1. Skip Chin-Length Bobs with Blunt Bangs
According to Abdullah, if you’re striving for a more youthful look, it's best to steer clear of blunt, chin-length bob hairstyles with blunt bangs. This style might work against you, as it can make you appear older than you are. Abdullah explains that pairing this type of fringe with a chin-length bob—or even a slightly longer lob—can emphasize signs of aging rather than accentuating your features.
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. “Rather, they push all the attention to the eyes, with all their lines.” This, she says, is seen as a very classic chic look, but it can make you look older if not cut with voluminous layers to frame your face shape.
Instead, Try a Bob or Lob with Curtain Bangs
"The bob emphasizes the eye area, which might not look dewy," Abdullah reveals. She also adds, "Then, it also emphasizes the jaw area, an area that many of us struggle with as we age." Her alternate suggestion is also to ask for the ever-so-stylish curtain bangs, since they “flatter just about any face at any age,” with any length, as well, as seen here on Goldie Hawn. “They neatly frame the face while drawing attention away from serious aging signs,” she points out.
2. Skip Blunt Bobs with Center Parts
Middle parts can create a balanced and symmetrical appearance at any age, but Abdullah notes that they can also emphasize forehead wrinkles and make your hair appear flatter. "A bob with a center part might have been your favorite style in the past, but you may notice your part widening over time," Abdullah explains, as thinning at the crown becomes more common with age.
"If you're thinning in the crown of your head, a center part is going to draw attention to it. This is because you're putting the part right in the same area," she says. To avoid this, Abdullah recommends a side part for more volume and youthful energy.
Instead, Try a Layered Bob with a Deep Side Part
"Try a side part instead," Abdullah recommends, pointing to Salma Hayek's 'do above. "In this manner, you can move the hair from one side to the other, as you wish," she notes. "The added hair going over 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, she suggests making "a short one instead, so that the hair in front goes to either side of your face." Then, she adds, 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.
3. Skip Bobs with Baby Bangs
While this timeless cut can add a touch of edginess to any look, everyone notes that its forehead-baring style might highlight wrinkles or other signs of aging. Although baby bangs can complement an Audrey Hepburn aesthetic, everyone cautions that this style, which stops above the eyebrows, may have a less flattering effect on mature ladies.
“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.” This type of fringe, she says, can “overshare someone's wrinkle story,” drawing the eye to sagging skin rather than creating a look that has an upwards or lifting effect.
Instead, Opt for Eyebrow-Length Fringe
“The right length of bangs can help make someone's appearance youthful, but too short borders the line between babyish and also aging,” she says.
Another way to elevate this style Abdullah says there would also be wispy curtain bangs (seen here on Halle Berry). They can be cut as long or as short as needed, and you can wear them parted or straight down.