With age come changes. Some of those changes are magnificent — who doesn’t want to become smarter, wiser, and sexier with time? But you may also notice physical changes that you find challenging to confront and aren’t sure how to adapt to — like your hair. It’s completely normal for us to lose some hair as we age and find it getting thinner and maybe even less easy to manage. The texture of your hair may change with hormonal fluctuations. It may become drier, lose volume, and feel not at all like the hair you used to sport.
While there are things you can do to help hair thinning and hair loss, and your first step should be visiting a dermatologist you trust to find out the root cause of your hair shedding, the reality is: you still want to look your absolute best today, even if you’re waiting for more hair growth tomorrow.
That’s where a great haircut or hairstyle comes in — one that honors thinning hair and makes it look its healthy best. Here are seven volume-boosting haircuts and hairstyles older women with thin hair should try.
1. Blunt Bob
What do you get when you take the most classic haircut of all time (arguably, but still, a good argument can be made here) and add blunt ends that create bulk in your hair? You get a blunt bob, which is cut to the chin to prevent thinning hair from growing straggly. The blunt bob can be worn with and without bangs and works so well for thinning hair because of its length and the density you’ll add to strands when you avoid a choppy cut.
2. Layered Lob
So a bob is just a little too short for your liking, but you appreciate its shape and are looking for something similar, but longer? You may just find what you’re looking for in the layered lob, which is cut to around the collarbone and features long, face-framing layers to give your face the illusion of a lift. If you’re worried about the layered ends appearing too choppy and thin, as your stylist to keep the ends blunt and concentrate layers on top.
3. Gray Pixie
Are you searching for the perfect cut to make your gray strands look glam? Consider a pixie, which is short on the sides and the back, with more length on top. This cut is chic, sophisticated, and makes thinning hair look denser and more voluminous. It’s also a winner if you want to add a few highlights for dimension — it requires much less maintenance time spent in the salon chair.
4. The Shag
Another route you can go if you want to boost thinning hair and want more movement than a blunt cut can give you is to cut tons of extra layers into your hair. This shag style is a retro ‘70s throwback that features layers in varying lengths, texturized ends, and a tousled look.
5. Side-Swept Bangs
Side-swept bangs allow you to change up your entire hairstyle without cutting much hair or making a big change. This bangs style starts off shorter in the front and gradually lengthens until it connects with your haircut. It highlights your facial features and can make thinning hair look fuller and more sophisticated.
6. Medium Haircut With Layers
The simplest way to make thinning hair look thicker is by giving it a good cut. Not everyone is open to major haircuts like chin-length bobs or pixies, but settling on a medium cut that sits around the shoulders and add face-framing layers gives it more body and movement and keeps the ends from becoming thin and straggly.
7. Cuts That Bring Out Waves and Curls
When you take straight strands and give them a bend with waves or curls, it immediately makes them look bulkier and thicker. If you have natural texture in your hair, ask your stylist to shape your favorite cut so that you can easily air-dry or diffuse your hair and bring out those curls. If you have straight hair, consider air-drying it (apply an anti-frizz curl or wave cream first) so that it is more voluminous.
