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11 best anti-ageing hair products

Revive grey, thinning hair with these shampoos, conditioners and masques

Sunday 07 October 2018 19:48 BST

Anti-ageing products can boost volume, shine and softness (Getty)

If you’ve noticed your hair becoming a little greyer and thinner, then these products are for you.

As we age, the number of follicles able to grow new hair declines and the diameter of hair fibres shrinks. Fortunately, there are a lot of products that can revive ageing hair, potentially leaving it feeling and looking even better than it did when you were younger.

You might be tempted to avoid conditioner, thinking it will weigh down your hair. However, it can be beneficial. Conditioner protects the cuticle layers and can prevent further damage weakening the strands.

Look for a shampoo and conditioner that work together to boost volume, shine and softness. We tested them in tandem.

Masques are also a good addition. They provide another line of defence against dryness, roughness and dullness, delivering an intense burst of conditioner and rich (often plant-based) oils. They work on your scalp and are designed to be used once or twice a week.

Oils and finishing lotions can also give your hair a boost, and we’ve included the best.

Our team of testers ranged in age from their 40s to their 70s.

Richard Ward Chelsea London Anti-Ageing Argan Shampoo, Conditioner and Masque: £5.99 each, Waitrose

Richard Ward is hairdresser to HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, so we expected great things from these products – and they did not disappoint.

Our tester was so glad with the results that she shared the shampoo and conditioner with her husband, who remarked that his hair had never felt so soft.

Buy now (shampoo)

Buy now (conditioner)

Buy now (masque)

Davines Renewing Conditioning Treatment: £18.50, Liberty

This range includes shampoo (£16.50) and leave-in serum (£47.50), but our favourite product was the intensive conditioning treatment. It was quick to use – you apply it for 3 to 5 minutes after shampooing, before washing it off – and gives a lovely result.

Ingredients include maqui berry extract, spinach extract and carnosine (which strengthens cells).

Our tester’s hair was still quite thick, but was more coarse than it used to be. She liked the floral smell and found her hair felt much softer, looked glossier and was easier to style after she used this product.

The conditioner can also be used before shampooing if you have fine hair. For maximum results, use it both before and after shampooing.

Hairburst Volume & Growth Elixir: £23.99, Holland & Barrett

This leave-in spray contains nettle leaf (to prevent hair loss), pea extract (which promotes hair growth), vitamin B5 (for volume) and cloudberry (for moisturising).

Our tester’s hair is getting thin, but found her hair much easier to style when she used this after washing. She sprayed it both on her roots and the lengths of her hair. Her hair looked thicker. It also felt soft. You couldn’t tell that she used a product on it.

In between washes you can spritz this onto dry hair for a quick boost. It provides UV and heat styling protection as well.

RevitaLash: Thickening Shampoo, £34 and Thickening Conditioner, £38, www.revitalash.co.uk

Having successfully thickened the nation’s lashes for many years the good people at RevitaLash have turned their attention to our hair.

The shampoo and conditioner work together to nourish the hair cuticle and thicken the hair shaft. They hydrate the hair to make it look and feel thicker.

Out tester said her hair felt much softer, thicker and easier to style.

The products are suitable for men and women.

Monat Intense Repair: Shampoo, £31 and Treatment, £55, monatglobal.com

This range promises to smooth, strengthen and restore thinning and damaged hair.

Our tester liked its smell, which she found minty with a hint of rosemary. She also found the shampoo pleasingly light. After rinsing and towel drying her hair, she sprayed on the leave-in treatment, which made her hair smooth and shiny, without a hint of frizz.

Buy now (shampoo)

Buy now (treatment)

Rahua Legendary Amazon Oil: £40, Net-A-Porter

Legendary Oil contains Rahua oil, which strengthens weak and damaged strands and nourishes and maintains hair follicle and scalp health, and morete oil, which is rich in vitamins to protect the hair. The blend aims to heal split ends and promote shine, making hair look and feel smoother.

Apply a couple of drops on clean, towel-dried hair for maximum effect, or after blow-drying to ease frizz. Our tester used it before washing, however, and said her hair felt much thicker and smoother.

Aveda Invati solutions for thinning hair: Exfoliating shampoo, £25, Thickening conditioner, £27, Scalp revitaliser, £47, Aveda

Aveda’s Invati Scalp Revitaliser contains turmeric, tangerine peel and Japanese knotweed.

Our tester’s hair had started to thin. She felt these products helped boost the body in her hair. They left her hair feeling clean but not stripped of all its natural oils. It kept its style for longer than usual. She also felt that she didn’t need to wash her hair as often.

Christophe Robin Regenerating Hair Finishing Lotion with Hibiscus Vinegar: £30, lookfantastic

Hibiscus vinegar in this lotion is said to slow hair loss and encourage cell renewal. Our tester used it to freshen up her hair between washes and found it soothing on her scalp.

Manta brush: £25, www.mantahair.com

This brush was developed by hairdresser Tim Binnington for his wife, who had lost her hair during illness and wanted a gentle brush for her hair as it grew back.

Manta brushes mould to the shape of your hand and scalp. The bristles glide through the hair, resulting in shiny locks and gently massaging the scalp to promote healthy hair growth.

Leonor Greyl Paris, Energising Haircare Vials, 12 x 5ml ampoules: £53.30, lookfantastic

This product by the Parisian haircare brand treats the factors causing hair loss, stimulating hair growth.

Our tester found the treatment especially easy to use, massaging in the liquid to her scalp for a minute. She is now aiming to use a vial a week for her mild hair loss.

In cases of more serious hair loss, you can use three vials a week for three consecutive months, although we haven’t tested this for its claims.

Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10-in-1 Renewal Haircare Collection: Shampoo, £6.65, Conditioner, £6.65 and Masque, £7.32, Superdrug

The 10-in-1 refers to 10 benefits for tired hair offered by this collection including age-defying properties and colour protection. Organic shea butter, with its nutrient rich and moisturising fatty acids, ensures that hair is well nourished and hydrated.

Our tester has thin, damaged hair. She used all three products, resulting in a shiny head of hair. She loved the fresh smell, and the natural, organic ingredients, and found that her hair was more manageable, particularly when she used the hair masque.

The Verdict:

We awarded Best Buy to Richard Ward for value for money and results. Davinesworks also works wonders on hair condition, while Hairburst is a great multitasker.