Ever wonder about the best hairstyles for women over 40? Let’s have a look at some great hairstyles and the best hairstyle tips.
Hairstyles for women over 40 – Why is a good hairstyle important?
It’s crucial to have a haircut that suits you. Your hairstyle frames your face and is the perfect finishing touch.
Here are some tips to ensure that you get the perfect hairstyle over 40.
1. Bangs are your friend
As you get older bangs become more important.
Not only can they hide your wrinkles but they can also cover up a receding hair line, a long forehead and also bring a youthful appearance to your face.
Of course they can’t be too short and they also don’t have to be straight. In fact the best bangs are those that are softly swept to the side.
Nikki @40notfrumpy above
Josehine @chicatanyage above (read her style interview here)
2. Coloring is your best friend too
Although you can choose to go grey (many great examples of women with gray hair here) if you like to have a youthful appearance, then it’s usually better to colour your hair.
It’s critical of course that you select the right color!
As a general rule the older you get, the lighter your hair usually becomes. Of course there are exceptions of women who look smashing with dark hair, but most older women will look better going a tint lighter.
Rita @ritapalazzi above (read her style interview here)
If you are transitioning into gray hair, you may enjoy Elaine’s journey to gray hair.
3. Don’t part you hair in the middle
Parting your hair in the middle looks more severe and highlights those parts of your face that are not symmetrical.
Part you hair to the side of your face that you like the most.
Grace @colorandgrace above (read her style interview here)
4. Find the best hair stylist and build a relationship
A good hair stylist is key!
I want a hair stylist with a strong opinion, someone that understands my personality and someone who can give me ideas.
It’s great to keep your hairstyle updated by changing it every now and then so it doesn’t become stale. A good hair stylist will definitely help with that!
Suzanne @suzannecarillo above (read her style interview here)
5. Make sure your hair moves!
If it’s all too stiff, it will look forced and a bit ‘old lady’.
Patricia @madamechicbcn above (read her style interview here)
6. Look after your hair!
Older hair can get thinner and look dull. Make sure that you use some good hair conditioners and a mask on a regular basis to nurture your hair and make it shine!
Shauna @chicover50 above (read her style interview here)
7. Try something completely different
If your hair is thinning or you just want to try something completely new you could consider hair extensions or synthetic clip ons.
Tanasha @prettytallstyle above
Mel @bagandaberet above (read her style interview here)
Other considerations for 40+ women’s hairstyles
- This remains one of the most difficult decisions: should I let my hair go grey or dye my hair? Lots of women share their opinion.
- Can women over 40 have long hair? What say you?
Hairstyles for women over 40 inspiration!
I have been adding hairstyles for women over 40 to my Pinterest Board with the same name. I will keep adding to this pinboard, so when the time comes when I want a new haircut again, I know what to choose!
Have you changed much about your hairstyle as you have gotten older? What are your best tips for the perfect hairstyle for the woman over 40?
like this post? share it on pinterest!
Feature image by Shauna @chicover50
Photos not captioned below are by Denton Taylor
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Hello 🙂 all of your tips really helped me out.. I’m a hairstylist but do not have experience nor the abilities I wish I had.. I like to be honest with myself and perhaps a little to harsh sometimes but it is all for personal growth.. I would really love to become a master at cutting hair, specially women hair… and thought you could probably share some tips with me… I would highly appreciate it. Thanks 🙂
I’m not a hairdresser so don’t have any particular technical tips for you. I would say just to practise a lot and you will become a master hair stylist in no time!
Hi,
I’m 50, my natural hair colour is black. I have very fair skin with brown eyes.
I have started going grey, should I dye my hair black or go a different colour?
Please advise, Thank you.
Hi Sarah, That is very difficult for me to say not being able to see you. Also the decision whether to go grey or not is very personal. Have a look at this article and all the responses which will help you make up your mind. https://40plusstyle.com/to-grey-or-not-to-grey/
Love that I found your site 🙂 I’m going thru a bit of a “who am I” tweak right now so time to switch up my hair and color, break away from the old standby which seems dated… I fell in love with the “nice color and cut” on the Pinterest board- shoulder length brunette cut with some soft highlights, longer side swept bangs and the ends gently curling in towards the neck. It’s elegant but long enough to pull back when I’m doing a heavy activity. Now if my bangs would grow out magically in a week! 🙂
Great you found us Missy and welcome. Good luck with your new style!
I have thicker wavy hair in the back and straight thinner hair in the front. I’m in my 50’s and thinking about getting a loose perm. Any suggestions?
Hard for me to judge Gail, but this could be a good solution…
Oh well, while I’m at it….and we definitely also can’t forget Gwen Stefani, JLo, Naomi Watts, Elizabeth Hurley, Catherine Zeta Jones. I’d like to see more references to these younger women over 40 too. They are all gorgeous with long (or longish) hair and they have great style. I still have long hair and probably will forever. I have to color out the grays too but I keep up with it. And it takes a while to fix it every day. I do it all in the name of vanity and fighting old age. 🙂
Let’s not forget Jennifer Aniston. I think she is a great hair, and fashion, role model for us ladies over 40!
Hi,
My hair is thinning in front part of the head. I am having a front cut and the hair is thinning where I partition my hair. Now can you please suggest me what hair style will suit me so that the hair thinning will not appear much and no further hair loss will happen because of partition.
Hi Naveena. It’s hard to advise you as I don’t know your facial profile, but the obvious thing to would be to go for a haircut that has no clear partition like this asymmetrical cut: http://pinterest.com/pin/247135098273803717/ However, I would go to a good hairdresser who should be able to give you some good advice and see what’s best for you.
I’ve always looked good in some sort of bob to the chin, but when I was younger it was a strait blunt cut, now it’s soft and feathered and layered! I need to use lots of mousse to keep give it volume too. Once upon a time I could wash and go, but now I feel like I need to put more work into it.
My husband wants me to let my hair grow again. Sigh. Its even more work long because my hair has almost no natural body. On the other hand I miss wearing it up.
I look forward to seeing which way you are going with your hair, but I DO like your current hairstyle!
This is a fun post! I’ve definitely noticed since I hit 50 that my hair needs to be above my shoulders or I look so weighed down and tired. It makes a huge difference for me. Also making sure I have layers so I can get some movement and fullness is important. Right now I have three colors in my hair but I would love to go platinum some day!
Sounds like you know what you are doing Joni!
I have always been very happy with my hair; curly and easy. Almost never see a hairdresser, no styling needed. Just air-dry after washing it. The only thing it really needs is ‘product’… every day! Otherwise I have just a lot of frizzy hair.
I wanted long hair since I was a little girl, but my mother found my curls too ‘untamed’ for that. I am letting it grow now and I love it.
You a one very lucky girl with your gorgeous hair. Mothers can be silly sometimes…. By the way what product do you use?
Your hair makes me very envious which is silly because we all have our stonger and weaker points. But is is really beautiful hair….. (sigh).
My fringe is long but straight, not to one side. It happens to suit me as my face is long. The hairdresser uses a razorblade for my fringe instead of scissors. Makes it more casual and less “as if somebody has put a flowerpot on your head and used that as a model to cut your hair”. I do have to pop into her salon every three weeks to shorten the fringe, but she does that instantly and for free so it no real bother. If I really don’t have time for that I just happily cut the fringe myself….
I’m another one who has been with the same hairstylist since 94/95!
wow, amazing. I lost count of the number of stylists I’ve had…
Ok, I will describe it better. The photo with bangs swept to the side in such a way that half your face is covered. That is a pretty but difficult style. You have to be “advanced” for that.
I have 3 friends, who liked low maintenance and always had their long hair in a pony tail. They went to the hair dresser to have it cut short. All three came back this way (as in the photo of the pretty red haired). And hated it. Put little pins in their bangs to keep the hair out of their face, which, of course, looked ridiculous.
Such a shame the hairdresser wasn’t more aware of their personalities. Their hair style looked beautiful, but they were not the kind of persons for it.
Yes, true. I need to keep telling mine to keep the fringe short. Even I did not do that this time and my hair is very swept to the side. Next time, fringe needs to be shorter again…
I have a great relationship with a hair stylist since 1995. Very important, I agree. And she does what you say: when the hair style changes, she gives me advice to follow it or not. Depending on whether it will suit my face and the possibilities with my (thin, straight) hair. She is a wizzard, a master with hair cutting. Fortunately she tought an apprentice very well, so now I have a “fall back person”. My hair is my weakest link, not really my best feature. So every three weeks I have it coloured: once every 6 weeks by the hairdresser and in between by a neighbour who is a hairdresser. I bought the hair colouring stuff from the hairdresser for the “home application”.
I changed styles 2 times, but I think the style which I have now, is the easiest and most flattering, so will probable stick to that. How it turns out every six weeks has more to do with the mood of my hairdresser than with my mood.
One remark about the hair style on the bottom left: looks very nice but it can drive you crazy trying to get the hair out of your face.
You are lucky to have such a good relationship with your hairdresser! Great that you are able to colour it yourself as well.
For many of the hairstyles I like that is indeed a problem. I am a ‘low maintenance’ kind of girl!
Also please note that the image of the board pictures above is a dynamic picture. Once I add new styles to the board the positions of the pictures will move (and below left will not be the same haircut anymore…). So best to describe haircuts in comments with descriptions rather than image position 🙂
After wearing my hair long for years, I made a drastic change and went for a short pixie-cut last summer! It felt fresh and was really easy to style and it looked good on me, but the truth is – I miss my long hair so I’m growing it back. I’m not planning on going for anything longer than shoulder length, though. My favourite hairstyles from your Pinterest board is the top right and the one to the far left second row from the botton (The Elle cover) 🙂
I love those too. I think I want to go even shorter and more textured next time. Problem is always that I just love the convenience of a pony tail in this hot weather…
Since school years, my hair has been basically a bob with “bangs” to the side. This varies in lengths depending on what mood I’m in at the time of my hair-cut! I once went to a salon that put a picture of my head/face on a computer then put different hairstyles on top of my own hair which looked amazing and helped me to choose the right style for me. I recommend this to anyone who feels like a change! Colours are more tricky when grey comes into the picture!!!
I recognise what you say about your mood! Good idea about the computer images. I think there is a site to do that as well, so should try it some time…
I have my hair cut for hats and like a fringe around my face. So it’s difficult to change my hair style, but who knows. It could happen and I’m open. Thanks for the tips.
Yes, I love your beautiful red hair peaking out underneath your hats! No need for a different style for you.