Forever Young: A Beginner’s Guide to Keeping the Hair, Teeth, and Face Looking Youthful

Our hair, teeth, and face are ultimate truth-tellers, revealing our age. Here's what it really takes to maintain them—and how much.
Reading Time: 6 minutes

Even with the changing times where body positivity and “everyone is beautiful” thinking are at an all-time high, especially with the Gen-Z set, there’s no denying there is still that underlying Filipina beauty standard that most people would consider beautiful in the conventional sense. An image perhaps has come to mind as you started reading this piece—a fit, toned body, smooth and fair skin, a full head of long locks that are preferably straight, and while not as easily noticeable, well-maintained nails and a good set of teeth cap off the complete package of what it means to meet the beauty standard of being a Filipina. 

Before you come for us, stop and think about it for a minute. The way you can figure out what the beauty standard is in a country is by looking at what the prevailing look is out there in advertisements and social media. 

Looking young and of a certain way is so ingrained that our current Miss Universe Philippines, Michelle Dee, declared in an interview that she kept her hair short as, and we quote, “One, I really believe it highlights my personality. You know being on the pageant stage with short hair, it symbolizes breaking the barrier and it symbolizes what I truly stand for also, which is to empower everyone that you don’t have to fit in just to become Miss Universe,” she said. 

Has anyone made a fuss over someone keeping their long hair as much as the news clamor over a celebrity who chops off it all off? Or how does the media jump on celebrities with no makeup on? Or let’s get down to the most basic of interactions—being thought of as looking younger than you actually are is seen as a positive.  

With that being said, The Beauty Edit dives into how much it would cost to figuratively keep drinking from the fountain of youth and goes straight to establishments that have their finger on the pulse of what their clientele want. 

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Hair Care, We Do Care! 

There are plenty of hair services a client may want and ask for, be it a perm or a new color, but it’s in the style and execution that makes it current and of-the-moment.

Spanning decades of expertise and knowledge in Filipino hair, we turned to Alex Carbonell to give us a briefer on what his clientele currently wants. He confidently declares, “We are a race of naturals. We love proportionality and balance. Our concept of beauty is minimalism yet exudes luxury and simplicity.”

Perhaps it’s in our culture, which has been ingrained in our minds for years. For Alex, he thinks Filipinos are still very much about “true beauty,” and if money weren’t an issue, “they still wouldn’t go overboard [on the treatments],” he says. Filipinos would rather avoid looking too much or too unnatural, and would rather prefer to look “simple, luxurious, and elegant,” as opposed to looking “tacky, mainstream [and looking like everyone else], or just jumping on the latest beauty trend.”

With a clientele ranging from children’s first haircuts to men and women in their senior years, Alex has seen the trends come and go, but what remains is what he describes as youthful elegance. When asked if the patrons who walk into one of his studios ask to look younger, he replies, “Age appropriation is definitely a valuable principle, but it’s up to us creative stylists to make them look youthful.”

Cases in point: “When someone asks for voluminous hair, the cut matters, but we eliminate hair spray. When she says color texture, we give her muted ash gold tones rather than burgundy,” says Alex. There are plenty of hair services a client may want and ask for, but it’s in the style and execution that makes it current and of-the-moment. The secrets to looking young? “The basic standards are glow, shine, soft, no gray hair, flowing, manageable, wash-and-go, simple and minimal yet textured and dimensional,” says Alex.

To go into specifics, he suggests that volume is preferred, dimensional browns like ash gold hair color, honey gold highlights, peach brown base color, and copper-gold highlights are better, and bangs must be soft side swept fringe and not blunt straight or flat. A layered bob, volume layers, or forward graduation are also great haircuts for those looking more youthful. Of course, all of these will again depend on a collaboration between you and your stylist. 

Teeth: A Subtle Indicator of Age 

Teeth and gum health may not necessarily be at the forefront of what you prioritize when looking young, but they are essential—the devil is in the details, and the state of your teeth can give away your actual age.

Dr. Don Johnson Vito Cruz of Primea Dental says that when it comes to procedures that will make their patients look younger for their age, he would suggest laser teeth whitening, dental veneers, orthodontic treatments, and gum contouring. He says, “A bright, white smile is often associated with youthfulness and vitality, making the teeth appear healthier and more attractive. Veneers are thin, custom-made shells that cover the front surface of teeth which hide chips or gaps, creating a flawless and more youthful smile. Orthodontic treatments straighten crooked teeth through braces or aligners, which can improve facial symmetry and contribute to a more balanced and youthful appearance. For gum contouring, reshaping the gums can make teeth appear longer and more proportionate, enhancing the overall aesthetics of the smile and face.” 

While teeth and gum health are not necessarily at the forefront of what you prioritize when looking young, they are essential—the devil is in the details, and the state of your teeth can give away your actual age. Dr. Vito Cruz says, “Patients’ preferences and requests vary significantly in our clinic. Some patients may pursue treatments or procedures to retain a youthful smile to reduce apparent indications of mouth aging. Conversely, some people prioritize age appropriateness and desire to gracefully embrace the natural aging process.”

Face Forward: The Ultimate Youth Teller 

When it comes to looking young, collagen production is a significant factor in keeping your face structure intact and free from sagging, wrinkling, or lines.

To look younger starts with the face; after all, the face reveals all you’ve been through and is usually the basis of anyone, including yourself, in figuring out how many candles you have on your birthday cake. As every face is unique, our concerns and issues are usually different, but these signs of aging are universal: Wrinkles. Laugh lines. Worry lines. Crow’s feet. And how are those removed? Through a slew of procedures that either fill out the skin, smoothen and remove sagging through a lift, or help bring back what made your skin plump and youthful before. 

Dr. Young Cho of the Hernel Korean Aesthetics, says that they perform many procedures focusing on collagen. “It’s one of the most important factors in anti-aging,” Dr. Cho states. Collagen is a buzzy ingredient touted not just by beauty clinics but by restaurants and even food to boost your looks. In truth, you already have collagen, taking up around 30 percent of your body’s total protein content. Why is it so important? According to Healthline.com, collagen gives “structural support to tissues and plays important roles in cellular process, including tissue repair… (and) cellular migration, a process necessary for tissue maintenance.” It’s a significant factor in keeping your face structure intact and free from sagging, wrinkling, or lines. Unfortunately, collagen loss comes with aging, so Dr. Cho’s clinic does many procedures involving collagen, and the health market is awash with collagen supplements. 

Heading over to one of the beauty industry pioneers, The Belo Medical Group had just recently launched Emface. This non-invasive facelift stimulates muscle and collagen. It is the first in the Philippines to treat both muscle and the skin on the face. Their website states that Emface gives you “firmer and younger-looking skin.” Four 20-minute sessions, spaced out through one session per week, cost Php 38,000 per session. Other tried-and-true treatments that boost and regenerate collagen production are Virtue RF and Ultherapy.

The Cost of Beauty, Defined by You 

There’s no machine more complex or perfect in the world than a human, and like any machine, its inner and outer appearance matter to keep the machine as a whole running at its total capacity. But what you do to your outward appearance is highly personal—what you think you need might not be the slightest concern for another. At the end of it all, it’s not the beauty standards that you need to try so hard to attain. The cost of beauty is worth it when it is the caring, loving thing to do for yourself.

Woman having hair done in salon by © The Everette Collection. Woman getting teeth whitening by © andesr. woman getting facial by © bulyhin. Woman getting hair color by © michellealeksa. Pink peony illustration by uka-uso design via canva.com

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