Hair trends come and go, but some styles just don’t do us any favors as we age. Looking your best after 50 means embracing changes that enhance your natural beauty while saying goodbye to outdated looks.
Here’s our guide to hairstyles worth leaving behind in 2025 to keep you looking fresh, modern, and age-appropriate.
1. Stiff Helmet Hair
Remember those rock-solid hairdos from the 80s? The ones requiring half a can of hairspray? Time to let them go.
Modern styles embrace movement and softness that frame your face beautifully. Your hair should bounce when you walk, not remain frozen in place.
2. Overly Teased Crowns
Sky-high volume at the crown once signaled sophistication. Now it just screams dated.
Gentle lifting at the roots provides sufficient height without the drama. Think subtle elevation rather than creating your own personal weather system with excessive teasing.
3. Blunt, One-Length Bobs
Straight-across bobs without layers can make mature faces appear harsh and drawn. The severe line creates a visual weight that drags features down.
Softer, graduated cuts with gentle layers create movement while still maintaining that classic bob shape you love.
4. Super Short Pixies
Those ultra-short, boyish cuts once considered the default for women over 50? They’re no longer the only option!
Many women find that slightly longer pixies with soft edges actually soften facial features. The right length works with your face shape, not against it.
5. Jet Black Hair Dye
Harsh, inky black color creates stark contrasts against maturing skin. This unnatural darkness actually highlights fine lines rather than concealing them.
Softer, multidimensional colors with subtle highlights complement your skin tone and create a more youthful, natural appearance.
6. Bleached Blonde Overload
That platinum blonde might have worked in your 30s, but now it’s washing you out. Overly bleached hair damages fragile strands and creates a harsh contrast with your skin.
Warmer, more dimensional blondes with lowlights add depth and complement maturing complexions beautifully.
7. Permed Tight Curls
Those small, uniform poodle-like curls from decades past aren’t doing anyone favors. They often appear dated and can make hair look overly processed and damaged.
Today’s perms create looser, more natural-looking waves that move freely and frame the face softly.
8. Ruler-Straight Long Hair
Super straight, ultra-long hair without layers or movement can drag down mature faces. The weight pulls at features and creates an aging effect.
Even minimal layers and soft bends add life to longer styles. The goal is movement and frame, not just length for length’s sake.
9. Heavy, Blunt Bangs
Thick, straight-across bangs cut too heavy can overwhelm mature faces. They hide your forehead but often create a harsh horizontal line that’s anything but flattering.
Wispy, side-swept, or curtain bangs offer softness while still framing your beautiful eyes.
10. Visible Dark Roots
The stark contrast between silver roots and dyed ends isn’t the statement you think it is. This grown-out look appears more neglectful than trendy after a certain age.
Blended highlights or lowlights create a more intentional, polished appearance as you transition between colors.
11. Overly Layered “Shag” Cuts
Those choppy, heavily layered cuts from decades past can look messy and dated now. Too many disconnected layers create a disheveled appearance rather than purposeful style.
Modern shags feature more blended, cohesive layers that work together harmoniously.
12. Severe Center Parts
Straight-down-the-middle parts can emphasize facial asymmetry that comes with age. They tend to create a harsh, severe look that draws attention to the wrong features.
Slightly off-center or side parts often prove more flattering and soften your overall appearance.
13. Frosted Tips and Highlights
Those chunky, contrasting highlights popular in the early 2000s date you instantly. The stark stripes of color look artificial and create a dated effect.
Modern highlighting techniques like balayage or babylights blend seamlessly for a sun-kissed, natural dimension that’s much more flattering.
14. Overly Thinned-Out Hair
Those razor-cut, excessively thinned styles might have seemed like a solution for thick hair. Unfortunately, they often create wispy ends that lack body and substance.
Strategic layers preserve thickness while managing volume. Your stylist should remove bulk without sacrificing the fullness that’s so precious as we age.
15. The Single-Process Solid Color
Flat, one-dimensional hair color from roots to ends looks artificial at any age. As we mature, this uniform approach only emphasizes that you’re coloring your hair.
Dimensional color with subtle variations mimics how natural hair reflects light. The result is youthful vibrance without trying too hard.