The 19 Best Hair Products to Use for a Thicker, Stronger Style as You Age

No matter how old you are, your hair ages a little bit each day. We have free radical exposure (which is a scientific term for the cell-damaging, unstable atoms in our environment) to thank for that. The good news is that there are steps you can take now to slow the process down. The secret? In order to keep your hair strong, healthy, and shiny for longer, multiple experts explain, you need to change your hair care habits in your 30s, which allows you to get ahead of these changes.

And while we can't fight time—and don't necessarily want to!—there are multiple ways to protect your hair for as long as you possibly can. According to Heather Butterworth, an Affinage Salon Professional and National Artistic Educator, this includes using products with anti-aging properties and keeping up with regular visits to your salon. "Trimming your hair every six to eight weeks helps to keep ends looking fresh, plus, the extra attention to your scalp during a luxury shampoo doesn't hurt, either," she says.

"These regular visits are also important in terms of building a relationship with a professional stylist who can help you to monitor changes in your hair and make recommendations to ease the process," she notes. You have many things to consider as your hair ages, like whether you want to embrace your changing color, how to style gray hair (which could become more coarse or fine over time), and what you can do to mitigate thinning strands. Having a trusted expert with you to guide you through them makes the journey less daunting. 

Depending on your specific concerns, your stylist might recommend one of these age-defying (and in some cases, age-enhancing) products to help you achieve a look that you will continue to love year after year.

If you're looking for a treatment to restore some of that strength your hair might lose over time, this is the one you want. Nourishing to both your hair and scalp, this option will add bounce and moisture back to weak or damaged strands thanks to its omega-3 fatty acid-rich formula. Not only does it protect your style from signs of aging, but it can also be used as a styling mousse to add volume and fullness to fine, thin hair. 

If the Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Multiplying Volume Styling Mousse is out of stock during your next Amazon visit, the Virtue Volumizing Mousse is a great pick for adding both instant and long-lasting thickness and body. 

​​Shop Now: Alterna "Caviar" Anti-Aging Multiplying Volume Styling Mousse, $30, amazon.com.

This plumping serum uses hyaluronic acid to moisturize dry strands and protect from further loss of hydration, starting at the scalp. Acacia collagen and peptides come together to add volume and thickness to fine, thin hair, improving its resilience and minimizing breakage and fallout. Its non-oily formula is rich in antioxidants from ingredients like grape polyphenols, which help prevent further damage. 

Shop Now: Phyto Phytodensia Plumping Serum, $40, dermstore.com.

Brighten and illuminate your gray and white hair with this treatment. The blue and silver pigments blended into the formula remove the dull yellow tones that overtake these hair colors over time—it restores your mane's natural brilliance, too. This nourishing pick also features a hydrating and strengthening blend of ceramides, argan oil, celery extract, and rice seed protein to combat dryness and restore elasticity and softness. 

Shop Now: Oribe Silverati Illuminating Treatment Masque, $63, dermstore.com.

Use this serum to bolster your hair's thickness and moisture levels. Its concentrated formula targets the scalp and promotes circulation using growth-stimulating ingredients like peptides and caffeine. It also restores balance to dry, flaky scalps, translating to healthier strands over time. Those with fine hair will enjoy its volumizing effect as well. Just apply a few drops of the leave-in treatment to your scalp nightly and let it work while you sleep. 

Shop Now: The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density, $18, sephora.com.

This restoring shampoo's gentle formula cleans your hair while reinforcing the surface to reduce breakage and split ends. It rebuilds damaged hair with the help of omega-3 fatty acid-rich caviar extract, which infuses the strands with moisture to boost elasticity and shine. This healthy dose of nutrients makes brittle hair softer and easier to manage. The best part? It's paraben-, sulfate-, and phthalate-free.

Shop Now: Alterna "Caviar" Anti-Aging Restructuring Bond Repair Shampoo, $52, amazon.com.

Use this mist after the shower for an extra layer of moisture (it's the ultimate choice if your hair is too fine or delicate for an in-shower conditioner). Plus, the water-based formula, which uses chamomile to lock in hydration, is as light as air, and it keeps your hair bouncy and soft. It also has a brightening effect and can be used to tame and smooth unruly frizz and flyaways. You'll enjoy its refreshing magnolia scent. 

Shop Now: Philip B Weightless Conditioning Water, $38, dermstore.com. 

This product helps thinning hair by bulking up the diameter of your strands with vitamin B3, panthenol, and caffeine. In addition to making hair look and feel instantly fuller, this drugstore-favorite treatment spray works to improve the suppleness and thickness of your hair over time. With 30 days of daily use, you can also expect less breakage. 

Shop Now: Pantene Pro-V Expert Collection AgeDefy Advanced Hair Thickening Treatment, $26, walmart.com. 

With this scalp detox, you can eliminate some of the buildup your scalp accumulates over time—and, thereby stimulate hair growth. The weekly treatment is formulated with baobab leaf, moringa extract, and aloe, infusing your scalp and hair follicles with anti-inflammatory, hydrating, and soothing nutrients. The detoxifying treatment can also be used to alleviate symptoms of dandruff, as well as dullness. Use this product weekly, leaving it on your hair for 20 minutes before gently and thoroughly rinsing it out. 

Shop Now: Act+Acre Cold Processed Scalp Detox, $42, actandacre.com.

Searching for a new hair-care regimen? Look no further than Aveda's Invati Advanced System. This package contains a shampoo, conditioner, scalp revitalizer, and thickening tonic, all of which are designed to support aging, thinning hair. Each product harnesses the power of Aveda's ayurvedic herb blend that combines scalp-invigorating ginseng and turmeric, plus hair-thickening amla. According to the brand, the system reduces hair loss by 53 percent and instantly thickens the hair when used daily. 

Shop Now: Aveda Invati Advanced System, $138, aveda.com.

"This scrub will maintain your scalp fresh, clean, and free of any buildup or impurities that can affect the integrity of your hair," Mane Addicts celebrity hairstylist Irinel de Leon says. The multitasking exfoliant promotes circulation with sugar crystals and restores moisture to dry scalps with a combination of glycerin and coconut oil. Hydrating panthenol moisturizes and strengthens weak strands. "It also doubles as a body scrub, so it's a one-size-fits-all for the shower," she adds. 

Shop Now: Ouai Scalp & Body Scrub, $38, sephora.com. 

"This intensive mask is perfect for anyone with dry, frazzled curls," Leon explains. "It infuses the hair with essential oils, minerals, and moisturizing properties, leaving curls shiny, hydrated, and replenished." Key ingredients include shine-boosting macadamia oil, frizz-reducing sunflower oil, moisturizing olive oil, and nourishing argan oil. Apply to wet hair and leave on for five minutes to achieve hydrated, bouncy, and healthy curls. 

Shop Now: Ouidad ​​Ultra-Nourishing Intense Hydrating Mask, $32, ulta.com. 

"This is perfect for anyone experiencing dullness or breakage," according to Leon. "It infuses the hair with the protein it's missing, bringing it back to life." The strengthening treatment uses structural repairing technology to relink broken bonds, fixing hair from the inside out. This reduces breakage and damage while restoring a healthy texture and shine. It's suitable for all hair types and can be used up to three times per week depending on your hair's needs. 

Shop Now: Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector, $28, sephora.com. 

One drop of this strengthening and volumizing serum from Kérastase delivers thickening and nourishing hydrators, stimulators, and antioxidants directly to the scalp. Inside, breakage-repairing ceramides, smoothing UV filters, and circulation-boosting green tea extract come together to support natural hair growth, minimizing damage, split ends, and thinning. Hair is left with improved softness and a healthy sheen. 

Shop Now: Kérastase "Initialiste" Strengthening & Volumizing Advanced Scalp & Hair Serum, $53, sephora.com. 

Conceal grays with this temporary root coverup, which is available in 11 shades to suit a variety of tones and lasts until your next shampoo. Designed for quick use, the fast-drying drugstore favorite uses a special nozzle for targeted application. It's water-resistant and formulated without ammonia or peroxide, and it doesn't leave any residue behind. Use it in between coloring appointments to maintain your signature hue. 

Shop Now: L'Oréal Paris Magic Root Cover Up, $10, amazon.com. 

This shampoo gently washes away impurities while infusing potent anti-aging ingredients to the scalp and follicles, resulting in revived and voluminous tresses. Candlebush, sand oat, purslane and thorny knapweed plant extracts are featured in this luxurious formula to strengthen weakened strands and encourage suppleness. Vitamin B5 is also present to nourish, reverse damage, and promote healthier, thicker hair. 

Shop Now: Dr. Barbara Sturm Super Anti-Aging Shampoo, $60, net-a-porter.com. 

Created with color-treated and over-processed hair in mind, this bond-repairing conditioner transforms damaged strands with its acidic pH-balanced formula. Enriched with Redken's concentrated bonding care complex, the negative effects of hair color and styling tools are reversed as hair is wrapped in strengthening and intensely hydrating nutrients. The formula also offers color fade protection, so you can enjoy bolder color for longer. 

Shop Now: Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Conditioner, $30, ulta.com. 

With wild ginger at its base, this scrub rinses away buildup, toxins, and other hair-hindering agents from the scalp. In addition to clarifying, the lathering exfoliant stimulates the follicles to support healthy growth. Its purifying formula acts as a solution to excess oiliness and flaky, dry scalps regardless of your hair type and texture. 

Shop Now: Fable & Mane "SahaScalp" Wild Ginger Purifying Scrub, $32, sephora.com. 

Targeting thinning hair with its revitalizing phyto-actives, the Vegamour Gro Hair Serum restores balance to the scalp and promotes a healthy environment for growth. The results? Stronger, thicker, and longer strands. After four months of consistent application, users experienced a 52 percent increase in hair density and a 76 percent decrease in shedding. Key ingredients include biotin-rich mung bean, antioxidant-fortified curcumin, and anti-inflammatory red clover. 

Shop Now: Vegamour "Gro" Hair Serum, $52, vegamour.com. 

This versatile spray gives lackluster hair an instant boost in fullness and thickness using maltodextrin, which coats the strands to add volume. The multitasking formula also uses witch hazel extract to absorb oil, coming in handy on the days in between washes. Ginseng and biotin are also included to deliver nutrients to the follicles and scalp in order to promote healthier, stronger, and fuller hair over time. 

Shop Now: Briogeo "Blossom + Bloom" Ginseng + Biotin Volumizing Spray, $24, briogeo.com.