Expert hairstylists suggest incorporating face-framing layers into your haircut to highlight and soften your features. These shorter pieces of hair, thoughtfully placed around the face, are flattering and can also create a slimming effect. To help women over 40 accentuate their best features while minimizing the appearance of wrinkles or thinning, we have compiled a list of eleven timeless face-framing haircut ideas that add volume and sophistication to your hair, perfect for the summer season.
Read on for tips for women over 40 from Lauren Udoh, hair stylist and hair creative director of WigReports, Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles, Gina Rivera, celebrity hair stylist and founder of Phenix Salon Suites, Janine Jarman, celebrity hair stylist and founder of Curl Cult, Krysta Guerrero, owner and stylist at Base Salon Chicago, Dr. Roshan Vara, hair transplant surgeon and co-founder at The Treatment Rooms and Jean Will, hair expert and co-founder of NiaWigs Inc.
11 Volume-Boosting Haircuts & Styles To Try This Summer
1. Italian Bob
If you're looking for a haircut that can make your best features pop while giving your mane an extra boost of volume and bounce, look no further than the Italian bob cut. This style is inspired by Old Hollywood and is a 'do that stylish stars like Salma Hayek opt for.
The Italian bob takes the traditional bob cut to new heights with chunky blunt ends that create an airy, voluminous look that's never heavy or bulky. It also has just the right amount of length to allow for easy styling options as it's long enough to tie up, but short enough to be worn as is. Udoh says that a medium bob like this is "a sleek and stylish choice for many occasions."
She adds that "it's a versatile cut that looks great on almost any face shape and hair type." The length can be "adjusted to complement your features and create an attractive silhouette," she notes.
"This ever-popular bob provides volume at the crown, with textured layers that frame the face nicely while still maintaining an easy-to-manage style," Udoh explains.
2. Layered Lob with Curtain Bangs
Jarman points out that layers can instantly enhance your facial features and provide volume, and adding bangs to a textured lob (as seen here on January Jones), can also conceal forehead wrinkles and draw more attention to your eyes.
"Pair your lob with fringe to cover any wrinkles or receding hairlines and highlight those gorgeous eyes of yours," Jarman says. She adds that "many of us have hair that gets thinner with age," so adding "texture will help give your look lift and life."
3. Wispy, Wavy Shag
A shag is an "amazing cut that is well-recognized for being versatile," Rivera says. A quintessential shag, as seen on Halle Berry, offers "nice variations for both longer and shorter hair." Like the bob, "adding a bang can add a fresh surprise to this look," Rivera suggests.
Abdullah adds that bangs like these are "often used to frame the face and specifically, to give it a youthful appearance." She notes that they also "make your hair appear thicker and are a great way to add volume to thinning hair." The style also "works well for women who want to hide thinning hair in the front."
5. Long, Feathery Layers
"Longer side bangs" and "face framing pieces" a la Jennifer Aniston can "also result in a more voluminous and radiant appearance by drawing the eye to the appealing facial features," Rivera explains. "In general, this provides for a fresher and more youthful look."
If you want to keep your hair longer over 40, Rivera says it is imperative to add layers and/or or face-framing pieces to avoid looking "weighed down" and dull. She points out that "an added choice is to shorten the hair up a bit to the collarbone or above" to create some texture by "adding subtle layers to soften.
6. Bixie
If you can't decide between a bob or pixie, we have good news. You don't have to! A 'bixie' (or bob-meets-pixie) like Kristen Stewart's is very in for spring, and can be a very flattering and chic choice, Guerrero explains.
There are elements of both styles to play with here in this social media-fave cut, and spring is a great time to find what works for you. "The bixie is a traditional bob haircut that’s combined with a pixie," she says.
"The nice thing about a bixie is its versatility — not only can you adjust the length and opt to have it a little longer, but there is no one way to do it when it comes to the style. The cut is totally customizable based on your preference."
7. Wavy Lob With Sideswept Bangs
Emma Stone's shoulder-length bob and side bangs pairing is elegant and timeless.
"A longer bob is always very flattering," Vara says regarding beauties over 40, and it is also a "great way to grow out your gray hair." Abdullah adds that long, sideswept bangs like these "add length and volume so you don't have to spend hours styling."
8. Circular Rounded Pixie
If you're struggling with fine hair or sparse areas over 40, Abdullah recommends getting a circular or rounded, layered pixie like Audrey Tautou. "If you're thinning in the crown, consider a short haircut that's styled in a circular fashion or a swirl around the head," she advises.
"A pixie like this can work wonders here," she says, as it "puts the attention of the eye somewhere besides the thinning top." Another trick she says you can use is to "ask your stylist to cut short layers into your hair," she concludes. "These are cut on a slight angle and are meant to help create volume."
9. Pixie with a Deep Side Part
Side parts evoke not only Old Hollywood, timeless glam— they also provide instant volume to short hair. As Abdullah points out, "in this manner, you can move the hair from one side to the other, as you wish." The added hair going over, she says, as seen here on Kate Mara's more modern, fresh take, will increase volume in the area as well, especially if your hair is used to being parted down the center.
"If you really prefer a center part, make a short one instead so that the hair in front goes to either side of your face," she suggests. "Then the hair in the center can be brushed back. Any difference that you create when your hair is used to lying flat and completely to the sides will create volume and make a big difference," she says.
10. Layered, Side-Parted 'Mob' Cut
You're definitely already familiar with the classic 'bob' and its longer cousin the 'lob,' so the 'mob' refers to a 'medium bob,' Udoh explains.
She deems it to be a "sleek and stylish choice for many occasions." It's a versatile cut, she adds, that looks "great on almost any face shape and hair type." (See here on Cate Blanchett).
While traditional bobs often end at the chin and lobs fall at the collarbone, the 'mob' ends in the middle of the neck. "The mob cut can be adjusted to complement your features and create an attractive silhouette," Udoh adds.
This not-too-long and also not-too-short cut provides "volume at the crown, with textured layers that frame the face nicely while still maintaining an easy-to-manage style," she points out!
11. Bouncy Wavy Bob with Wispy Fringe
For this volume-boosting style, you can ask your stylist to cut your tresses into a bouncy, chin-length bob first, and then add face-framing layers.
Next, Will suggests bringing wispy fringe to this ‘do for not only a more youthful look overall, but also to hide any signs of thinning or hair loss at the crown. "This hairstyle is perfect for women over 40," she says, adding that it will "help hide their forehead [and any signs of wrinkling or natural aging] to look younger."
It is "suitable for women who have thick hair, as well as thin," she explains. As this cut features bangs that can be worn down (as Selena Gomez does) or parted in the center, it naturally has a symmetry-promoting effect that emphasizes your eyes and cheekbones.
The Bottom Line
Rivera suggests that although these eleven hairstyles are failsafe options when it comes to face-framing haircuts, there are numerous classic, transformative and timeless 'dos to consider beyond those mentioned.
The key to finding your perfect look is understanding your facial structure and seeking guidance from a professional stylist.
Additionally, Rivera advises that it’s best to always "consult with your stylist on a maintenance schedule but for those trying to regain hair health, make sure to trim every 4-6 weeks."
