15+ Common Hairstyles Women Over 50 Should Avoid According to a Professional Stylist

Very short fringes are certainly something that you should be looking to avoid, as they can accentuate your age, and things like facial lines. As nice and cute as these hairstyles look, they are not the optimal anti-aging choice, and a longer fringe is better for shifting focus to the eyes.

Having your hair all the same length with no layering is something that can actually make you look older. If you’re serious about looking more youthful, you need to make sure you avoid a haircut that is the same length all over. Pixie cuts look great for any age because of the different lengths.

Though it might seem great to have long, lustrous locks, this is not a great look for women over 50. As we get older, our hair gets thinner, and this means that very long hair can look unhealthy. Instead, lop some off, and go for a shorter and more layered cut.

Long hair is generally youthful and feminine, but when you have no layers it can make your hair look flat and lifeless. Long, straight hair with a middle parting can drag your face down, and might make you look older as it makes your hair look thinner. Whilst this picture holds some shape, it’s likely you’ll achieve this IRL.

When it comes to avoiding mistakes that will make you look older, going too dark is one of the biggest. Dark, dyed color can be harsh, particularly without any highlights, and whilst it’s a tempting way of covering those gray hairs, going dark can dull your complexion.

Conversely, going too light with your hair can also contribute to making you look older as well. Extra light hair can give you a washed out complexion, not to mention the fact that going blonde can make mature hair look worse. If you’re naturally blonde, try to use darker lowlights to help improve your look.

Using hair products can be advantageous, but you need to have balance. When you are using too many products, this can be a nightmare for the aging process, and can lead to product overload in your hair. This can weigh it down, and wind up making your face look older in the process.

As you age, your hair gets thinner, and this means that flat hair, especially when parted in the middle, is not flattering. This is something that can make you look older, so, in order to combat this you need to try to add more volume to the hair via things like a shorter cut, or the use of hairspray.

Not framing your face is a big mistake a lot of older women make with their hair, and it can be revolutionary. Adding some face-framing layers is a great way of being able to draw attention to your best features, as well as providing you with a more refreshed appearance.

Chelsea cuts traditionally have the hair shaved more at the back and longer at the front, and has grown in popularity in recent years. However, as a woman over 50, you should avoid this cut, as it can draw unwanted attention to the neck and cause you to look older as a result.

Close cropped hair is great in the sense that it is generally low-maintenance. But, it can be a nightmare for exemplifying signs of aging. With no hair to distract from wrinkles or skin blemishes, this is the absolute worst cut to go for if you want to combat signs of aging.

The problem with straight hair is that, although it looks great and stands out, it also puts your face front and center. This illuminates the little lines and imperfections on the face, and straight hair can also look less voluminous, which can highlight the fact that you are aging.

A little volume can go a long way, especially when trying to help you look younger. However, when it comes to a short, spiky cut, this can actually end up making you look older. If you’ve lost some volume to your hair, and you’re an older woman, you should keep layering to a minimum. A neater cropped look will be way more chic.

The thing you need to remember about eye-length bangs is that, although they can frame your face, and move focus to your eyes, this can make you look older. If you have pronounced lines around your eyes, drawing attention to them can make you look older.

Another issue when it comes to hairstyle choices for the over 50s, cutting layers too short is one of the biggest mistakes you need to avoid. Too many layers can lead to very think ends, and making your hair look thinner when it’s overly layered is going to do nothing but make age you.

Also known as the ‘Anna Wintour,’ this bob with bangs combination might be the go-to choice for fashionista but, for most women 50+, it’s something to avoid. This harsh style places emphasis on the eyes and jaw, both of which are impacted a lot by age.

Hair-care professionals can provide you a lot of advice and support for your hair, and one of the things that they recommend you avoid is ashy tones in your hair. Whilst things like ash-brown and beige can look good, they can also make your hair look dull and lifeless.

Highlights can be a controversial addition to any hairstyle and, whilst getting this right can be transformative, getting it wrong can make you look older. Placing your highlights incorrectly can end up giving less depth to your hair, which makes it look less youthful and natural.

Hair extensions and wigs can be used to complement your hairstyle and your aesthetics, but you need to make sure you use these in moderation. If your wigs and extensions are too full and look unnatural, this can overshadow your facial features, and age you as a result.

A century ago, bouffants were hugely popular, but it is also a very dated option as well. If you are going for the bouffant hairstyle, this is something that is going to age you, especially with the need to tease and spray the hair so much. This might look elegant and regal but it’s a style that’s going to make you look instantly older.

Bangs are a challenging one, and being able to choose the right bangs for age can be tricky. Bangs are a great way of covering some of the lines on your forehead, but wispy bangs are not. They contribute to your hair’s overall thinness, and don’t give the cover that other bangs provide.

Ponytails are a great way of being practical and on-trend but the issue with them is that, if they are tight or high, they can be tough on the hair which can potentially cause some real damage. Choosing a different updo can be much less arduous on your hair, and will help to look after it better.

Long layers tend to be a great way of being able to add movement and volume to the hair, but they can also be high-maintenance. Very long layers require a great deal of work, as well as constant styling, but choosing a haircut with shorter layers can help you to manage it more effectively.

Another hairstyle that professionals recommend you need to avoid if you’re over 50 is tight curls. That’s because they can be difficult to manage and maintain, and they aren’t exactly a very practical choice. Try to go for wavy hair or looser curls which are easier to manage.

Closely-cropped curls are probably the best hairstyle choice for making you look older. Not only that, but they are notoriously difficult to maintain, and can be ruined if you sleep on them whilst damp. This is one of the most common hairstyles that you need to try to avoid as a woman over 50.

Hipsters and alternatives might well love the undershave but this is not the cut for you if you’re part of a more mature demographic. Choosing a hairstyle that is not a current trend can make your hair appear outdated, and this is one of the things that is going to contribute to making you look older.

Baby bangs are a wonderful choice for young and trendy ladies in their 20s but, for those who are older, they are actually the best way of accentuating your age. The horizontal lines on baby bangs can emphasize the lines on your forehead , not to mention making it look like you’re trying too hard to be in with the hottest trends.

This front flip is sort of like a mini bouffant, which is something that rose to prominence in the early 2000s but it can instantly age the way you look. This is a very outdated look, but it’s also one that can draw attention to your forehead and eyes, which, as we know, highlights the lines on your face.

Pixie cuts look cute and adorable, but they can also make you look much older than you actually are. They can draw attention to the lines and wrinkles on your face, and they are a particular look and style that can even make younger women look older.

The pin-up look is great for adding some vintage to your hair but it is also a look that can age your look considerably. There is a reason why these sorts of looks are known as retro, and this is certainly a hairstyle that can age you.

The problem with severe updos is that they can actually make you look older in ways you might not have thought. One of the main issues with these types of dos is that they create a harsh and sharp appearance, as well as accentuating your facial lines in the process too.

Teasing is a technique that involves backcombing in a bid to create volume at the roots. However, over-teased hair is a big no-no for women over the age of 50. The reason for this is that the process can damage your hair, as well as creating a dated and over-stylized look.

Look, the great thing about hair is that it is versatile, and there is so much you can do with it. However, getting overly complicated with the style can look out of place on older women, and this often means your hair is not congruent with your appearance, and can make you look older.

Perms are a classic hairstyle, but sometimes classics belong in the past. All the rage in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, perms ubiquitous among fashionable women everywhere. However, rocking a perm nowadays is one of the best ways of making yourself look older.

Another product of a bygone era, crimped hair was big business in the 80s and early 90s, but is now viewed as one of the least trendy and fashionable choices for women everywhere. If you are trying to keep your look younger and trendy, you need to try to avoid crimping as much as you can.

Pigtails are a youthful and playful hairstyle that is typically associated with young girls. Because of its youthful associations, it can look very strange on older women, and will only serve to highlight the fact that you are older. So this is a hairstyle that it’s probably best to avoid as much as possible.

Farrah Fawcett was as famous for her long, flowing locks as she was for her screen presence, and this is a look that is indicative of the 70s and 80s. An effortless, feathered look, but one that should probably be avoided by women over 50, as it’s quite dated. It gives the impression that, rather than retro chic, you’re simply stuck in the past.

Layering is a good way to make your hair stand out, but it only really works to a point. This is something that you need to moderate, because too many layers can actually wind up adding years to your appearance. Balance is key, so try out different levels of layering to try to find what works for you.

The bun is a great hairstyle and it can look great on anyone with any type of hair, but you need to be careful not to oversize the bun. It is better to go for a look that will help to frame your face and result in a softer or more youthful appearance.

Slicked back hair can make you stand out and feel powerful, we get it. However, if you are a woman over 50, this is a look that you should think about avoiding. Not only is it heavily reliant on trends, but it exposes the entire face, and thus draws attention to all of the wrinkles and fine lines that are clear signs of aging.

One of the other big mistakes that a lot of women over 50 make with their hair is choosing hair that is the wrong length. The ideal haircut and length needs to match your face shape and structure, so consult your stylist or hair designer on the best ways for you to do this.

Many women as they age tend to make the mistake of using the same hair style for many years. This does make a lot of sense, because if something works for you, why change it, right? Well, one of the reasons is that hair fashion has dramatically changed over the years, and you need to make sure you hair evolves too.

As we’ve already covered, using hair colors that are too light or too dark can contribute to the aging process. However, not being careful with colors is another issue, and you need to account for your skin tone when you are trying to select the right hair color. A basic rule of thumb is that bright colors can help you to look younger.

When looking to style your hair in the right way, there are loads of different options you can choose when selecting your hair parting. However, using the wrong parting can actually make you look a lot older, and making little tweaks to your hair to get the right parting makes you look much younger.

A little bit of volume in your hair can help you to look glamorous and trendy, especially when your hair begins to get thinner, but you need to be careful about how much you use. Going over the top with it and using too much volume can actually make you look older.

It is important when you get older to make sure you look after your hair and keep it nourished as much as possible. But using the wrong shampoo is something that can affect the design of the hair, and make you look older. Aging hair needs specific types of shampoo to help look after it correctly.

As you get older your hair thins out, and this increases the temptation to cover it in hairspray. Sure, this can boost the volume a little bit, but it can also make you look as though you have stepped out of an ‘80s movie. This can give you a flock-of-seagulls look that nobody wants, so try to avoid this.

For some people, coloring their hair is going to be a great way of masking their age, but in some cases disguising your gray can be a mistake. In some instances, showing off your gray hair can actually make you look great – and you can accentuate your silver locks by using things like pepper lowlights and silver glasses.

Your life is different to the way it was several years ago, and if you want to look younger, you need to have a hairstyle that reflects this. Overlooking this, and choosing the same hairstyle as you had a decade ago is not going to make you look modern, currently, and trendy.

Sometimes, when trying to avoid hairstyle mistakes, you need to also consider external factors. You can have the best hairstyle in the world, but makeup that makes you look old is going to bring out your lines and wrinkles. Correctly applying makeup can really complement your hairstyle and makes it look great.

Women with naturally curly hair should beware of the summer and high levels of humidity, as this can make the curls go frizzy instead of wavy. Luckily there is a way of combating this, because long curls weigh the frizz down and keep the curls bouncy and tight, leaving your locks looking delightful.

One of the more horrible hairstyles that can cause you to look older is the long hair with shoulder length lobs. What happens is that when women become bored with shoulder-length hair, they want to use layers to create angles in front of the face; but if you don’t have sufficient volume of hair, this is going to make you look older.

If you want long hair, you need to be wary of having too many layers, because if there are too many short-hair layers upfront, you could wind up with a V-shape at the back, which doesn’t look good on anybody; it’s difficult to make this hairstuyle look good, so try to avoid it instead.

In a lot of ways, there is plenty to love about cutting your own hair – it’s more affordable, you learn a skill, and you can can do whatever you want. However, this is so difficult to do well on your own, particularly if you want a specific style, so you need to make sure you stick with a stylist instead.

If there is one thing worse than the perm (which has already made our list) it’s the perm that is too tight. The problem with tight perms is that they look very dated, but they are also incredibly high-maintenance too, so make sure you avoid them.

It takes a bold woman to opt for the reverse hair mullet, with its chunky front and super short back. This is a hairstyle that’s very low-maintenance, but it probably looks good on about 0.1% of the female population. As you get older, this is a style that is going to look worse and worse.

When you are trying to find the right hairstyle as an older woman, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to ignore your stylist and their advice. Professionals know more about what will look good with your hair, and you need to listen to them.

Everyone has a hair type, and your hair type can change when you get older, and whether it’s wavy, straight, kinky or curly, being au fait with your hair type lets you manage it better. If you don’t know your hair type, it makes it much harder to avoid the hairstyles that don’t work for you.

As you get older, your hair is going to start thinning; this is a natural part of the aging process, but you need to prepare for this. Lifestyle habits such as wearing your hair too tight, lack of folic acid and other minerals can make the hair thinning process worse.

A huge mistake a lot of women over 50 make is that they choose the wrong hair color for their skin tone, and this looks strange, as well as accentuating the fact that they are older. Matching hair with skin tone is an essential part of making you look more radiant and youthful.

Making an extreme color change is one of the biggest errors women over 50 can make with their hair. You have to make sure you at the very least consult a stylist if you are going to go for more extreme colors, but in general, this is something that it might be advisable to avoid.

One of the big mistakes you can make when you are dealing with gray hairs is the faux pas of using the same exact color for each and every part of the hair dye process. Instead, using a second formula that is a shade lighter can really help to enhance complexion, and make you appear more youthful.

As a woman 50+, your hair care routine needs to be one that is focused on nourishing and caring for your hair, and this means choosing products that are packed full of hydration; this includes things like weightless oils that can give added bounce to dry or tired looking hair.

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This is a common mistake that not even celebrities are immune to, but it’s one that can really damage your look. Stiff and unmovable hair looks unnatural, not to mention the fact that iut appears dated and out of sync with modern styles – avoid!

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The problem with combing back your hair is that initially it can look good; it’s a bold and daring step, and some women can pull it off. However, it also exposes your forehead, which draws attention to your skin’s imperfections, and highlights the line of hair growth.

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Now, if you’re trying to evoke the pinups of the 1950s, an outdated hairstyle will do fine, but for a modern woman wanting to look contemporary, these are a no-go. Things like curls on short hair or tight ringlets can contribute to making your hairstyle look more dated, which in turn can make you look older as well.

Tight braids might seem like a fun and playful idea, but for women of 50+ they can be a nightmare, as they tend to emphasize fine lines and wrinkles on the forehead and face, and make you appear older. Instead, opt for loose braids, as these have the saem benefits as tight braids, whilst also offering a more youthful appearance.

Regular blow-drys can become a habit, and they are a huge part of the hairstyling process. However, regularly exposing your hair to high heat via blow-dry sessions can be damaging, particularly when you are older as your hair will be thinner and more vulnerable.

As we get older, everything about our faces and bodies drops, and longer hanging hair with layered lengths can magnify the bags under your eyes, as well as magnifying wrinkles on the face and head. This is a hairstyle choice that is going to make you look older, and should be avoided for those hoping for a more youthful complexion.

Going for “shoe polish” hair can also be a mistake for a lot of women over the age of 50 because it can look opaque, as well as zapping life and color from your face, and making you look older. It will also highlight any grays you have, which can also contribute to making you look your age, or even older.

Synthetic bob wigs are another option that older women should avoid, and this is because the amount of luster we see with these wigs can sometimes make them look cheap or inauthentic, which is going to bring down your appearance. If you want to wear a wig, you need to go for ultra high-quality and natural-looking wigs.

Too-short styles have been around for a long time, and they have been a staple for a lot of older women throughout the years. However, this is a style that is going out of fashion quickly, and it could be due to the fact that short hair can emphasize the lines and wrinkles on your face and hair.

Traditional shorter cuts are also something that can make you look older, and can enhance the lines and wrinkles on your face. Older women are turning away from these kinds of hairstyles, and going for longer lengths with bits of shorter hair in order to help frame their faces, and this is something you should consider.

Whilst many types of bangs can look good on older women, feathered bangs certainly do not fall into this bracket, as they can look dated, and unstylish, and can significantly age your look. Longer, wispier bangs are the best bet, as they are a great way of making you look youthful and more attractive.

Bleaching your hair is a great way of making you look young and beautiful in your twenties, but as you get older, this doesn’t have the positive impact you might think. As you age, your complexion will lose a great deal of its natural color, and bleaching can leave you with a tired and washed out look.

A center parting might be great when you are younger, but as you get older, this is something you should be looking to ditch. This issue with this is that center partings can accentuate and exaggerate thin hair, which becomes a more prominent issue as you age.

It might seem like the right approach is to make your hair look smart and symmetrical as much as possible, but having hair parallel to the floor is actually a bad move. This is because it draws the eyes downward, resulting in a tired appearance.

The main problem with hair that flips at the shoulder is to do with the shape of the hair style. If you want to make sure your hair looks young and vibrant it needs to be voluminous on top to bring out your cheeks and eyes. But when the volume is at the bottom it can drag down the overall look of your hair.

Understandably, there are occasions on which you may like to go for the natural look, as it’s low-maintenance and perfect for lazy days. However letting your hair go too natural means you don’t have the opportunity to emphasize your best features, which you can do via styling.

Layering your hair is often a mixed bag; sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. However, you need to try to avoid layers that are too long, because these can cause a volume build-up at the bottom, which can lead to a triangular shape, and make you look older as a result.