The Best Hairstyles for Older Women
As any woman of elegant age knows, finding the right hairstyle can make all the difference. Where some cuts and styles have a tendency to amplify negative features, others can help to lift our looks and crown us with a sense of youthful vitality. Here we will take a look at some of the different hairstyles for mature women and offer care and styling tips to keep your hair looking and feeling great.
Finding the style that makes you feel good
There are so many classy and timeless hairstyles for older women to choose from
As we get older, various things about us change: our priorities, how we spend our time and, not least, our own bodies. Hair is affected by age in two ways: firstly, melanin pigment stops being produced and this turns hair gray or white, and secondly, your hair thins as the rate of growth slows. For this reason, most hairstyles for older women need to cater to these factors in order to best emphasize other qualities.
Many women feel comfortable wearing their hair shorter as they get older. This can be for a number of reasons: it stands less chance of breaking and becoming lank, it requires less styling, and it can help highlight your jawline and cheekbones, giving you a more youthful appearance. Consequently, many popular hairstyles for mature women focus on color and face-framing shapes, while keeping the main body of the hair quite closely cropped. Here we take a look at some of our favorite cuts.
Side-swept bangs
Bangs can have an incredible impact on the way our faces look. Typically, bangs shorten the appearance of our faces, helping to make our features appear bigger and closer together, thereby having a more youthful appearance. They can also help to distract from thinning or receding hairlines. As such, bangs are often cut into a number of different hairstyles for women over 50 and can be styled in whichever way you choose. Women with heart-shaped faces may choose to wear their bangs straight, while blow-drying them to the side is popular in many hairstyles for older women. Should you need any inspiration for this style, look no further than Helen Mirren, whose carefully side-swept, silky tresses are part of her signature look.
Blunt bob
Bobs are flattering no matter your age
The blunt bob works incredibly well as a hairstyle for mature women as its length proves flattering for all face shapes and the form can be adjusted to the needs of your hair texture. Well-known figures such as Michelle Obama have worn the blunt bob with both curled and straightened hair to equally positive effect: the consistent length gives it a more professional and controlled appearance than choppier or more layered looks. Anna Wintour has also long been known for her severe blunt cut, adding to this look’s powerful status.
Pixie cut
Iris Apfel is a fashion pioneer and always rocks a daring hairstyle
The short length of the pixie along with its numerous avenues for versatile styling have ensured that this cut remains one of the top hairstyles for older women. The graduated back of the pixie cut helps to accentuate the length of the neck while adding fullness to the crown. Due to the short layers cut around the ears, this style is particularly well suited to women with thinning hair as it adds plenty of texture and volume. Jamie Lee Curtis has long been known for her spiky cropped pixie, which she wears proudly in her signature gray color.
Lob cut
The long bob, or simply ‘lob’, is a flattering and gorgeous look for women of any age. Adding fullness to the face, while retaining enough length to style feminine curls or waves, the lob is a great hairstyle for older women who want to be able to try out different styles now and then. Long enough to pull back into a stylish updo yet not so long it weighs down and obscures the focus from your facial features, this variant of the bob has been successfully worn by Hollywood go-getters such as Kim Cattrall and Sharon Stone.