This post has been updated since it was originally published on May 17, 2022.
Adding layers to virtually any haircut can provide volume and create texture (which are also 2 goals of many who are after an anti-aging look!) However, as hair experts explain, adding too many layers or choosing a style that doesn’t align with your face shape might add years to your look, inadvertently. We checked in with professional hair stylists and experts to learn more about 3 types of hairstyles to avoid if your goal is to capture a youthful essence, and why. Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles and Lily Will, Founder & CEO of Niawigs and hair expert.
1. Heavily Layered Shag
While shag cuts are iconic and trendy (and usually flattering for any face shape when paired with no-fail curtain bangs), adding too many layers can head into mullet territory. Shags, Will points out, can easily be cut to frame your face and best features, but adding a heavy amount of layers can often do the opposite. "The worst haircut you can have is having too many layers," she explains. "Layers, when cut appropriately, can help to add volume and flow to your hair, giving the appearance of fuller locks."
Adding too many layers, on the other hand, she notes, "can make your hair appear even more limp than before." Too much texturization in a hairstyle can make thin hair appear even thinner, rather than full, she warns. "While shags are fashionable, it's vital to avoid over-layering thin hair because it can make it difficult to work with and lifeless," she says. (Alexa Chung & Taylor Swift are great examples of modern shags that have the perfect amount of layers).
2. Micro or Baby Bangs
Adding super-short bangs to an already layered hairstyle can also add years to your look, Abdullah says. She notes that bangs that end before the eyebrows can emphasize forehead wrinkling rather than highlighting your cheekbones and beautiful features like other types of styles can. "Wherever your bangs fall, that is the feature they will emphasize the most," she says. "You don't want short bangs that fall right in the middle of your forehead where you might have a few lines," Abdullah continues. Instead, she recommends bringing your bangs down to your eyebrows "to emphasize your eyes." instead. This, paired with face-framing layering can provide a much more flattering look overall.
3. Thick, Blunt Bangs
Abdullah advises choosing an overall theme and sticking to it— whether that's light layering (including bangs) or an ultimately blunt texture. Combining bluntness in your bang area with layering in the rest of your locks can make you look older, as this pairing isn't flattering. "Thick, blunt bangs that come past the eyebrows on a blunt lob or bob emphasize every sign of age in the face," she warns, as they don't frame the face well.
"Rather," she adds, "they push all the attention to the eyes, with all their lines." An alternative to these popular, yet unflattering looks are curtain bangs, she suggests. "These flatter just about any face at any age as they neatly frame the face while drawing attention away from serious aging signs." Kerry Washington and Hilary Duff are some of many celebs who pull off this style, Abdullah says!
