Short Hairstyles for Women Over 50
Choosing short hairstyles for women over 50 isn’t always as simple as it looks.
While women like Jamie Lee Curtis have been pulling off fantastic pixie cuts for what seems like decades now, it takes a certain kind of know-how to select a style that will suit not only your face, but also your lifestyle.
Unfortunately, not many women take the time to really consider all the most important aspects before walking into a salon for the big cut.
This means that they’re usually making their decisions on the spot – and with pressure, comes poor decision making.
Match Your Complexion With Face Shape
Luckily we have you covered – we’ll tell you everything you need to know before go in for a chop.
If you’re looking to change things up, here’s what you should know to make this process a little easier – and a lot more fun.
Before you go ahead and pick the best short hairstyles for women over 50, you first need to take a few important factors into account, including your complexion and face shape. Complexions range from ruddy to olive.
A ruddy complexion is one that has pink undertones, as well as freckles, while an olive complexion has yellow and beige undertones.
Different complexions suit different hairstyles, so it is usually best to ensure the celebrity or model you want to emulate has the same complexion as you do.
Has anyone ever told you that you look like Meryl Streep? That you have the same complexion as Diane Lane? It should be easy enough to look up what type of complexion they have so that you can use this information to your advantage.
You don’t necessarily need to copy their styles exactly, but remember that celebrities have teams of stylists who are the best at what they do, choosing their every fashion move.
You could do worse than taking their advice by simply following in the footsteps of their clients – and the best thing is that you’ll get it absolutely free.
When it comes to face shape, there are a variety of categories into which you could fall, including oval, round, oblong, square, heart and diamond.
Your hair frames your face, and the wrong style could end up accentuating negative aspects, such as making an oval face appear too long.
Get A short Cut Right To Look Amazing
The right style, on the other hand, can minimise flaws and accentuate the best parts of your face shape. This will make you look and feel like a hundred bucks – as well as taking years off your age.
Just as you matched your own complexion to those of a celebrity, why not do the same with your face shape?
There are plenty of online quizzes that will help you in making a match, and once you have it, you can scroll through their hairstyle “best hits” to see what might suit you best.
Classy Short hairstyles For Over 50’s
Remember to focus on celebrities within your age group. There’s nothing worse than a hairstyle that’s either “too young” or one that prematurely ages a women.
The best short hairstyles for women over 50 are those that turn back the clock without giving the “mutton dressed as lamb” appearance.
In order to achieve this look, you need to take a few factors into account, including your age, hair texture, hair density and condition into account.
As people age, they might end up colouring their hair on a regular basis, and this contributes to breakage, dryness and split ends.
The wrong style could end up accentuating the negative aspects of ageing hair, but the right one will take these factors into account and ensure that they are easier to hide.
What is more, the right hairstyle is one that is easy enough for you to manage. If you have mobility issues, you’re not going to want to spend hours in front of the mirror each morning, trying to get every feathered layer in place.
In these instances, you’ll likely want something that’s pretty straightforward and simple to maintain, without the need for curling irons or tons of product.
Picking Hairstyles For Older Women
Choosing the best short hairstyles for women over 50 is much easier when you have a wide selection to choose from.
Not all short hairstyles have been created equal and you can express a lot about your personality with the right style.
Pixie cuts are staples of every short hairstyle selection so it’s probably no surprise that they’re on this list. Add some choppy layers to add a bit of texture to this very youthful cut.
If you’re looking to add a more sophisticated dimension to this look, you can always go for the classic grey pixie cut, adding some feathered layers into the mix.
For those more adventurous souls, you can even opt for the pixie-undercut and go short-short down the sides and back, with some layering over the top.
You don’t have to go for a pixie cut to keep things looking fresh – a bob is a time honoured tradition for women looking to overhaul their “look”.
A layered, bouncy bob gives this style a more traditionally feminine appeal – something that is a good fit for anyone who wants the perks of a short hairstyle without too much drama.
Angled bob cuts became all the rage the moment the world saw them on Victoria Beckham and it seems as though they’ll never quite go out of style.
What makes this cut even better is that the angled shape actually counters the softer appearance of an ageing face, and if you have a great chin, this is really going to show it off.
Choose Your Colours Wisely
The right colours make all the difference when it comes to the best short hairstyles for women over 50.
Darker colours can age a person, so think twice before going black or dark brown, even if this has been your preferred hair colour all your life. Think about it this way – if any time were the perfect time for a change, it’s now.
If you’re a bit worried about making a drastic change, start by lightening your hair really slowly – you’ll not see much difference right away, which will give you time to get used to your new look.
As you grow older, you’ll want to play around with lighter ambers, blondes and greys – and don’t shy away from the silver purples.
As with any other decision you make about your hair, the right colour should make you feel more confident, more beautiful and more “you”.
Take your time in trying new options and if you make a mistake, don’t worry – it’s easy enough to correct with a trip to the salon!
Choosing Hair Accessories for Short Hairstyles for Women over 50
Lastly, accessories can affect how you look, even with great short hairstyles for women over 50.
This means the last factors you’ll need to think about include whether you wear glasses, whether you enjoy wearing hair accessories, like headbands, and whether you are looking for a hairstyle that is low maintenance.
These are often the last factors people consider when choosing a hairstyle, but they are often some of the most important and you don’t want to let something minor like this trip you up.
The best short hairstyles for women over 50 are the ones that make women feel great, and with the right guidance and direction, it’s nearly impossible not to feel fantastic walking out of the salon.
Thinning hair can be a huge problem for women over 50. My hair was never thick, but it’s gotten thinner with age. My mom is showing signs of thinning, although she had beautiful hair in her 80s. The other problems I have with hairstyle are my glasses and my hearing aids. I have short hair but sometimes it doesn’t hold its style on the sides. My hearing aids are small and fit discreetly behind my ears. I constantly take my glasses off to read fine print, and all of that fussing just ruins the way my hair lays on the sides. I’m not one to constantly check the mirror, but sometimes I have a good laugh when I do!
I have been thinking about this for a while now… I even received an offer in the mail for a *great* price on a cut at a top local salon, but couldn’t decide what I wanted to have done, so I let it go. 🙁 I still don’t know.
Very good point about the face shape mattering… I know that I wouldn’t be able to pull off a pixie cut, cute as they are. All I know for sure is that I’ve hung onto my long and wavy 20s and 30s hair style for much too long now…. I don’t want *real* short, but I do need a change.
I have no fear of actually getting it done… but my fear is in choosing the wrong style and being miserable while it grows out and is repairable. 🙂
My hair length has been steadily creeping up as I’ve aged, but I’m not one who enjoys wearing my hair short. A few other factors to take into consideration are lifestyle and preferences. I don’t fuss with my hair nearly as much as I did when I was younger, and I like being able to have it long enough to pull back into a ponytail when I’m working around the house or yard. Short hair tends to be less convenient in the hot weather, which we have plenty of here. My mom does prefer her hair shorter, but still not too short, and we both have noticed as @RetJo mentioned, that our hair has been thinning out as we’ve gotten older.
I still wear my long dark brown hair. I indulge myself with trips to the hair dresser and have it layered. And I feel fantastic every time after I leave my favorite hair dresser..
I feel that my hair is thin, but my daughter says it’s ‘amazingly thick’.’ Probably because she expects my hair to be ‘thin’ for my age. Silver strands hide underneath the dark brown layers on my crown and backside. But I don’t feel comfortable dying my hair. But, who knows?
I like pulling my hair back in a ponytail, too, Diane. It just feels good to me when I do that and even if I decide on a cut of some kind, I’m pretty sure it will still be long enough for that ponytail.
I used to like the look of shoulder-length braids on me, too, but… well I guess I probably outgrew that one, but I don’t know why… I still think it’s cute! 😀
I also like the fact that even though my hair is relatively long, I get out of the shower and don’t have to do anything but comb it… the natural waves come back on their own and I don’t have to mess further with it.
Not only is it the shape of your face that matters, also the thickness of your hair. But I think the most important part of your hair his portraying your personality. And it is the same for women over the ages of fifty. The best thing about hair is that it grows back; Therefore you can try the new fashion, and if you don’t like it your hair will just grow back. And through your hair style you can show the world what a beautiful person you are.
Short hair represents the Modernity.
I believe that the foregoing comments show that there is a lot of individuality and comfort in just being one’s self and not being fixated on hair fashion when one is over fifty. I seem to be most comfortable with hair just slightly below my shoulders, and am fortunate to have a son who long ago took a hair-cutting course and was very good at it (although he actually hated the salon work and the necessary chit-chat and didn’t last in that business) so he cuts my hair when I ask, and I am always satisfied.
A couple of years ago at the church an ‘elder’ woman made some comments about women “of an age” needing to trim up their hair to look more respectable (I can’t remember what word she used, but it might have been something like “modernity” as Baba used above). No one, and I repeat NO ONE, has ever suggested that my husband, also an elder, should trim his facial hair or go in for a proper haircut when his neck hair starts getting wild. I have never been too enamored with the ‘tailored’ short cuts — although I will admit that many of my friends look magnificent in short cuts they choose– so I don’t suppose I will be getting one myself any time soon.
I have recently had my hair cut, it has always been as long as it will grow. I do notice that there are very few older women who dare to wear their hair long, I do feel that cutting my hair is somehow slightly depressing, I have the feeling that only young women wear their hair long and free.
I agree about the young women. In the media, most photos of older women show short hair. Mine is down to my shoulder blades and I love it. I think I look more matronly with a short cut (I’m 53). That plus the fact that I’m thinning on top doesn’t help with confidence! My theory is if you feel good about your hair, then wear it however you want. Long, short, shaved, confidence, I feel, is key.
For decades I colored my hair various shades of red and cut it quite short. It was fun! It made me feel younger. After 20 some years of sitting in that beauty shop chair for hours once every 6 weeks I decided to let my hair grow out to it’s natural color. That color turned out to be a lovely silver grey. I really DO like it. I also wear my hair longer to show off its silver shine . . . so no short cuts for me right now! Everyone feels differently about their hair and what makes them feel beautiful. To me the secret is to do what makes you feel good about YOU!
Short hair for older women seems to be the current trend. I personally love it because it reveals some feminine features that are usually hidden by long hair. It is also a low maintenance style and makes thinning grey hair easy to manage. Your article gives great insights on how to look classy, elegant and easily take some years off your face.
I’m in a bit of a quandary right now about my hair. I’ve always worn my hair a little longer than shoulder length and because of the abuse that my hair endured for over 20 years, it never would grow very long. I would regularly, meaning daily, use hot rollers, curling irons and hairspray on my hair. If that wasn’t bad enough, my hair was continually mistreated by my use of peroxide. About 4 years ago, I stopped it all (well most of it) and I couldn’t believe how fast my hair grew. I do still put color on my hair, but it’s a light shade of brown, which I’m sure isn’t as bad as the platinum blonde color I previously used.
My dilemma is this…I love that my hair is finally long (it reaches to the small of my back) because I’ve always wanted long hair. The drawbacks are that it’s a pain to take care of and I can’t stand that it flops in my face when I’m trying to do something. I work outside a lot and it gets in my way if I don’t have it secured with a large hair clip. The hair clip works fine, but because my hair is so heavy, the clip gives me a headache. I really don’t know what to do. I’ve been looking at hairstyles and I’ve seen a few that are cute, but I’m not sure how they would look on me. I also wonder if I’m getting to the age (I’ll be 51 this year) where a shorter hairstyle would be more attractive. I know I’m definitely at the age where I want a hairstyle that’s easy to maintain.