Can women over 40 wear long hair is a common question amongst women over 40. The jury seems to be out on this question and opinions differ. The official answer is NO. Better not do it, but I find a lot of women over 40 looking georgeous wearing long hair. As for myself I decided to defy the belief and grow my hair. My hair is now the longest it has been in over 25 years and sofar I’m enjoying it. I’m a bit of a yoyo though, when it comes to hair, and I’m pretty sure that sooner or later I will cut it again. I have thin hair so it’s not easy to manage.

The thing is, my hair is difficult to manage with short hair too! Sofar the advantages of long hair for me have been:

  • I tend to look better. My face is quite small and my longer hair gives it more body
  • It’s easy to manage on a bad hair day by just putting it in a pony tail
  • The longer hair has been easier to style by just blowdrying and a voluminizer in my hair (but I also got a brazilian blowout style treatment)
Can women over 40 have long hair | 40plusstyle.com

Which reasons are usually presented when women over 40 are advised not to have long hair:

  • Long hair drags your face downwards and emphasizes the unpreventable sagging that will occur after 40
  • It does not suit their face shape. Women with an oval or long face shape can pull of long hair much better.
  • The hair tends to thin out after 40 so it is hard to keep the hair looking voluminous and healthy.
Can women over 40 wear long hair? | 40plusstyle.com

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Which women over 40 look good with their long hair?

Elle Jane Seymor, Elle McPherson, Demi more, jennifer Amiston, Christie Brinkley, Jennifer Lopez and Christie Brinkley all still look gorgeous in long hair. Although all these women look good, bear in mind though that they are looked after by the best stylists, use the best products money can buy and probably spend hours styling the hair before these pictures were taken. You may not have the time or money needed to look after your hair that way.

Can women over 40 wear long hair? | 40plusstyle.com

How to make long hair work with women over 40?

  • Add highlights for more texture
  • Add layers so that your hair does not become too heavy
  • Use very good (overnight) conditioners to keep away the frizz and look after your hair

Also check our article on how to style long hair.

Women with long hair can also create wonderful party hair styles.

In the end, as with all the ‘rules’ for over 40 women, you should just ignore them as you please. If  long hair makes you happy and it suits your personality then by all means just go for it!

If you like to get more inspiration and see some fabulous women with long gray hair, check out out these 2 articles.

What do you think of long hair after 40?

Feature image taken by Denton Taylor

Sylvia

Sylvia is 40+style’s editor-in-chief and has been helping women find their unique style since 2011. An alumni of the School of Color and Design, she is devoted to empowering women of any age to look and feel their best. Read more about Sylvia and 40+style on this page.

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