13 Unflattering Hairstyles To Avoid Over 40—And Chic Alternatives
1. Skip Lobs With Baby Bangs
The timeless appeal of baby bangs has been showcased by a variety of fashion icons over the years, ranging from Bettie Page and Audrey Hepburn to modern trendsetters like Emma Watson, Emma Roberts, and Krysten Ritter. Despite its popularity, hair specialist Everson advises mature women to exercise caution when considering this cut due to potential negative effects.
"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." 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.
Instead, Try A Lob With Curtain Bangs
"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 in your collarbone-length lob can provide a much more flattering look overall, she notes. 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 Kerry Washington. "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."
2. Skip Center-Parted Lobs Without Layers
Middle-parts can create a symmetrical look at any age, but Abdullah stresses that they can also draw more attention to forehead wrinkles and make your tresses look flatter.
"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," Abdullah acknowledges, as thinning in the crown area is common as many age.
Instead, Add Layers And A Deep Side Part
"Try a side part [with more layers] instead. In this manner, you can move the hair from one side to the other, as you wish," Abdullah notes.
The "added hair going over," like Charlize Theron here, "will increase volume in the area as well, especially if your hair is used to being parted down the center."
3. Skip Choppy Lobs With Shaggy Bangs
While shag cuts are iconic, 70s-esque and trendy (and usually flattering for any face shape when paired with no-fail curtain bangs), adding too many layers can head into mullet territory.
Shags, Abudllah points out, can easily be cut to frame your face and best features, but adding a heavy amount of layers can often do the opposite. The worst haircut you can have if your goal is to look younger is having "too many layers," she explains.
Instead, Rock A Shag With Eyebrow-Grazing Fringe
Rivera adds that a short or medium-length, delicately layered shag with eyebrow-grazing bangs (Taylor Swift is a fan!) is an "amazing cut that is well-recognized for being versatile. A shag with layers of different lengths offers "nice variations for both longer and shorter hair," she says.
"Adding a bang can add a fresh surprise to this look, she suggests. For anyone with hair on the longer side, Rivera concludes that "an added choice is to shorten the hair up a bit to the collarbone or above" to create some texture by "adding subtle layers to soften."
4. Skip Chin-Length Bobs with Blunt Bangs
According to Abdullah, if you're aiming to achieve a more youthful appearance, you should avoid the blunt, chin-length bob hairstyle accompanied by blunt fringe. This hairstyle may not work in your favor as it has the potential to make you look older than your actual age. Abdullah warns that adding this kind of bangs to a chin-length bob (or slightly longer lob) can also highlight the effects of aging without enhancing your best features.
Thick, blunt bangs "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 ayers to frame your face shape.
Instead, Try a Layered Lob with Curtain Fringe
"Like the lob with blunt bangs, the bob emphasizes the eye area, which might not look dewy," Abdullah says. "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 Alexa Chung. “They neatly frame the face while drawing attention away from serious aging signs,” she points out.
5. Skip Pin-Straight Long Hair
If you have "fine, thinning, fragile, damaged hair," Jarman recommends "cutting it off." She adds that "healthy hair is always the best bet. If your hair is thin, it only gets thinner as it grows out and if it’s damaged it will only continue to break the longer it gets."
Rivera agrees in that "long, straight, blunt hair" is not always becoming with age.
“The long length can pull the features down and make them appear more drawn,” Rivera says, “If you select longer hair, it’s important to opt for longer layers that will create movement and texture," she advises.
Instead, Try Face-Framing Layers
"Longer side bangs" and "face framing pieces" a la Jennifer Aniston can "also result in a more youthful appearance by drawing the eye to the appealing facial features," Rivera explains. "In general, this provides for a fresher and more youthful look."
6. Skip Mid-Length Bobs
A bob looks the best when it ends at the chin or at the collarbone, Abdullah says. If your bob ends at the middle of your neck, she stresses that this could make you look older, even if that is not the goal.
The thing about bobs and lobs, Abdullah says, is that they fall "right where you want to draw attention." A longer, mid-length bob would fall "right at the neck." For a woman who's over 40, Abdullah says, this could be a spot where "fine lines and wrinkles" could be more apparent.
Instead, Try A Collarbone-Length, Layered Bob Or Lob
"When I see a woman with a medium bob, my eye is always drawn to the neck, right where the hair falls," Abdullah stresses.
"A bob is great if you want the eyes drawn to the chin or cheekbones, and lobs are great for moving the eye towards the collarbone and shoulders, but medium-length bobs are not as flattering" for mature women, she explains. Instead, a chin-length or collarbone-length cut like Cate Blanchett's above might look more refreshed and radiant!
7. Skip One-Length Bobs
A long bob or lob that is cut without any layering can make someone's tresses look dull and lifeless, Udoh notes. This 'do can make women over 40 look older inadvertently while drawing attention to signs of aging rather than adding volume and movement.
Instead, Try A Bob Or Lob With Face-Framing Layers
"A long bob can make someone look older if it is cut straight across and is not layered," Udoh says. In order to avoid this, she suggests parting a straight bob or lob to the side for "instant volume," or adding "layers and texture" like Natalie Portman above for a more standout look!
8. Skip Pixies with Blunt Bangs
Abdullah cautions that despite its classic and timeless appearance, the pixie cut with blunt bangs may unintentionally highlight age-related features for individuals over the age of 50.
This style, which exudes a Parisian vibe on many, may not be the most suitable choice for those looking to avoid drawing attention to signs of aging. As noted before, blunt bangs can "emphasize every sign of age in the face," Abdullah says, as they "don't frame the face well."
Instead, Try a Pixie with Sideswept Bangs
While there are plenty of layered, pixie cuts without bangs that can take years off your look, there is also a clever, celeb-fave cut with fringe that can have this effect, too, Abdullah says.
She recommends adding long, symmetry-promoting bangs to your pixie (like Anne Hathaway) if your goal is to look younger, as this cut highlights your cheekbones, and looks "more voluminous" with the help of an already-short 'do.
9. Skip Pixies with Baby Bangs
According to Everson, just like the previous hairstyle featuring blunt bangs, this particular hairdo with micro bangs can also draw attention to wrinkles, particularly on the forehead.
"If you are looking to get bangs, opt for a long hairstyle that will help hide forehead wrinkles," she advises, rather than a pixie cut that emphasizes them.
Instead, Try Wispier Fringe
Abdullah says that this style (and sideswept bangs as well) are "easy to achieve and looks great on everyone and on most hair types." They work, along with layers, because they ultimately "make your face appear smaller and slimmer when they come down to cheek level."
They also help, as seen on Robin Wright above, to "make your hair appear thicker and are a great way to add volume to thinning hair," she points out, and definitely with an already timeless pixie. "The style works well for women who want to hide thinning hair in the front," she shares.
10. Skip Rounded 80s-Esque Cuts
Some haircuts that once ruled the 1980s, like mullets and shags, have come back to the forefront to some degree, but there are others (think rounded, flipped ends) that are more outdated in comparison.
"Okay, so the mullet came back for a while," says Abdullah, "That doesn't mean you should rush out and get one to feel young again." She adds that doing this could "have the opposite effect," making you look and feel like a "throwback."
Another "outdated" look to avoid, Abdullah says, are bangs that are cut straight across with round volume. "This is another outdated trend that will put too much emphasis wherever the bangs lay," adds Abdullah. "In addition, the rounded poof look just belongs somewhere in the 80s."
Instead, Try an Asymmetrical Lob
If you're looking for an instantly refreshing, trendy and classic haircut to try this spring, Rivera recommends an asymmetrical lob for women over 50. This type of lob combines classic and more modern elements that can highlight your eyes, cheekbones, and overall facial symmetry (which can take years off your look). "The asymmetrical lob is also terrific for creating a youthful look," Rivera says.
"The fact that there are changing lengths in the hair makes it a very trendy and current style," she explains, addinf that "this contributes to an up-to-date and young look." Ultimately, when it comes to lobs like Gal Gadot's, Rivera notes that this is "such a popular look right now" because "you don’t have to commit to shorter hair" and it’s versatile.
11. Skip One-Length Pixies
According to Abdullah, opting for a one-length style for your pixie haircut won't provide the desired effect of creating movement and volume. Instead, incorporating layers that contour your face can help accentuate your facial features and provide the illusion of thicker, more youthful hair. "Layers can do so much to hide thinning hair," Abdullah says.
She notes that women who want to look younger should avoid one specific type of one-length hairstyle— a short cut that's "the same length all over and barrel-curled close to the scalp." To prevent this cut, Abdullah advises to bring your stylist pictures of pixie cuts "where some of the hair is cut shorter than other parts and swirled to cover thinning." She adds that this looks "fantastic at any age."
Instead, Add Subtle Layers
Rather than going for a one-length cut that can weigh your locks down, layers can add volume, Abdullah concludes. When you head to the salon, Abdullah says to first ask your stylist about "the amount and placement of layers that will help create volume and body in your hair" and that you would like to create more volume with your pixie cut.
"Generally, pixies that add volume are cut very short in the back, a little long around the ears, and long up top,” she notes. "The layers can be cut to swirl around the head to hide thinning in whichever areas [it's] most apparent." Of course, it's also a good idea to "take a few pictures into the salon to see what’s possible (like Jamie Lee Curtis here)."
12. Skip Center-Parted Pixies
"If you're thinning in the crown of your head, a center part is going to draw attention to it," Abdullah warns regarding pixies, bobs and lobs.
"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 a youthful energy.
Instead, Try Pixies With Deep Side Parts
If you really prefer a center part, Abdullah 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. However, her prime suggestion for a flattering pixie over 40 is one with a deep side part, like Kate Mara's above.
"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.
13. Skip Heavily Layered Bobs Or Lobs
Layers, when cut appropriately, can help to "add volume" and flow to your hair, "giving the appearance of fuller locks," Abdullah notes. Adding too many layers to a bob, on the other hand, she says, "can make your hair appear even more limp than before."
Too much texturization in a hairstyle can make thin hair appear even thinner, rather than full, she warns. "While shags and layered bobs are fashionable, it's vital to avoid over-layering thin hair because it can make it difficult to work with and lifeless," she advises.
Instead, Try 'Invisible Layers'
For those who want to keep their length but also struggle with a naturally thin or flat hair texture, Holland recommends trying hidden or subtle layers in your already long locks. “If a strongly layered appearance doesn’t appeal to you, ask your stylist about hidden layers,” she says.
Holland notes that these “delicate and subtle layers,” as seen on Suki Waterhouse, don’t offer the “exact dramatic change from one layer to the next,” even though they are not entirely invisible.
This, she notes, ultimately gives you a “more voluminous overall appearance without giving you a style with many layers.”
The more you know!