Medium-length hair is the best of both worlds — it gives you length if you aren’t willing to part with much hair, while also providing a lower maintenance style that is easier to keep looking stylish. Medium-length hair can be styled in a variety of ways and it seems like everything looks great at this length. Add layers for movement, bangs for intrigue, or a shaggy shape to bring back some retro coolness to your look. You won’t be weighed down by too much hair, but you’ll still have enough hair to pull back into a ponytail or braid, if you like mixing things up once in a while.
Medium-length hair typically falls between the shoulder and armpit. It’s also extremely youthful looking, as it can look more voluminous than long hair and make the face look more lifted. But asking your stylist for a “medium-length cut” is a little like asking a waiter to bring you food — it’s the more intricate style details that matter.
If you’re searching for some ideas, here are four of the best shoulder-length hairstyles for women over 40 to shed years off your look.
Angled Lob
A lob is the medium-length version of the bob — it shares its classic shape, but with more length. If you really want to kick your lob up a notch, ask your stylist to cut it so that it fall to an angle around your face. This angled shape can be customized so that shorter pieces frame your eyes, cheekbones, or jawline, which perfectly draws attention to your features. Experiment with straight angled hair or add waves or curls for texture.
Medium-Length Hair With Bangs
Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make the most of your medium haircut. Cutting bangs into your hair can give your cut a cool girl vibe and fake the look of thicker hair, to boot. Make sure your stylist cuts bangs that flow with your other layers and learn how to communicate your bang intentions to them. There are wispy bangs, blunt bangs, side-swept bangs, and more. The bangs that look the best with your haircut will depend on your hair type, facial features, and personal preferences.
Middle-Parted Curtain Bangs With Shaggy Layers
Similar to middle-length hair, curtain bangs are a nice compromise when you kind of-sort of want bangs, but don’t want them to be too short. Curtain bangs instead start off shorter in the middle and get gradually longer, plus they’re usually parted in the middle. They’re a cool nod to the 1970s and look even more retro when paired with shaggy layers. You can customize the length of your curtain bangs and where you’d like layers to stop.
Stacked Layers
If your hair is on the thinner side, a stacked layered haircut is a fantastic style option because it is cut so that layers are at an angle, which creates the illusion of more volume and fullness. You can wear stacked layered with any hair type (they look especially great on curly or wavy hair). It also works beautifully with bangs.
Medium-length hair is versatile and can be worn so many different ways. Try one of these trending hairstyles to make the most of this not-too-long, not-too-short, always perfect length.
