If you’re looking in the mirror and noticing your hair is failing to give lift, life, something (anything), the answer may not be to ask your hairstylist to give you the same exact haircut next time you book an appointment. While it’s true that other factors could be contributing to your flat hair, like using the wrong shampoo and overdoing it with products and experiencing product buildup, the wrong haircut can also cause your roots to flatten and your hair to look lifeless.
After age 50 or so, it becomes harder to build volume in hair because we can experience hormonal changes that lead to issues like shedding and thinning. If you’re repeatedly getting the following three haircuts, which are known for being flattening, it may be high time for a switch. Here are three of the worst haircuts you can have when your hair is thinning and three to try instead.
1. Worst: Long, Straight Hair
Even though it has been Demi Moore’s signature hairstyle for decades, and we adore everything she does, long, straight hair isn’t easy to pull off. It often lays completely flat, with no layers to perk things up and bring lift to your face. If you hair is shedding, it can show more of your scalp than you’re comfortable showing, and the ends can look straggly the longer you keep it.
2. Better: Medium Cut With Layers
You may not want to sacrifice too much length, especially if you’ve always worn your hair very long. But by eliminating a few inches, bringing your hair up to around your shoulder, and adding long layers, you remove straggly ends and give your cut volume, body, and movement.
3. Worst: Very Short Pixie
A very short pixie (one that’s short all around and on top) requires a medium or thick hair density to pull off really well. This is because the cut lacks layers that allow you to customize it and conceal areas of sparseness.
4. Better: Longer Pixie With Texture
Halle Berry’s longer pixie gives her an opportunity to wear it styled in so many different ways: side-swept, slicked back, or funkier with texture. It also conceals any thinner areas around the crown and scalp so that your hair look thicker.
5. Worst: Choppy Asymmetrical Bob
An asymmetrical bob that is choppy and reveals vast different between one layer and the next can appear disjointed and draw attention to thinning hair and thin ends. Luckily, there’s a simple fix if this is one of your favorite haircuts.
6. Better: More Balanced Asymmetrical Bob
Keep the distance between layers more concise with a balanced asymmetrical bob. This look is cleaner, more polished, and makes thin hair appear denser and healthier.
