How A CEO Left Her Career For a Healthy Lifestyle

Generally speaking, when it comes to women and aging there are lots of topics that are either not talked about out in the open or falsely clouded in a fog of misguided stereotypes. Although women’s issues are beginning to be more commonly addressed publicly—we still have a long way to go.

While age comes with a plethora of positives that usually only time on Earth foster like confidence, perspective, humility, experience, and a strong sense of self, there are certain downsides. One of the inevitable changes that can really affect our self-esteem is how our hair changes as we enter our 40s—especially since lustrous hair is so strongly associated with the idea of femininity.

Better Not Younger a Total Brand Group

One woman who set out on a mission to address this untapped market is Sonsoles Gonzalez, who after 28 years in senior-level roles at large corporations like P&G and L’Oreal, left her storied career to start her own venture, Better Not Younger, a holistic haircare brand specifically designed for aging hair.

“Before becoming an entrepreneur (at 52!), I spent my whole career working at big beauty companies around the globe,” Gonzalez tells me. “I remember sitting in product innovation and marketing meetings where regardless of where we were the topic consistently centered around how to best reach the 18-44 year-old consumer. I would always joke, ‘What happens to women after 44? Do they disappear?’ Then one day it wasn't so funny. It was me.”

Gonzalez became obsessed with changing society’s narrative about women and aging. “I knew from my time running the global Pantene business that hair is one of the most important things that factor into how women feel about themselves,” she explains. “Hair changes as we age, so I was going to start unapologetically talking about it. And not only that, I was going to create a solution to make all women over 40 love their hair again and use this platform to put a spotlight on what women 40+ really look like.” Two years later in March 2019, Better Not Younger was born.

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Better, Not Younger Founder: Sonsoles Gonzalez

If you aren’t over 40 you may be wondering what kind of changes you can expect. Board Certified Dermatologist, Dr. Amanda Doyle tells me, “As women age, there are a few factors at play like genetics, changes in androgen (or male hormone), metabolism at the level of the hair follicle, and systemic hormonal changes that may impact hair. These changes lead to thinning hair and actual miniaturization of each hair where each individual strand gets smaller, finer and thinner.” If your hair is your ‘thing’ I promise you these changes will be a rude awakening.

An interesting point to make is that with the pandemic and the general unrest in the world currently, there has been an uptick in stress-related hair loss known as telogen effluvium regardless of age or demographic. “There are different types of stress that affect the hair including external (tight pony tails, chemical treatments, heat from styling tools, etc.) and internal,” explains Doyle. “Since stress hormones may contribute to some forms of hair loss, it’s important to minimize internal stress.”

When it comes to aging hair, most women start noticing significant changes in their 40s. “Hair gets thinner, drier and more brittle, the scalp gets drier and prone to inflammation—all of which are largely a result of unavoidable hormonal changes and nutritional deficiencies,” states Gonzalez. “Your 40s are also when grey hair starts to happen as a result of decreased melanin production. To compensate, many women start dying their hair to cover the grays or use heat styling to add lost volume, which further damages it. It’s so ironic that at a time when our hair is most vulnerable, we make it worse by frequent coloring and over-use of styling products. To counterbalance these changes, we must adjust our hair regimen and nutrition to give our body and hair back what it’s naturally missing and protect it from external aggressors.”

Better Not Younger Scalp Collection

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Better Not Younger products including the shampoos, conditioners, treatments, scalp care, and supplements are designed to address these internal and external changes in the body. There is an online hair quiz that you take where you answer some questions about your specific concerns and about your hair type that will direct you to which products are best suited for you.

“Every ingredient that was chosen is backed up by extensive scientific research regarding their effects on hair,” states Gonzalez. “The formula blends were developed by an MIT chemist based on their in-depth understanding of the biology of aging hair and the proven ability of those combinations of ingredients to address the various causes and conditions of aging hair.”

One of my favorite products in the line up is the brand’s New Dawn Activated Charcoal Scalp Cleanser, which is like an exfoliating facial for your scalp. “It’s an important part of maintaining scalp health which is the foundation for thicker, healthy hair,” Gonzalez tells me. “The function of this product is to clean and detoxify the scalp from dirt, debris, dry shampoo build up, and dead skin cells—all of which can clog hair follicles compromising healthy hair growth or causing hair strands to grow in thinner.”

Better Not Younger€“ Serum

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The product contains lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid that gently exfoliates the scalp, birch extract that is a non-drying astringent and clarifier, it is rich in vitamins B1, B2, A, and C that nourish the scalp, and activated charcoal that absorbs excess oils and dirt for a deep cleanse.

“It is the only scalp cleanser in the market to combine the effects of gentle, natural exfoliating ingredients and activated charcoal with a built-in massaging silicone brush to both physically and chemically exfoliate your scalp and stimulate your follicles,” continues Gonzalez. “We put this level of thought and care into every one of our products. And all of our products are sulfate-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free and vegan.” Better Not Younger also offers two different supplements made to assist healthy aging skin and hair internally. “Our supplement is a multi-vitamin that contains Biotin, vitamin D, folic acid, and marine collagen and are made from the highest quality ingredients that body will absorb.”

Dr. Amanda Doyle also suggests the addition of Lycopene, a natural carotenoid found in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables because it helps to balance excess DHT (or dihydrotestosterone).

Better Not Younger a Total Brand Group

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“Since DHT is also found in the hair follicle and contributes to hair loss and hair thinning, balancing DHT can help support the continued growth of healthy hair making it less susceptible to breakage and falling out. Ingesting a nutrient like this helps to address hair loss from the inside out without drugs or prescriptions,” she adds. Another herb she suggests is Ashwagandha. “Some forms of ashwagandha may decrease levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, which may contribute to thinning, weak hair so combating this can be helpful.” A recent study also outlined the benefits of meditation for hair loss.

Women of any age can start incorporating the Better Not Younger products into their hair care routine. “Women sometimes don’t realize it, but hormonal changes start much earlier than they think,” states Gonzalez. “I like to talk about these early signs. For me, it was my shrinking ponytail. Others may experience excessive shedding due to lack of sleep or stress, which can affect the hair growth cycle.” When I ask if men can use the products she continues, “These products were designed based on our understanding of the changes women go through in their 40s and beyond versus all hair thinning issues, i.e. male pattern baldness. But we do hear from a lot of consumers that husbands or boyfriends are using their Better Not Younger products. My husband, Emilio, is hooked on the Wake Up Call volumizing shampoo.”

Although the Better Not Younger makes consumer products, the brand is more than just hair care. “The entire team is passionate about changing the narrative around women & aging in society to get to a more inclusive definition of beauty,” Gonzalez passionately tells me. “This company was founded on the principle that Beauty Should Not Be Defined By Age. There’s finally a cultural shift starting to take place where women in their 40s, 50s and beyond are realizing that they’ve spent too many hours and dollars with brands who have largely championed youth as the only standard of beauty and ignored them from a marketing point of view. These women are starting to reclaim their individuality and demand a more inclusive view of beauty.”

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