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Style & Beauty

Will short hair on 40 yr old age me?

28 replies

rubyblue · 23/08/2013 13:05

Had the same brown bob for 20 odd years, with the odd longer version or short hair. It's now below my chin and fairly thick and wavy so needs straightening. I also have a lot of grey hair so I dye it a lot, condition is ok and because it's thick, it can hide grey roots.

I have a hankering to get my hair cut short (friend tells me it suits me) but worried it will age me and that grey roots will show more quickly. Is it middle aged? I always knew I would go short eventually but the trend seems to be to keep your hair as long as you can to look younger.

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MarianForrester · 23/08/2013 14:16

I am couple years loser than you and have recent had hair chopped. I think it makes me look a lot younger (I hope!) and it is n a funky style with a good colour.

Go for it, I say!. And even if you hate it, it it will soon grow.

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MarianForrester · 23/08/2013 14:17

Loser?? Auto correct trying to tell me something..?

I meant older!

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Nagoo · 23/08/2013 14:19

There's a bazillion 'short haircuts' the answer depends entirely on what you choose.

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rubyblue · 23/08/2013 15:00

What would you choose? I can't carry off an elfin crop (not fine featured) so it would be more sweeping fringe and tucked behind my ears.

Marian, is your cut very short? How often do you eat it cut and coloured?

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shopafrolic · 23/08/2013 17:46

I'm 40 and have had short hair on and off since I was 18. My hair is dark, and very thick, and there's lots of it IYSWIM so it is by far the easiest style for me. I get it cut and coloured every 6-8 weeks and have recently had to start having some highlighted bits put through it to hide the grey a bit more. Cut is kind of like Anne Hathaways at the moment.
Some ideas here
The one thing I would say is that I find with short hair you need to wear make up every day.

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daimbardiva · 23/08/2013 17:51

Just a thought - you say your hair is wavy and thick which sounds similar to mine. I had a short crop for a while which wsd easy to look after (but didn't suot me) but when it was longer but still short it was a nightmare to control. I find longer much easier.

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LeoandBoosmum · 23/08/2013 17:54

Well, I always think cropped styles look best on those with little elfin faces and delicate features..think Charlize Theron, Halle Berry, Annie Lennox, Victoria Beckham, Michelle Williams and the girl who was in The Great Gatsby (can't recall name). Age is not a barrier but face shape can be, I think. Why don't you post a pick and we'll tell you if we think you can carry it off? I had a pixie crop when I was in my twenties and it was very liberating!

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SuperiorCat · 23/08/2013 18:27

Agree with Leo. It depends on face shape and features. I have heavy set features and fat face so I could never get away with short hair.

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Parmarella · 23/08/2013 18:32

Hmmm, I am 42 with long hair ( not grey yet) and whenever I go back to my hometown, all women my age seem to have short hair with a funky element like purple streaks or a blonde fringe, and I think it looks dreadful.

But then, others like that style ( though not many men , IMO, but MNers do not tend to dress for fhe benefit of men anyway, on the whole).

I think short hair can easily be a bit severe, longer hair looks a bit softer, prettier.

But there are plenty of women who baulk at looking pretty, fair enough!

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shopafrolic · 23/08/2013 19:48

I don't baulk at looking pretty! Confused but I do have short hair. There are plenty of women who look pretty with short hair.

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MarianForrester · 23/08/2013 19:55

Well, have just had it cut after 9 weeks, and it looked ok though better once cut. It is short (clippered) up the back and then side parting and layered on top so can do fluffy and messy, or tidy, or sixties-ish, or twenties-ish depending on styling and accessories. This varies a bit as it grows, which I find refreshing.

I am not thin, or elfin, and have it very ash blonde. Not wacky as described above!

I can have quite a lot of volume in it, and the cut really distracts from my less than firm ageing jawline, which I hate. I was worried I'd look ancient with sagging jowls and Mrs Mangle hair, but am happy.

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Nagoo · 23/08/2013 19:59

What?! There are loads of women who look perfectly pretty and feminine with short hair. What an odd thing to say.

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primallass · 23/08/2013 20:01

I'm going the other way. Have had a jaw-length bob for years and am growing it longer.

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Belindaearl2 · 23/08/2013 20:24

IMO it's all in the cut - in Enders at the Vic, Jeans haircut v.feminine, Shirl's hair is orrible & both colours not great. If you trust your hairdresser with colouring, they might be good with cut advice Smile

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TravelinColour · 23/08/2013 20:26

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TravelinColour · 23/08/2013 20:31

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NoComet · 23/08/2013 20:43

If your hair is thick enough to have charged charecter when shirt, or like my DSIS faintly curly, short can work, whatever your age.

If its like mine, totally flat five minutes after blow drying carefully and greasy after 10 minutes its a non starter at 90.

When I'm very old (not 45) it will either still be long enough for. a bun or permed.

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NoComet · 23/08/2013 20:44

some charecter when

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NoComet · 23/08/2013 20:44

short. sory RL interrupting

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TSSDNCOP · 24/08/2013 00:15

I had my bob chopped at Tony & Guy last year. I reckon it's knocked several years off me. Some tips:

  1. Select a hairdresser that can do technical short hair cuts. Not all can.


  1. Consider colour at the same time. Breaks up your hair-avoids Normn the Foreman hair (sorry Norman)


  1. You will need blusher and lots of it.
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cerealqueen · 24/08/2013 00:26

45 here with short graduated bob, 20s style. I second the blusher notion! I must wear it, and curl my eyelashes and all is well.

Go for it, so lovely once cut, you get that lovely feeling of being weight lifted! I am growing mine out now to try a short fringe but I will eventually go back to this cut as I love it.

Plus, you can be more drastic with colour I think.

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Cloudkitten · 24/08/2013 00:29

Overall personally I don't think any short cuts look feminine/younger. Unless, say, Lulu - that's as short as can still look feminine/younger. If you are thinking Sharon Osbourne type haircut then that's probably going to age the average 40yo. It might be funky and fun and so on but it's too old for the average 40 (imo). Also Sharon has amazing cheekbones and bone structure in general so it works well for her. If you have a round or short face it's really hard to pull off a short hairstyle.

Generally if you have decent thick hair you are very lucky, there will be styles to get it thinned out a bit so it's easier to manage, but personally I would save the actual short cut for a lot older than 40. Even Anne Hathaway and Carey Mulligan and Miley Cyrus - they all look great with their short styles but that's to do with face shape and actually BEING young. The standalone hairstyles would be hard to carry off. I think a Lulu style (maybe a bit longer) is a good compromise of short but not short-short.

Joan Collins is an example of the type of person who might potentially look older with Sharon Osbourne's short cut. Joan suits her longer hair really well, it looks feminine and youthful on her. Lulu's type might look older with Sharon Osbourne type cut. I think if you have any kind of ever-young or girlishness about you (even at 40, or 50+, like Lulu) then you should keep it just a little bit longer as too short is too harsh. But if you are not and have never been "girlish" and are happily settling into the "fabulous but more mature" sort of look, then probably short will be snappy and stylish. IYSWIM :)

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snowlie · 24/08/2013 05:05

I think go for it - if you don't like it, you can grow it out. Lots of different short hair cuts to chose from and it can be funky and feminine. I've had vey short hair in the past and never thought I looked any less feminine. Long hair can look poorly maintained and the standard "tied in a mum ponytail" is dull and ageing, it suggests given up rather than feminine.

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NormanTheForeman · 24/08/2013 09:35

Nothing wrong with my hair! Shock It's very stylish. And it goes with my snazzy tie... Wink

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TSSDNCOP · 24/08/2013 09:42

Is it checkered Norm Grin

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