EP 344: Five Stylist Rules For Modern, Youthful Hair

Looking for hair that feels lighter, brighter, and more you? Danise breaks down five stylist-approved rules that lift your features, add believable movement, and keep every strand looking healthy. No drastic chops, no trend-chasing—just smart choices that work for real life and grow out beautifully.

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Chapters

• 3:52 Welcome Back + Box Teaser
• 4:56 The Real Goal Of Youthful Hair
• 5:23 Rule 1: Trim Smart To Grow Strong
• 7:18 Rule 2: Soft, Strategic Layers
• 9:44 Rule 3: Add Dimensional Color
• 12:25 Color Placement By Face Shape
• 14:05 Rule 4: Feed Hair Moisture

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 2:24

Welcome to All About Hair, where we talk shop, share stories, and spill the secrets behind great hair and a great career. I'm your host, Denise Keilitz, a former salon owner, educator, and a lifelong hair crusader. Whether you're a new stylist building your book, or just someone who loves learning about all things hair, you're in the right place. Hey there and welcome back to All About Hair. I'm Denise, your hairstylist of 30 years, salon owner, educator, and lately, the woman working behind the scenes on something really fun for you, my Good Hair Energy subscription box. It's coming soon, so if you want first access, hop on the wait list at goodhairenergy.com. I'll share more information about this later. But today we're going to talk about something women ask me all the time. What haircut or hair habits will actually help me look younger? Hmm. There are a lot of opinions out there, but the truth is, youthful hair isn't about chasing trends. It's about choosing shapes and routines that make your hair feel alive, lifted, hydrated, and modern. So let's get into the five stylist-approved rules that truly make a difference. Rule number one: you have to keep up with your trims. Yes, it is said that if you cut your hair, it'll grow longer. Come on now. You know that's BS. But the reason why your hairstylists say to keep up with your trims is because your split ends don't just sit at the bottom of your hair. They creep upward and they make your hair look frizzy, dull, and tired. Even if you're growing your hair out, a trim every six to ten weeks helps to keep your shape fresh and your ends healthy. Just make sure that your hairstylist isn't taking off more than they need to. If you're doing a trim every six to ten weeks, make sure you're not taking off more than half an inch. A half an inch. Get your ruler out if you need to. How I always do it, I always look at my knuckle. I bend my hand my finger. You can't see me because I'm on a podcast, but I bend my finger kind of like into a hook. And my little knuckle to knuckle is about an inch, and so about half of that is half an inch. And the reason why I say half an inch is because most hair grows about a half an inch a month. Okay. So if you're going to the salon for your trims every six to ten weeks because you're growing your hair out, then your hair has grown three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a half. So if you take off more than a half an inch, your hair's not gonna grow. So blame it on your hairstylist for taking off too much off your hair. Okay, maybe not. But anyway, make sure you're not taking off too much. Youthful hair has movement, and movement comes from healthy ends, not dead ends. All right. Rule number two: use soft strategic layers. Layers on hair do not have to be dramatic, they don't have to be like Joan Jett from you know the 80s. That's some crazy layering, okay? Or um, gosh, I can't even think like Melrose Place, or I'm thinking back in the 80s, because there was a lot of layered hair going on. Today's looks is all about subtle layering. And this article that I was reading, that's what it talks about. And I couldn't agree more. You do not have to overdo the layering. A few well-placed layers can lighten up your thick hair. You don't have to layer the crap out of it. It can lift fine hair. Fine hair. Yes, I uh I have fine hair, I have um not very much hair. And when I go in and I see stylists wanting to really pick up my hair and layer it, it scares the bee gibbers out of me. And it probably does you too. But you do have to put some layering in fine hair just so it will look like it has life to it. And I'm talking about maybe make a star shape on the crown area of the hair and just barely layer into that, like point cut into that. And that's enough layering. Um, um, soft layers also soften up facial features. Think about face framing, and they also help to keep your look from becoming too heavy or dragging you down. And last week's podcast, we talked about long hair dragging your facial features down. And girl, if we need all the help we can get. When we're in our 40s and 50s, we're our face is starting to creep downward. Everything on our bodies starting to creep downward. So we don't need our hair dragging us downward, too. So just soft strategic layers is a modern, flattering approach. This just works beautifully for women over 40 or 50 who just want softness without losing all the length. You do not have to have an old lady haircut when you're in your 40s and 50s. Okay, remember that. It used to be, you know, you get a certain age and all of a sudden you have to get an old lady haircut. I don't know, you don't have to do that. All right, let's move on to rule number three. Add some dimensional hair color. I love hair color. Color is powerful. Powerful. And it doesn't have to be an all-over hair color, it doesn't have to be uh a full en balayage, it doesn't have to be complicated. A little brightness around the face or some blended low maintenance highlights can create instant vibrancy. I've told you guys on this podcast before, I probably highlight my hair twice a year, maybe once a year, probably twice. And I think I do six highlights on my whole head. Because I have level five, six brown hair. I don't really want to be blonde. I just want dimension. And sometimes I change it up, sometimes I put it underneath, actually, to give me a little bit of um like when my hair comes uh forward, you can see some brightness underneath. It just depends on what I'm in the mood for, actually. But it it really just does give dimension because dimension gives the illusion of fullness. Yeah. It helps to disguise early gray hair and it adds a natural sunkissed lift to your features. So think about that. Um, the goal isn't always to go lighter, it's to go brighter in the right spots. Just like artwork, like say you were a painter, and if you are a painter and you're listening to this and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about, uh, lighter colors make everything appear closer, darker colors make it go into the background, right? So you can actually place highlights on the head to actually give you the illusion that your face is changing. So sorry, I'm not explaining this very well. Say you have your hair, your face is really long, okay, and you have a really long, narrow face. Maybe you would want to put some highlights just on the sides of your hair to give the illusion of making your face look like it's not so narrow. Do you understand what I'm saying? Or you have a really round face, you just put highlights on the very top, not on the sides, on the top to give the illusion of lengthening your face shape. So those are some tricks for dimensional hair color. Uh ask your stylist about it if you've got questions, or you can pop me a message. I'll maybe I'll explain it a little bit better. It depends on your face shape. All right, rule number four feed your hair moisture. Yes, as we age, our hair and everything else naturally gets drier. Then you put heat, color, stress, weather, and you've got a recipe for brittle aging hair strands. Am I right? Mm-hmm. So hydration is the key. You want to make sure you're hydrating your hair. And hydration does not have to be heavy, but think rich conditioners, weekly masks, leave-in creams, and products that keep your cuticle smooth and light reflective. Because shiny hair always reads younger. Shiny hair is what we're after. You get that by smoothing out the cuticle, bringing in the moisture, helping the lipids, all that good stuff. If you need help on picking out any kind of products for that, my Amazon storefront has some wonderful conditioners and hair masks over there. I've picked them out. And as soon as my new website gets up and going, I will actually have some on my website too that you can order from me. Yes. So that's exciting too. That's coming. All right, rule number five: try a face framing shape. Yep, it doesn't have to be drastic, but a flattering, youthful cut can really give you a change. Gentle face framing pieces, whether it's like curtain bangs, soft waves, or just a little shaping at the jawline, really helps bring the attention upward. Now remember, that's what we're going for. Bring everything up. You want your jawline up, you want your cheekbones up, you want those gels to extend at attention, you want your eyes to go up. Face framing layers around your face, it creates movement and softness. And the best part, it grows out really, really nicely. Since all these rules really do come back to healthy, well-cared for hair, this is exactly why I'm creating the Good Hair Energy subscription box. I want a beautiful, joyful, curated box that delivers salon quality hydrating products that you can depend on, specifically picked out from me. I want to put some styling tools and accessories, education and tips from me, and a little motivational spark we all need, especially in the world we live in right now. If that sounds like you're kind of fun, make sure you're on the wait list. I cannot wait for you to experience what's inside this box. You can find the wait list at goodhairenergy.com and just make sure you're on there. You can also uh send me a little note if you're interested in a t-shirt club, too. All right, thanks for hanging out with me today. Remember, youthful hair isn't about being younger, it's about feeling more like you, feeling more like yourself. If you loved this episode, share it with a friend who's ready for a little bit of hair glow up, and don't forget to join the wait list for the good hair energy subscription box. It's gonna be so good. And of course, remember, when you know better, you do better. Thanks for tuning in to All About Hair. If you loved this episode, hit subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with a fellow stylist or hair loving friend. You want more tips, tools, and behind the scenes goodness? Follow me on YouTube or head to my website at deniseKeilitz.com. Yes, I know it's hard to spell, so don't worry, the link is in the show notes. Until next time, keep learning, keep creating, and keep loving what you do.