If you want to achieve a youthful and glowing look, it is recommended by hair experts to opt for softer hairstyles rather than those which are too dramatic. We consulted professional and famous hairstylists to find out more about ‘outdated’ baby bangs which could potentially add years to your overall look, and also, a more suitable option for mature beauties over 40.
Read on for valuable advice, ideas and insight from the hair specialists: Michelle Cleveland, celebrity hair stylist at Hair Addict Salon and Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles and Dani Everson, professional hair stylist at Clementine’s Salon.
How Baby Bangs Can Add Years To Your Look
From classic fashion icons such as Bettie Page and Audrey Hepburn to contemporary trendsetters like Emma Watson, Emma Roberts and Krysten Ritter (pictured above and below), a plethora of fashionable women have demonstrated the power of baby bangs. However, hair expert Everson cautions mature ladies that this cut may have an adverse effect.
"I love bangs and think everyone has their own special length that enhances their features," she says, adding that "no two bangs are the same," and if you are looking to get bangs, "opt for a long hairstyle that will help hide forehead wrinkles."
Baby bangs, she stresses, can "overshare someone's wrinkle story," drawing the eye to sagging skin rather than creating a look that has an upwards or lifting effect. "The right length of bangs can help make someone's appearance youthful, but too short borders the line between baby-ish and also aging," she advises.
Abdullah agrees that bangs ending before the eyebrows can emphasize forehead wrinkles rather than highlight a woman's cheekbones and attractive features like other hairstyles. "Wherever your bangs fall, that is the feature they will emphasize the most," she explains.
"You don't want short bangs that fall right in the middle of your forehead where you might have a few lines," Abdullah continues. Instead, she recommends cutting your bangs at your eyebrow level "to emphasize your eyes." This, paired with face-framing layering can provide a much more flattering look overall, she notes.
Why Curtain Bangs Are A More Flattering Option
Instead of choosing the popular yet often unbecoming baby bangs, one can opt for chic curtain bangs, Abdullah suggests. "These flatter just about any face at any age and neatly frame the face while drawing attention away from serious aging signs," she continues.
Curtain bangs, Abdullah notes, are a type of fringe cut that creates a soft, natural looking wave at the top of the head, as seen here on Zooey Deschanel. "They are often used to frame the face and specifically, to give it a youthful appearance," she adds, which "look great on mature women" as they make your face appear "smaller and slimmer when they come down to cheek level."
This cut (which Kerry Washington is also fond of) requires face-framing, longer fringe parted down the center. Cleveland agrees, adding that curtain bangs are the perfect answer for someone who "wants bangs but also doesn’t want the commitment of a full bang."
They are essentially a "version of the classic face frame that so many women choose because it flatters almost all face shapes," she continues. The wispiness of the shape that is created, Cleveland notes, is "soft and delicate and provides a more lived-in look," which is why she believes the celeb-fave style is "so popular." The more you know!
