As we journey past 50, our hair changes along with our faces. What worked in our 30s might not flatter us now.
Smart hairstyle choices can take years off your appearance, while outdated or harsh styles might add unwanted age. Here’s a guide to help you avoid common hair mistakes after 50.
1. Super-Long Straight Hair
Excessively long hair tends to drag down aging faces, creating a tired appearance. The weight pulls at your features rather than lifting them.
Consider a shoulder-length cut that provides movement and softness around your face instead.
2. Crispy Perms
Remember those tight, frizzy perms from the 80s? They’re not doing anyone favors now. The harsh texture emphasizes fine lines and creates an outdated look.
Modern waves with softer, looser curls offer youthful bounce without the dated appearance.
3. Severe Bowl Cuts
Hard geometric lines create a harsh frame around your face, emphasizing rather than softening signs of aging. Bowl cuts can look particularly unflattering as facial contours change.
Opt for styles with softer edges and some layering instead.
4. Jet Black All-Over Color
Harsh, single-process black dye creates an unnatural contrast against maturing skin. This stark shade highlights every line and wrinkle on your face.
Softer tones with dimension, perhaps just a shade or two darker than your natural color, create a more flattering effect.
5. The Helmet Hair
Stiff, heavily-sprayed styles that don’t move look outdated and aging. These rigid hairdos scream “senior citizen” rather than “sophisticated woman.”
Embrace styles with natural movement that can be touched without crumbling!
6. Wispy Thin Bangs
Sparse, stringy bangs draw attention to thinning hair issues rather than concealing them. They often look accidental rather than intentional.
Fuller bangs or side-swept styles provide better coverage and a more polished appearance for mature faces.
7. The Mushroom Cut
Round cuts with heavy tops and skinny bottoms create an unflattering mushroom silhouette. This shape adds width where you don’t want it and slims where you might prefer volume.
Balanced cuts that distribute volume evenly look much more modern.
8. Harsh Blunt Bobs
Perfectly straight, one-length bobs without texture can look severe on mature faces. The rigid lines emphasize rather than soften aging features.
Adding layers, texture, or even a slight angle creates movement and a more youthful appearance.
9. Outdated Feathered Layers
Stuck-in-the-70s feathered cuts with excessive layers pointing outward date you instantly. These styles scream “throwback” rather than “timeless.”
Modern layering techniques create subtle movement without the retro Farrah Fawcett effect.
10. Platinum Blonde Gone Yellow
Brassy, yellowed blonde shades can look cheap and damage-prone. This color mishap often results from improper toning or maintenance.
Cool, ashy blondes or sophisticated silver tones flatter mature skin much better than warm, brassy shades.
11. The Matronly Updo
Overly formal, tight updos can add years to your appearance. These styles often look stiff and outdated, like something from another era.
Softer, looser gathered styles maintain elegance while looking current and age-appropriate.
12. The Poufy Bouffant
Excessive height and backcombing create an outdated silhouette reminiscent of the 1960s. All that teasing also damages already fragile hair.
Modern volume focuses on creating lift at the roots without the dramatic, dated height of decades past.
13. The Mullet (Yes, Even Modern Versions)
Business in front, party in back? This divisive cut rarely flatters mature faces. The disconnected lengths create an unbalanced frame that doesn’t complement aging features.
Consistent layering throughout creates a more harmonious, flattering silhouette.
14. Chunky Highlighted Stripes
Bold, contrasting stripes of color look artificial and dated. These stark, alternating bands of light and dark draw attention to themselves rather than enhancing your features.
Subtle, blended highlights mimic natural sun-kissed dimension for a more sophisticated look.
15. The Neglected Grow-Out
Inch-long gray roots with dyed ends signal neglect rather than intention. This accidental ombré effect looks like you’ve simply given up.
Either commit to regular color maintenance or embrace your gray with a beautiful silver transition plan.