After rocking a go-to haircut or style for years and being comfortable with it, it makes sense to want to keep that look forever. However, as we age, we might notice natural and normal differences in our hair to take into account like thinning, hair loss, fallout, or a general flatness to once vivacious locks. We checked in with professional hairstylists and hair experts: aesthetician Melissa Gilbert of UK-based Fantastic Services and Fae Norris of LA’s Rock Paper Salon, who both explained that the one haircut you should avoid getting or having under 40 is probably one that you’ve had for a long time (and can instantly amp up with a visit to the salon!) Read on for their specific tips, what not to do if your goal is to keep that youthful-esque look, and what to pursue instead.
The Ultimate Hair Mistake Under 40: Too Long & Over-Teased Locks
If looking older is a concern for you and your tresses, there are two things Gilbert suggests avoiding— having *ultra-long* length and *too much* volume. For example, she notes that any woman under 40 can rock this look, but it may become too difficult to maintain over time and not look as youthful and vibrant as other styles can. As we age, our hair naturally becomes flatter, which she says many people overcompensate for by adding too much teasing product in the hopes for more volume. Having long hair and volume might just come down to being something that isn’t as effective as other anti-aging hair looks.
“With aging, many people with thin hair worry that it looks too flat and end up overdoing it, adding volume to the wrong places,” Gilbert says. “A little volume to your hair looks beautiful, but too much of it can age you. When you over-tease your hair or add too much height to the crown, the hairstyle looks old-fashioned,” she continues, saying it can look like a “hat” instead of being full and healthy. “Also, adding too many layers of hair spray to hold the volume makes your hair look stiff and crunchy, it points back to an out-of-fashion, dated look,” she adds.
Regarding long hair that is naturally thinning, Gilbert says that it can only “look good to a certain point,” as “thin, too long hair will age you because it looks stringy.” If you’re not someone who can spend time in front of the mirror every morning and “make sure your hairstyle looks perfect,” she says, “avoid a one-length, straight hairstyle.”
Norris agrees, and says that modernizing a style every couple of years (rather than sticking to the same one) will keep a look youthful. “There were a lot of women rocking the ‘Farrah’ back in the day but days change,” she says, “Some hairstyles are inherently ‘youthful,’ but when that youth is gone, which happens to us all, it can’t be recaptured by a cut alone,” she says. A good rule of thumb, Norris suggests, is to “take a look at what you were wearing in high school or college” and then go another way (even if it was teased, long hair).
“Some of the specific styles that may draw attention to some aspects of aging are one length or blunt styles without a softening layer or bangs,” Norris says. “And while I understand the connection some ladies have with their hair, when it’s too long, as in waist-length, it does tend to create a sense of aging, as does hair that is generally unkempt,” she continues.
With that said, Gilbert and Norris recommend generally “shorter” hairstyles (lobs, bobs, pixies, etc) that “frame” your face and features without weighing your stunning assets down. “Going short is the best option, even if you’ve had long hair all your life,” Gilbert says of thinning locks.
“Once your hair has grown below your chest, it’s most certainly making you look older. It’s better to get a haircut. The best hairstyle for aging, thin types of hair is a short bob or a haircut reaching just below your chin.” Norris concludes that if you really do want to keep some type of length (as in a lob or mid-length cut rather than waist-length long), that “fresh layers and bangs can deliver a youthful look and allow for longer styles.”
