There is no golden rule about hairstyles and haircuts that should be avoided after a certain age. If a hairstyle makes you happy or feels like it’s part of YOU, then keep it — maintaining one’s personal style is much more important than following a list of arbitrary rules about what does and doesn’t work on most women after age 40 or 50.
But there may be times when you wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and feel like your hair isn’t making you feel like your absolute best self. The problem could be that you’re holding onto a certain color, style, or cut for longer than necessary and change is exactly what you need to feel and look like a fresh version of yourself. In those cases, it’s possible you are choosing hair looks that are generally considered “unflattering” because they can drag the face down, look dated, and aren’t creating much-needed movement in your hair, which may be thinner and dryer than it used to be.
We rounded up eight hairstyles that may want to be avoided because they can look unflattering — and two hairstyles that are often recommended for women over 50.
1. Long, Straight Hair
Long, straight hair that lacks layering can fall completely flat, making your strands look thinner than they are and offering no lift at the roots. This hairstyle can also give the illusion of dragging your facial features downward — at a time when you might be longing for a little lift.
Try: Layering and Texture
The simplest solution to keeping your hair long but creating movement is to add long layers that break up the monotonous state of long, straight hair. Any time you can also add in waves or curls you create a more voluminous hairstyle.
2. Dark, Flat Colors
When your hair color of choice is blue-black or cherry-red, darker, flatter colors can wash out your skin tone, especially as we grow older and may be losing brightness in our complexion.
Try: A Bob with Balayage
Instead of coloring your hair with one dark dye, create dimension by choosing a balayage that paints on highlights where the sun might leave them. This automatically gives you a brighter, more vibrant look.
3. Pixie With Shaved Undercut
This pixie with shaved sides and a shaved undercut can look dramatic and funky. If that’s the look you’re going for, it will work in an instant. But if you are trying to find haircuts and styles that soften your face, avoid anything with harsh and dramatic lines.
4. Middle Parts
Forget the generational debate of side versus middle hair parts — this isn’t about what’s trendy, it’s about what looks better after a certain age. If you’ve noticed your hair is shedding more and getting thinner at the crown, a slight side part or deep side part will help give your hair the heft it can’t get from a middle part, which shows signs of thinning.
5. Heavy, Blunt Bangs
Bangs are usually a good idea — but only after a stylist has assessed your hair and face and suggested a bang type that works best for you. All bangs are not created equal, and heavy, blunt bangs can make your face look more square and severe. Get bangs if you want them, but choose a bangs style that looks great on you.
6. Flat Pixie
A pixie is a forever classic hairstyle that works extremely well with fine and thinning hair. But how you cut and style your pixie makes all of the difference. A pixie with flat, too-short layers on top may not be as flattering as one that contains a little more length and can be styled so that it’s voluminous (and capable of concealing areas of sparseness on the scalp).
7. Blunt Bob
A blunt bob can be sophisticated and chic — we’re not knocking it. But it can also leave you a little flat at the top and may not be the best bob for your face shape and hair type. If you love your bob, but aren’t loving its current shape, consider asking your stylist to add a few layers around the face to give it movement and make your color pop.
8. Straightening Your Hair
The grass is always greener on the other side when it comes to hair. But constantly straightening your natural texture can leave your hair looking less shiny and healthy — not to mention that texture like waves and curls can give your face a more youthful look and create the allusion of more fullness in the cheeks. The next time you want to reach for a straightening iron or brush to get rid of your texture, consider embracing it instead.
