Written by Rakelle Maurici in Hair on the 9th April 2015

Just because you’ve hit that 40 mark doesn’t mean you can’t still have great hair, there are a number of different hairstyles for different cuts and once you reach that milestone there's haircuts to make you look and feel good. You may also be surprised to hear that 40% of men start to experience hair loss before the age of 35; but don’t be disheartened because there are ways around it.

Once you begin to go grey it’s best to stick to your natural hair colour and embrace it because when hair is shorter you’ll be struggling with the upkeep. Regrowth never looks great and today you only need to take one look at George Clooney to understand it’s cool to embrace the silver fox in you.

As far as style goes, try not to go with anything too wild. Although you were once young enough to pull off more elaborate hairstyles, you don’t want to look out of place in your 40's. That being said we’re not advising you to completely give up, there are plenty of styles and options suitable for your age category. Icons such as Nick Wooster have a simple style yet the cut is very on trend and it works well with his choice of clothing and personality. Just bear this in mind when speaking with your barber. You want your hair to reflect your lifestyle, your job and your age.

A factor which could impose problems for deciding on a hair style for the over 40s is if you’re thinning. If this is your situation it’s best to keep your hair short as this will appear like you have more hair than you do. If you try to keep it longer on top to cover any sparse areas, you're actually drawing more attention to these patches. 

If you’re thinning at the temples, ask your stylist to keep length at the sides and shorter on the top to evenly distribute the weight with no bulk at the temples because again this will be a focal point to others. Stick to styles such as the fade, the buzz cut, shaped with a side parting or you can also create what they call a faux hawk. If this is done well you can cover balding areas with styling products easily. For those thinning at the crown, it really is best to keep your hair as close to the scalp as possible. Don’t create a comb over style because this will draw attention to this balding area.

On the other hand, if you want to or already have longer hair and you’re not yet thinning; keep to around six or seven inches in length. Take a look at Johnny Depp, you can see there are still possible hairstyles for longer hair on the maturer man such as the slicked back look for a glamorous look or add texture with layers. 

There really is no cure when it comes to thinning, generally it’s hereditary and you may experience hair loss at a younger age. You can find lots of supplements in health stores for the relevant vitamins or products to aid this though. What you’re looking for is anything high in Vitamin E. However, a healthy balanced diet can give you the nutrition you need and top advice to our younger readers... prevention is better than cure! If you’re still unhappy with how you look, shave it all off. It may be a fear that losing all your hair will instantly make you look older but believe us it will make you look smarter and you may be surprised with the results.

Our advice is general so won’t apply in all cases, so it’s also important if you’re unsure on how to style your hair for your face shape or personality to invest in a good barber or hairdresser and someone who specialises in men’s hair. 

*Jared Leto, Bradley Cooper, Jon Hamm images via Shutterstock

A guide to hairstyles with Hair Advice and tips for Men in their 40s featuring grey hair and thinning hair.