As women in our forties, we are feeling the effects of changes to our skin, our body, and of course our hair is not excluded from that list.

Whether you are still sporting your original hair colour free of greys or perhaps you are well on your journey to transition to silver, or somewhere in between. You may have decided for your health and sanity that hair dye is something you want to ditch. Either way, your hair colour is irrelevant because your hair is aging along with you, regardless of its colour.  

As with all other parts of us that age, we want to accept and appreciate these changes of our mid-life self ~ this is what we refer to as "Pro-Aging". 

To really feel like you are "finding your 40" and embracing your new middle-aged female body, we have some tips for the best natural hair oils to use for your aging curls. This is all about curls because we are experts in natural curls, but that doesn't mean these tips won't apply to you even if you're a straight haired womxn (what we would refer to as hair type 1 or 2). 

But first, we took to our loyal customers and asked a couple of them their experiences on their aging hair as they are both currently in the transition to be fully embracing their silver strands. 

Read On: Interviews with Real Women Who Transitioned to Silver

What’s been the hardest part of your transition to silver?

Rosy says: "On a personal level it was not hard. I was prepared to transition to white hair 4 years ago and was talked out of it by my stylist. I was told I would look old. My mother never coloured her hair and she had beautiful silver hair along with her natural black. I never knew my mother with full black hair. I always saw my mother as beautiful.

When COVID-19 hit and not being able to get my hair coloured for several months, I knew this was the time. I was tired of spending the money, and actually was working part time due to job loss, so money was a factor. Costs to get my hair coloured and cut went up 30%. As I was going every 5 weeks to get it done, I was not in the financial position to maintain the costs.

My social network was supportive, but did face some challenges in job hunting. The hard part was on a professional level. I did have recruiters comment about the challenges of finding a job due to my age. Of course, no comment was made about my silver hair but I did have 2 high level recruiters say that my age would be a factor in finding “suitable” employment. (Note to readers: Hmm sounds like age-ism to me!). I actually enjoyed watching my hair colour change, and I did embrace it. I did have a few negative and some rather mean comments about my decision. Each time my response was “I am 54 not 24”.

Susie says: "I shouldn’t have told people I wanted to go grey before I actually started.  Their comments made me doubt myself.  I should have just started without seeking pre-approval from others. The hardest part once I started was the first 12 weeks and having to break the habit of having to dye my hair once I saw grey roots.  Once I got passed that and saw the beautiful silver coming in, I was inspired to keep going."

2. How has your hair texture changed as it has aged over the years?

Rosy says: "I have a lot more hair, but there were spots along the hair line that I was losing my hair. It has now come back. My hair is softer and fuller.  I had straight hair up until my early 20’s. My hair was so straight using a curling iron did nothing. At the age of 17, I started perming my hair up until age 23. At this point my hair was so damaged. It was dry, brittle and full of split ends. The last perm did so much damage the ends of my hair went orange. After many haircuts, going from hair being past my shoulders to chin length, I thought my hair still had the perm, instead my hair started to become wavy at times curly. I too have PCOS; I went through many years of ovarian cysts forming and rupturing; when this was happening I could see the difference in my hair; it was becoming curlier. About 7 years ago, when I started showing signs of peri-menopause my hair went straight. Since I have stopped colouring my hair it has gone back to being wavy/curly." 

Susie says: "My hair volume has decreased overall in the last five years.  I blame peri-menopause. The texture became more frizzy and unmanageable especially a few weeks after dyeing it.  I realized then how unhealthy it was.  Now it feels softer and so much healthier and I have a lot of new growth.  A baby hair explosion!"

Your hair advice for other women noticing the effects of aging on their hair?

Rosy says: "Embrace the change! Your hair colour does not define who you are! Don’t buy into the BS of using low lights, toners, etc., while transitioning…your body is still absorbing chemicals by doing this. Speak to your hair stylist about taking care of your hair, cuts that help you transition and which products to use."

Susie says: "Ask yourself ~ why do you dye your hair?  Is it truly for you or for other people? All the fears I had about people telling me I would look old never came to life.  It’s been all positive feedback.  Also, ask yourself what are you putting into your body and how can that impact your overall health, showing up in your hair, nails and skin.  Since I ditched the dye and made healthier lifestyle choices, all of these aspects of my body and others have improved."

The Top Natural Hair Oils You Absolutely Need

Why is using natural hair oils and natural products important? 

Curly hair desperately needs two things to be soft, frizz-free, manageable and well-defined: Water + Oil. These two in combination help to nourish and hydrate your curly locks. But not all oils are created equal. You want to avoid synthetic oils and instead opt for plant-based oils such as jojoba, argan, marula, and moringa oils. Those are our top hair oils for everyday moisture and frizz control. 

But in addition, there are some plant-based butters that are critical to give your hair some deep moisture such as shea butter, coconut oil and mango seed butter. These all work deeply into the hair cuticle to nourish, protect and repair any hair damage you may have created over the years from using heat (curling irons, flat irons), colouring your hair, environmental damage (sun, pollution, chlorine), hormonal changes, and just from the aging process itself.  

To get lots of the water + oil mix into my curls, I use a Nourishing Curl Spray that contains rose water, a blend of the natural curl oils mentioned above, all enrobed in our Clean Kiss signature hair scent of natural rosemary, peppermint and lavender essential oils. 

Jodie's Curly Hair Tip: On wash days, I make sure to get out of the shower with my hair dripping wet. I also make sure to leave my deep conditioning hair butter on the ends of my hair because my 3B curls need the additional nourishment. Not sure what Curly Hair Type you are?

What about for creating a natural shine for your curls?

Getting your curls to shine may be a struggle, as it is for most curly haired womxn. The way the hair cuticle coils makes it hard to reflect the light the same way that straight hair does.  

"This has been a personal struggle my whole life as a curly-haired woman", says Jodie Pappas, Founder of Clean Kiss. "My hair never used to shine and I was always envious of the straight haired women who have such a glean on their hair". Until now. To combat this issue, Pappas formulated a Natural Shine Oil with Broccoli Seed Oil because it acts as a natural silicone to mimic the effect on hair using essential fatty acids, vitamin C and other nutrients to help fight hair loss too.  

Want to know more about Clean Kiss? 

At Clean Kiss we are passionate about creating natural skincare and body products that you can feel good about using yourself, and for your whole family.