We often talk about anti-ageing skincare that claims to banish fine lines and wrinkles, plump the skin and give us a youthful glow, but far less is said of how much your hairstyle can have an impact on how old you look. Surprisingly, you don't need a completely new hair do to shave years off your appearance, as one hair stylist has claimed that a simple 10-second hack can make you look instantly younger - and it doesn't cost a penny.
Hair expert Justin Hickox took to YouTube to share his holy grail at-home tips for looking more youthful, and one takes just seconds to complete. It's perhaps something you've simply never thought of, as you're so used to having your hair in a certain style, but Justin insists that the key to age-defying hair is opting for a side parting.
Justin revealed: "The problem with centre parts is that they take away any ability to create volume in the crown.
"If we're talking about age-defying looks, what we need to understand is that you want to accentuate cheek structure and bone structure - you want to lift the eye up."
The hair stylist says that the key to healthy, bouncy looking locks is adding volume in the crown, and simply changing your part will help this, and in turn make your face appear more lifted.
Another issue with the middle parting, according to Justin, is that it adds volume to the sides of your hair which ultimately brings the eyes down - the exact opposite of what we want to achieve to look younger.
While we often hear hairdressers talk about face framing when we go and get our hair cut at the salon, choosing a side parting will do just that in seconds - all without getting the chop.
Justin says that styling your tresses so there is more on one side of your face will add body and frame the face flatteringly, taking years off your look in just seconds.
While the parting-flipping hack is an instant ageing salve, the hair stylist warns that women need to put the effort into styling their locks to really see the benefit, as you'll need the help of volumising products to get that bounce.
There's no point in having a side part if your hair is looking limp and lacklustre, so you need to consider your hair type and facial structure when choosing your products and where to place them in your hair.
Justin explains: "Taking the time to put some product in it, getting some volume in it and start styling and putting shape into it is a huge deal".
Instead of adding volume across the whole head, the hair stylist says that creating volume in targeted areas is best, as covering your whole mop in mousse can actually make things worse.
For instance, those who have longer faces should avoid adding lots of volume to the top of their heads, as this will elongate the face.
Meanwhile, people with fuller faces should stray away from creating too much volume at the sides of their face, as this can make your face look plumper.
"Paying attention to where you put volume for your specific face shape is absolutely key," Justin insists.
When it comes to getting the chop, the hair stylist says that despite popular opinion, long hair can be ageing.
"Taking the hair shorter is not going to make anyone look older," he argues, "any time we've got hair that's too long means that we're dictated with how short we can cut the layers.
"This means that even though it's been layered it can still be heavy and long."
But fear not: going shorter doesn't mean parting ways with your lengthy locks all together, as "it just has to be short enough so that the layers are short enough to create shape" according to Justin.
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