Our tips
Take stock of what you are working with
“Start by taking care of your scalp and everything will be much easier, no matter what hair type you have,” says Adem Oygur, founder of Belgravia salon ADEM.
“Hair can fall out or break if it is not cared for properly. If the hair follicles in your scalp are clogged with products and are not cleaned regularly, hair can become damaged. So start with this: Wash your hair thoroughly with a tea tree shampoo and leave the conditioner in for a few minutes.” As we age, two things tend to happen to hair: grey hair becomes harder and wirier, or it becomes thin. Some preventative measures and thickening shampoos and products can help with thin hair. Otherwise, longer hair can look more stringy and rat-tail-like.
If you have wiry gray hair, cut it relatively short — jawline is one option, Oygur advises — and smooth it with natural oils.
How long should you walk?
Gandalf’s waterfall of magical white may have had a certain folkloric majesty, but it’s a difficult path for mere mortals. Again, too long, wiry hair looks unkempt, while thin, outgrown hair only highlights your hair loss and can look incredibly old. By all means, let your hair grow long and lush if you have the fullness, but remember that longer hair attracts more attention. Use a special shampoo and be careful with black colors if your hairline sits on your shoulders. When in doubt, wear it in a sweep rather than a cascade. Contact Mads Mikkelsen for more information.
Pay attention to the color
A man of a certain age can look aristocratic and stately with longer white hair, but the pollutants of city life can turn it nicotine yellow – more like twenty Rothmans a day than regal. Oygur recommends using a silver or blue-tinged shampoo to enhance the color and bring out the right tones. Also remember that gray hair usually starts at the temples, so longer hair on the sides is likely to be ashen and your original color on top. There’s nothing wrong with that – it can look quite posh – but avoid it if your gray hair is frizzy, as that section will stand out more.
Maintain maintenance
Stick with the shampoos mentioned above if they’re necessary for your hair type, as well as the natural oils for drier, wirier hair. Solid gels or matte pastes are tricky, says Oygur, because they don’t work on longer hair. Instead, opt for a refreshing sea salt spray. Longer hair means more incentive to keep it clean, so wash it with shampoo daily. You’re aiming for a Renaissance nobleman rather than a Stig of the Dump.
