Ageless Hair : By Liz Martinez

Hi everyone,

Because I’m addicted to makeup, hair care and skin care products, girlfriends often ask my opinion about this product or that or ask for solutions to their beauty problems.  After sending my recommendations for years, I thought “JGH&W” would be a great place to blog about them.  My love of products has been a love affair I’ve been involved in since I was a little girl.  Now that I’m 51, my focus is on anti-aging products.  But just because you’re not 51, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t focus on anti-aging as well.  You’ve heard the saying, “If I knew then what I know now….”

Since aging (and especially menopause) affects so many things, this will be a series of articles.  And, because I’m always trying new products, I may, on occasion update my stand on a product to let you know when I’ve discovered something new that’s better.  All the items I list are the best I’ve tried so far.

First aging problem – Hair

Skin problems aren’t the only area to focus on.  Unfortunately, many of us over 45 start to notice our hair isn’t as shiny as it once was.  I’ve also experienced hair thinning and loss of the “hair swing”—My hair wasn’t moving like a young girl’s.  Of course in addition to gaining, coloring my hair and all the processes and styling through the years isn’t helping, but I’ve found some solutions.

For me, the solution has been to use a cleansing conditioner rather than shampoo.  (If you are shampooing, at least reduce the number of days a week you do so.)  As the infomercial says, shampoo does indeed strip your hair and therefore is contributing to hair loss.

I’ve tried several cleansing conditioners, including “Wen” and it was good, but my favorite is much less expensive, works wonderfully and makes my hair smell heavenly for days–L’Oreal Evercreme Cleansing Conditioner.  (Wen would be my second choice.)  Using cleansing conditioners has reduced the hair loss, my hair is consistently shiny, there is less frizz, and the “movement” is back!

Many have told me they find it odd to use something that doesn’t foam to wash.  They think their hair won’t really be clean (especially in the hot summer months).  But this couldn’t be further from the truth.  If you follow the label directions, you’ll find your hair will feel clean and conditioned.  (For me, it feels clean for days.)  As an added bonus, you may find your hair color lasts longer too.

Cleansing conditioners work particularly well on hair that’s dry, curly and/or frizzy.  Please note—you will need to pump out a lot of product (usually 10-20 pumps) and if your hair is thick, you’ll need a lot of pumps/product.  It’s worth it.

Below is a list of cleansing conditioners to try (all are available online, L’Oreal in your Drugstore, Wen is also available at Sephora stores):

1. L’Oreal Evercreme Cleansing Conditioner
2. Wen
3. As I Am – Coconut CoWash
4. Salon Grafix Healthy Hair Nutrition Cleansing Conditioner

If you’d like to send me a question or send your feedback, send me an email at lizdailyblush@gmail.com

-Liz Martinez