Hairstyles for Women Over 50

From serums that tackle fine lines and wrinkles, to acids that treat age spots and pigmentation, caring for mature skin is pretty clear cut. But what about mature hair? Turning gray is just one of the many changes your hair goes through as you age. Changes in your hair's thickness, texture, and growth location can also occur. If your hair is feeling coarser, drier, and stiffer in recent months or years, it may not be your imagination. From thinning to dryness, the effects of aging on your strands mean making some changes to your regular hair care routine. In addition to amping up your hydrating hair treatments, one of the most effective ways to do this is with a new haircut. We’re talking aging hair ahead and breaking down our stylist picks for the best hairstyles for women over 50. Keep reading because your best head of hair is yet to come!

When it comes to picking out your best hairstyle over 50, there are a few factors to consider: such as your face shape, hair texture, growth patterns, styling objectives, and ultimately the health of your hair. Most importantly, the shape of your face dictates the way a haircut will fall. Next, your hair texture, growth patterns and cowlicks matter because your style may change shape, length, and overall look when in its natural state. You also need to think about your styling objectives. Do you prefer a wash and go style or do you have the time to put into a highly styled ‘do? Finally, your best hairstyle is one that shows off your healthy hair, so if you have split ends and damage, it’s probably time for a major chop and a short haircut.

The biggest beauty secret when it comes to anti-aging has EVERYTHING to do with hair color. Wondering what hair color makes you look younger? Let’s take a look at how certain colors can take years off of your appearance.

• Lighter colors — If you’re a brunette, adding some lighter colored pieces in the form of highlights can help to warm and soften your facial features for a more youthful appearance. Plus, highlights add dimension to the hair, making it appear as voluminous as it did years ago. Go for shades like caramel and honey to give your complexion a healthy glow. 
• Golden, warmer hues — If you have lighter hair that's looking a bit ashy, consider a golden, warmer hue; think strawberry blonde or golden melon. Adding warmth can perk up your complexion and make you look years younger. Ditch the cool tones and stick to warm ones. They do an exceptionally good job at adding a youthful glow.
• Stay away from ashy or cool tones — With aging comes gray hair. For blondes, this can look ashy and age the complexion. Stay away from platinum or white, add instead add some gold highlights to soften your skin tone.

Does short hair make you look older or younger? The truth is, as we age, keeping hair short comes with its benefits. Not only does it keep the hair looking healthy, but it also makes difficult-to-manage aging strands a lot easier to deal with. These are our favorite short haircuts for women over 50.

A long pixie style is a great haircut for creating an illusion of volume. This is something that becomes increasingly more important as we age and our strands begin to fall flat.

A choppy bob haircut is easy to wear and manage. It creates the texture, volume, and movement that aging hair needs to look healthy. This cut is perfect for creating the illusion of fullness in thinning strands. 

A short blunt cut keeps your ends looking as fresh as possible. Plus it’s cool and really easy to style. A blunt cut works on wavy, straight, fine, medium, or thick hair. But a blunt bob requires commitment — to keep it fresh, see your hair stylist for a trim every six to eight weeks.

Break the traditional bob-haircut rules and opt for something a little more effortless. With a layered bob, you can keep your length, while adding life to limp hair. This short haircut gives the feeling of having long hair, simultaneously creating volume.

The perfect low-maintenance cut for anyone with a natural curl or wave is the tight pixie. This ultra-cropped ‘do uses the hair’s natural pattern to create texture and volume. The tight pixie is also incredibly easy to style and maintain on a daily basis.

Now we’re moving away from the ideology that women of a certain age need to only rock short hair. In fact, long hairstyles look especially stunning as you get older: think Sarah Jessica Parker, Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, and Lucy Liu. The following are our favorite long haircuts for women over 50.

Long loose waves are a great way to present a young carefree look. Beachy waves add texture to long lengths. Plus, the added volume throughout the ends gives you the thickness you might've lost over the years. Adding a side bang is also a great option if you love the look of a fringe but have thin hair, as it gives the illusion of more volume. Work with the natural parting and direction of your hair when styling your side bangs.

A long shag gives you a little more edge to a classic look while also giving your hair natural movement. This overly layered long haircut promotes volume and texture and works for every type of hair and face shape. The key is longer, choppy layers that make styling a breeze. Avoid brushing it out or using a comb and use your fingers to adjust your strands where you want them to fall. 

Long, straight hair can drag down the face, particularly in women over 50. If you feel like this is happening to you, combat the problem by adding some rounded layers.These layers are cut in a way that sits in a rounded shape according to the circumference of your head shape, making hair look voluminous and chic. Ask your hair stylist to cut in a few rounded layers for shape and texture. If you have thin hair, though, ask for blunt ends to maximize your volume.

Bangs give an instant youthful update to any hairstyle. As hair naturally thins out with age, face framing bangs tend to be the best option, blending in with the rest of your hair. A long, blunt cut paired with face framing bangs is the perfect style to accentuate cheekbones- not to mention hide lines that you may feel self-conscious about. If you have thinning hair, ask your hair stylist to cut your bangs choppy rather than full.

Long layers with side-swept bangs are well known for their face flattering abilities, and there’s an endless combination when it comes to this style. Ask your stylist to cut in long layers that frame your facial features, creating dimension and softening hard edges.

As we age‌, it’s normal for the body to go through many different changes. Changes in the hair are a part of that process. Hair naturally changes color and texture over time. Sometimes that means having thinner or less hair as we get older. The most important thing to remember with hair as we age, is that as it grows, more attention needs to be paid to the mid-lengths and ends to prevent strands from looking unhealthy and dull. After 50, declining estrogen levels, chemical and heat treatments and environmental triggers start to show up, in addition to the hair’s loss of essential lipids and moisture. Your hair care routine should focus on deeply nourishing and smoothing each strand. Use heat protectants and invest in quality electrical tools to dry and style your hair with, without running the risk of making it dry and brittle. From serums to superactives, Davines has the hair treatments you need to keep your hair looking healthy and fabulous over 50. Our products are made with renewable energy and packaging that minimizes the environmental impact — it isn’t just good for your hair, it’s good for the planet.

by Jaclyn LaBadia, featured contributor

cover photo courtesy of Davines Hair Art Director Tom Connell