This article has been updated since its initial publish date to include more expert insight.
Do you feel like cutting your hair but are worried that a pixie cut will age you? Well, you may be surprised to find out that the right pixie cut can actually frame your face and draw attention to your best features. We reached out to professional hair stylists, cosmetologists, and beauty experts for the best type of pixie cut for women over 50, that way you can come prepared for your next salon visit.
Read on for the most flattering pixie haircut for mature women, the pixie cut you should avoid, tips, and insight from Gina Rivera, celebrity hairstylist and Founder of Phenix Salon Suites, and Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles. They agree that a pixie cut with side-swept bangs looks great on everyone!
Pixie Cut With Side-Swept Bangs
While you may think that the pixie haircut is uniform and repetitive, there are actually numerous different pixie hairstyles that can flatter all kinds of women. For example, there is the pixie with micro bangs, close crop (similar to a buzzcut), the modern bowl cut, finger waves, the bob-meets pixie or bixie, and more. Overall, pixie cuts are a great way to bring youthful energy to a mature face and highlight a person's best features.
Rivera agrees. She believes pixie cuts are very versatile that's why they are one of her favorite anti-aging styles. "It can be worn in so many different ways from slicked back to spikey," she explains. And, no matter what your style, you can rock a face-framing pixie cut.
One specific short 'do that can highlight your eyes, cheekbones, and face shape is a pixie cut with side-swept bangs. "Ever seen a pixie cut where the bangs steal all the attention? This is what you're after: long, side-swept bangs," Abdullah explains. "The rest of your hair should be piece-y and angled. She adds that "the cut should swirl around your head to hide hair loss." Abdullah stresses that a pixie cut with layers still maintains volume that is both gorgeous and easy to manage. That way you can give off an effortlessly chic look!
When you head to the salon, Abdullah says to first ask your stylist about "the amount and placement of layers that will help create volume and body in your hair" and that you would like to create more volume with your pixie cut. "Generally, pixies that add volume are cut very short in the back, a little long around the ears, and long up top,” she notes. "The layers can be cut to swirl around the head to hide thinning in whichever areas [it's] most apparent." Of course, it's also a good idea to "take a few pictures into the salon to see what’s possible and will look best on you." A pixie cut that may look flattering on Ginnifer Goodwin may end up looking clunky and unflattering on your face shape. In general, taking your face shape into account is crucial when picking your haircut.
If you want to look younger, the first thing you want to look for in a haircut is one that softens your features. Rivera says that a pixie cut is a perfect way to do that. And, if you're really looking for a style change, she recommends opting for a new hair color. "Creative choices for color can add extra appeal to this look," Rivera explains.
Avoid Pixie With Blunt Bangs
On the other hand, a pixie cut with blunt bangs may seem timeless and Parisian on supermodels but for women over 50, Abdullah warns that the blunt bangs can inadvertently draw attention to signs of aging. "Thick, blunt bangs that come past the eyebrows" on this pixie cut can "emphasize every sign of age in the face," she says. The blunt bangs "don’t frame the face well," and, she notes, "push all the attention to the eyes, with all their lines." Yikes!
Even though this cut may seem like "a very classic chic look, it really makes you look older," Abdullah says. This cut brings bad attention to the eye area, "which might not look dewy," and the jaw area, "an area that many of us struggle with as we age."
So, there you have it, the best pixie cut for women over 50 is a pixie cut with side swept bangs not blunt bangs. While the side-swept bangs add angles and frame the face, blunt bangs highlight the fine lines and sagging skin that you may want to hide. A pixie cut with side-swept bangs is also a hairstyle that can camouflage thinning hair and add volume to otherwise flat hair.
