Your hairstyle can be a youth-boosting asset—if you know the right tricks. Here are the trade secrets hair experts use to take years off their clients—and how you can put them to use on yourself.  
Q: How can I keep my long hair from looking thin and shaggy?A: Give it a little attention. You don’t have to lop off your locks once you hit a certain age, but hair does get coarse and damaged over time, so give your mane more TLC than you may have in the past by getting regular trims, investing in a rich conditioner, like Bumble and Bumble Quenching Conditioner ($34, bumbleandbumble.com), and adding shape with soft layers so it doesn’t fall flat. “There’s nothing worse than long hair that looks dull and broken,” says Louise O’Connor, owner of OC61 Salon and Spa in New York City. Q: Am I too old to wear bangs? Photo by Lori Andrews/Getty Images A: Never! But keep it modern. To keep your fringe looking fresh and chic, get some texture. “A soft, sexy bang is good,” says O’Connor. Ask your stylist for full, side-swept bangs that blend seamlessly with the rest of your cut, says hairstylist Eva Scrivo, founder of Eva Scrivo Salon in New York City. The shortest point of the bangs should hit just below your brow, and taper gradually down to cheekbone-height, she explains. Q: Are there any products I should stop using? A: Pass up styling products with “bad” alcohols, like denatured, propanol, propyl, and isopropyl alcohols. “Companies use these because they provide hold, volume, and can speed drying to save time and effort,” says O’Connor. “But ultimately they damage hair by drying it out.” Better options for 40+ hair, which is often drier due to a dip in its natural oils, are products that contain moisturizing alcohols like cetyl, cetearyl, and stearyl, and hair-strengthening proteins like keratin. Another strand-saving tip: Consider applying a leave-in conditioner like Living Proof No Frizz Leave-In Conditioner ($24, livingproof.com) on a regular basis, and prepping for curling or flat iron use with a heat-protectant spray like L’Oreal Paris Advanced Hairstyle Sleet It Iron Straight Heatspray ($5, lorealparisusa.com). Q: What’s the best way to cover grays with at-home color? A: Focus on the roots. “The most important thing is to only touch up the regrowth, letting it process the full length of time. Then run color through the ends the last 5 to 10 minutes only,” says New York City based colorist Laurie Daniel. “Otherwise the color builds up and looks too dark and can damage your hair.” Daniel is also a fan of highlighter kits for sprucing up color. Strategically painting a few highlights near the face can help blend roots and flatter your complexion. Just be sure to follow instructions carefully and go no more than two shades lighter for a soft, natural look, she says. 
Q: What’s the trick to choosing the right anti-aging hair color? Photo by The Power of Forever Photography/Getty Images A: You have to find the right color for your skin tone. Women often go too dark, which draws attention to wrinkles, thinning hair, and sallow skin," says Daniel. Instead, stay within one to two shades of your natural color, and add warm highlights. “Golden colors make hair and facial features softer and younger on those with pink or blue undertones,” she says. Those with olive-toned skin would do best to add red-toned highlights instead, since red balances green on the color wheel, Scrivo says. For more advice on how to find your perfect color, check out The Best Hair Colors For Women Over 40.