You have some expectations of your haircut, as you should. You want it to look great (obviously) and, ideally, it will maintain its shape even after you’ve washed it at home and styled it without your salon stylist’s amazing pro tools and skills. A good cut should also be modern enough to not evoke images of days gone by, unless you’re after a retro haircut, in which case, more power to you.
The one thing no one wants from their haircut? A style that ages them and makes them look like they’re trapped in an unintentional time warp. Remember: your best haircut could be someone else’s “don’t try this.” There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to your hair and what works and what doesn’t work. But, speaking generally, these seven haircuts and styles can look aging on many women. If your goal is to maintain a fresh appearance, you may want to avoid these or ask your stylist to alter them just a bit.
Long, Straight Hair
Long, straight hair can fall flat at the top of your head and base. And this can drag the eye downward and not provide any kind of “lift” near the cheekbones or eye area, which a few strategic layers can achieve. This isn’t to say you must chop off your hair once you reach a certain age. Plenty of older women look incredible with longer hair and if you feel like you’re not yourself without length, this may not be an issue you’re willing to compromise on. Consider playing with shoulder-length styles instead that allow you to maintain length without dragging the face downward.
Feathery Layers
Unless you are after a retro-style Farrah Fawcett hairstyle, wispy, feathery layers can look outdated and aging. this type of haircut sometimes takes so much weight off of your hair that you wind up appearing as if you have thinner hair than you really do. A butterfly haircut is a more modern solution that captures some of the ‘70s spirit of the feather cut, but is in tune with the times.
Eye-Length Bangs
Cutting bangs can be an easy way to add youthful charm to your looks. Bangs can make your haircut look more stylized while concealing fine lines on your forehead. But the length of your bangs matters. If you cut them to eye-length, you may be drawing more attention to crow’s feet than you intended.
Wispy Bangs
Wispy bangs can also make you look older by highlighting fine lines and wrinkles on your forehead and crow’s feet around your eyes. If you don’t love the look of blunt, heavy bangs, a perfect compromise would be wispier curtain bangs that frame your face without adding a lot of weight.
Bouffants
Sometimes there’s nothing sexier than a little lift at your roots to create a more voluminous hairstyle. But there’s lift and then there’s an old-fashioned bouffant — and never should the two meet and mix. The bouffant is a dated hairstyle that will always look aging, no matter what your age. If you prefer a little height and drama, add a volumizing spray to hair before blow-drying and set your hair in heatless curls. Or, go on and give those roots a teeny tease.
Hair Color That’s Too Light Or Dark
Your hair color is as important as your haircut. And if you’ve let your strands go a little too dark or a little light, the shade can throw your skin tone way off and draw more attention to fine lines and discoloration. Speak to your stylist about a beautiful color compromise that may include a few highlights or lowlights.
Layered Hair With Wispy Ends
Nothing makes your thinning hair look thinner than too many layers. A great layered haircut can appear more voluminous. But too many added layers can make the ends appear thin, wispy, and unhealthy. The solution is to make sure the base of your hair is slightly more blunt. Your stylist can then play with layers and ensure your hair has shine and movement.
