Hair Growth Products: Women 40 and older on a colorful streak

One morning this summer, three women — all older than 40 — were perched in the chairs at the Yves Durif hair salon in the Carlyle hotel. Linda Holliday, CEO of the book-digest company Citia, was the boldest of the bunch. She chose semi-permanent blue streaks that gave her usual sunny hue a punkish cast. “It’s like my last summer fling,” said Holliday, who is in her 50s. Wild colors and innovative hairstyles have resonated with the young and carefree, but in the salons of major cities such as New York, London and Los Angeles, women in their 40s and older have recently adopted the fun trend. Michael Van Clarke, a stylist in London, has had requests for “crazy color flashes around the hairline, dip-dying or unusual temporary color tones.” “It wasn’t us suggesting this,” he said. “It was these very vibrant 50- and 60-year-olds who still want to compete, in a sense, with trendy young women.” He often uses women hair growth products in wide streaks or all-over washes. The style is best on well-dressed, well-groomed women, Van Clarke said, “because only if the rest of the package is quite refined and confident does it work.” George Papanikolas, a colorist at the Andy Lecompte salon in West Hollywood, attributes the trend in part to The Hunger Games, with characters sporting a rainbow of hues.