering and ageing. Instead, she says you need depth in your hair, achieved by putting in a semi or permanent colour close to your natural colour, all over, then adding highlights around the face and through the underlayers. This will give glossy, natural-looking colour - and it's easier and cheaper to maintain than a full head of highlights. For best results, though, it needs to be done in a salon.

As well as adding depth to your hair, Zoe is an advocate of adding depth to your brows to complement your hair colour and stop your face looking washed out. She recommends the Now Brow service, £45 at Hari's, where a therapist shapes and tints brows and shows you how to use powders and pencils to flatter your hair colour.

Call 020 7581 5211 for details or visit the website at www.harissalon.com.

What are the top rules for younger-looking hair? Find out here

Women who get it right