Hair's the Scoop

We'll slather ourselves with expensive creams, try all sorts of invasive treatments, and even go under the knife for a shot at eternal (or extended) youth, so it's odd that anti-aging hair care is often overlooked. It's one of the most quick and easy ways to turn back time.

To achieve a more youthful appearance, try swapping a couple of your daily hair care products with one of these fabulous alternatives:

Philosophy Shear Splendor Shampoo
A bio-peptide and soy-based shampoo that helps restore shine and body to your hair with daily use. $22.

Kerastase Paris Resistance Ciment Anti-Usure
This nurturing conditioner helps to protect and treat your hair, without weighing it down. $36.

Phyto Phytodensium Anti-Aging Serum
When applied to towel-dried hair, this lightweight serum helps to restore density and vitality, while also boosting melanin levels to reduce the appearance of grey hair over time. $32.

Fekkai Ageless Damage-Defense Capsules
A protective serum, to be used after styling, that contains proactive "decoy" molecules, which deflect and shield your hair against pollutants and other environmental age accelerators. $45.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer
This fast-action, intensive treatment revives your hair and gives it that youthful bounce. Just apply Elasticizer a minute before shampooing, and you're set. $5.50- $125.

If you're loyal to a certain brand that's not listed above, just look for products that are rich in protein (for greater elasticity and resistance), amino acids (to strengthen, hydrate and protect), and/or rich fatty acids (which condition and hydrate), to ensure you get a proper dose of preventative and restorative care.

Over a recent ‘business lunch', a girlfriend admitted to me that she still has a conditioner we'd bought together (over three years ago!) sitting in her shower. After sharing a good laugh, the inevitable question arose: Is there anything wrong with keeping a hair care product that long? My instant reaction was a passionate "Yes!" but I didn't have a proper explanation for my response, so I did a bit of research...

Here's what I found:

* Unused products generally have a shelf-life of approximately 2.5 years, but once opened that number can decrease by as much as 50%.

* If the texture, color, or consistency of a product changes, it's best to toss and replace.

* Styling products tend to last longer when kept out of sunlight or warm temperatures.

* The expiration of naturally based products can vary greatly depending on the amount of plant extracts, botanicals, preservatives/non-preservatives, etc. being used. Be sure to check the packaging for details.

* On certain products, you can find the production date somewhere on the packaging. For example, on Phyto products, the last digit of the code stamped on the bottom of their products represents the year it was manufactured.

I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, but these are just general guidelines to keep in mind the next time you're tempted to use that fabulous, discontinued [insert product here] from the late 90s which you can't bring yourself to bin.