This article has been updated since its initial publish date to include more expert insight.
As we age, it’s important to find hairstyles that help us look and feel our best. Oftentimes, it’s easy to get stuck in a hairstyle rut, but that could sometimes mean inadvertently adding years to your look with certain dated, short haircuts. Luckily, with so many celeb-fave hairdo ideas that promote symmetry and enhance your facial features at any age, there’s no need to sacrifice style in order to maintain a youthful glow.
We caught up with professional hair stylists and experts to learn more about three haircuts that can sometimes make women over 50 look older and two suggestions to try instead.
Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from Gina Rivera, celebrity hair stylist and owner of Phenix Salon Suites, Lauren Udoh, professional hair stylist and hair creative director at Wig Reports, and Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles.
2 Aging Short Haircuts (and What to Try Instead)
1. Middle-Parted, Chin-Length Bob
While Selena Gomez certainly looks fabulous with this style, Abdullah points out that this look can often emphasize fine lines, wrinkles and signs of thinning hair on mature beauties, which may not be your intention. "A bob with a center part might have been your go-to hairstyle before, but maybe your part seems to be getting wider and wider," she says regarding hair loss. "
If you're thinning in the crown of your head, a center part is going to draw attention to it." Abdullah continues, "This is because you're putting the part right in the same area." Udoh agrees, and notes that a bob like this "can make someone look older if it is cut straight across and is not layered." This can give the "illusion of thinner hair, making someone look older," she adds.
Instead, Try a Side-Parted Bob or Pixie
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 Halle Berry'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.
2. Bob with Blunt Bangs
Taylor Swift looks chic with a chin-length bob and blunt bangs, but Abdullah stresses that mature women can often feel that this look adds years as it highlights signs of aging more than anything else. This style, which Abdullah defines as being cut to cover your eyebrows, can also bring more attention to fine lines if made too thick. "Thick, blunt bangs that come past the eyebrows on a blunt bob emphasize every sign of age in the face, as they don't frame the face well," she explains.
Instead, she notes, "they push all the attention to the eyes, with all their lines." While she acknowledges that thicker, blunt-cut bangs are often seen as "a very classic chic look," she says it can also "really make you look older." This, she continues, is because with blunt bangs, a bob cut "emphasizes the eye area, which might not look dewy." Then, it also draws eyes to the "the jaw area, an area that many of us struggle with as we age." She says that there are much more flattering options out there, like wispy, trendy side bangs.
3. Blunt Bob with Baby Bangs
From classic fashion icons such as Bettie Page and Audrey Hepburn to contemporary trendsetters like Emma Watson to Emma Roberts (pictured above), 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.
Instead, Go For a Side-Parted, Wavy Bob
Rather than blunt fringe or baby bangs, Rivera recommends side bangs, as seen here on Glenn Close. These, she says, "detract from the appearance of fine or limp hair and can add dimension to a style." In addition, side bangs can also "be styled in a variety of ways which can lead to the hair appearing fuller." Pairing a bob with this is a "great cut for thin fine hair and this can be styled in so many ways which brings versatility to a cut," Rivera notes. Ultimately, she says, side bangs are "huge right now and a great way to add more to a short style."
There are a "few haircuts that are often seen on women over 50 that can make them look older than they are," Udoh concludes, recalling the chin-length, center-parted bob and cut with blunt bangs. "If you're looking to avoid hairstyles that make you look older, these are the cuts to stay away from," she says. "Instead, consider styles that add volume and texture, such as layered cuts or beachy waves. These styles will help you to look your best and feel more confident," Udoh suggests. The more you know!
