Are you finding it difficult to manage the challenges of fine, thin hair and hair loss? It might be helpful to know that some hairstyles can better disguise these issues than others. To help women over 40 choose a chic and flattering look, we checked in with professional hairstylists and experts for their tips and insight.
They helped pinpoint four common shorter (collarbone-length and above) haircuts that many consider outdated and unflattering. If your goal is to make thinning hair less obvious, they suggest steering clear of these styles. Instead, they explain that it’s best to take a look at four alternative haircuts that can highlight your best features and give the illusion of fuller, thicker hair.
Stylists Share 4 Unflattering Short 'Dos To Skip—And 4 Better Alternatives For Mature Beauties
1. Skip Blunt Bobs with Center Parts
Middle-parts can create a symmetrical look at any age, but Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles, 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.
"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 a youthful energy.
Instead, Try a Layered, Side-Parted Bob
"Try a side part instead," Abdullah suggests, 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.
2. Skip Chin-Length Bobs with Blunt Bangs
According to Abdullah, if you're aiming to achieve a more supple 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 that "come past the eyebrows on a blunt lob 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
"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 Goldie Hawn. “They neatly frame the face while drawing attention away from serious aging signs,” she shares.
3. Skip Bobs with Baby Bangs
While this classic cut can provide an oomph of edginess to any hairstyle, Dani Everson, professional hair stylist and owner of Clementine’s Salon, says that it could draw attention to wrinkles or other signs of aging with its forehead-baring look.
Although baby bangs can work for those of us with an Audrey Hepburn-inspired style, Everson says that this cut, which ends before your eyebrows, might have a different effect on mature beauties.
“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 baby-ish and also aging,” she says.
Another solution to this style, Abdullah suggests, would also be curtain bangs (seen here on Kerry Washington), as they can be cut as long or as short as needed, with an ability to wear them parted or straight down.
4. Skip Shaggy Lobs With Long 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.
Layers, when cut appropriately, can help to "add volume" and flow to your hair, "giving the appearance of fuller locks," she notes. Adding too many layers, on the other hand, she notes, "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 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, Rock A Shag With Eyebrow-Grazing Fringe
Gina Rivera, celebrity hair stylist and founder of Phenix Salon Suites, adds that a short or medium-length, delicately layered shag with eyebrow-grazing bangs (Halle Berry 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."
The Bottom Line
While numerous haircuts and styles can adeptly conceal thinning, hair loss, and fine hair, experts highly recommend trying these four celebrity-favorite options for their versatility and proven effectiveness.
Additionally, Rivera advises that it’s best to always "consult with your stylist on a maintenance schedule but for those trying to regain hair health, make sure to trim every 4-6 weeks."
