Dos and don'ts of growing your hair as an older man

Even in his older years, Brad Pitt is still working the longer-locked look. Photo / AP

We all were deprived of our pampering time during the various lockdowns - and we all saw our hair grow to lengths many of us had never seen before. But for many men, the long hairstyle is here to stay.

If you feel confident and can say you have a healthy head of hair to try this trend out, a long hairstyle may well be for you. While there's certainly more involved in the upkeep, should you find this to be a long-term love affair, it could be just what you need to revamp your look as you get older.

It's a common misconception that long hair is only for the young - both for men and women - and we're here to set you straight if you think you can't pull off this new hair trend. As the grey hairs creep in, hair also tends to be finer - so there are definitely important steps to follow if this is the path you have chosen for your hair.

Like the late Taylor Hawkins, long hair is a popular style for older men - here's how to go about it. Photo / AP

As with every new style or beauty venture, there's a few tips and tricks to make sure you look your best - and we've spoken to Alex Glover, manager at Adam Atelier Harrods regarding the dos and don'ts of longer hair for the over-50s.

Use the right product

"Older men with receding hair can look great; it just needs to look like it's deliberate," says Glover. "Going without any product, or worse, slicking your longer hair back with greasy wax, can be ageing as the hair can look frazzled if it's flyaway, or cling too much to the scalp with product." Instead, opt for a sea salt spray that will add volume to longer, finer hair. You might as well embrace the full Rod Stewart.

Take care of colour

"Grey hair loses pigment as it ages, and can take on a yellowish tone which if there's more of it, can become more obvious," says Glover. Avoid this by opting for a silver-tinted shampoo, which will up your silver fox credentials instead of veering into Compo from Last of the Summer Wine territory.

If you've got it, flaunt it

"Even if a man is receding, he doesn't have to simply cut it all off. A lot of men want to keep what they have up top while they can," says the barber. Just be honest about the condition of your hair; finer is generally easier to tease into some semblance of respectability, while coarse grey hair is more difficult to manage.

Keep the glare off

There's no shame in a bald scalp, but if you're sweeping hair over it, shiny spots underneath can look all the more ragtag and obvious. Negate this, says Glover, using a thickening shampoo or colouring product to provide a more even cover. Suitably armed, all you need is your Pink Floyd LP and some questionable denim. Dad rockers, rock on.