Is long hair a bit much at 46?

[Zoflorabore]

Hi, as per title, I’m 46. I’ve always had a good head of hair but it’s really thick and has got a wave to it and I don’t make much effort with it beyond washing/conditioning regularly but only drying maybe once a week and straightening it maybe every couple of weeks. It’s also super dark, almost black and I’ve been getting greys since I was about 20! And do my roots about every 3 weeks.

My friend recently said something along the lines
of “at our age we shouldn’t have long hair” after getting hers drastically chopped off. It’s made
me think. I work from home, don’t socialise at all really due to chronic pain and other health issues and it’s getting on my nerves.

When I’ve made the effort it can look lovely bit most of the time it’s tied back and has no style or anything. I would love a bob but like to have a pony when cleaning/exercising.

any thoughts please? I also have a thick fringe like Claudia Winkleman and don’t suit not having one.

i will attach a pic from behind which was taken recently when my dd dried my hair for me.

honest opinions welcome!

Surely that depends on the hair? I have very short hair - I wash and condition it once a week, and that's it. I literally do nothing else to it.

Your friend is talking a lot of nonsense.

Your hair is far too beautiful to cut short or into a horrible bob.

Your hair is lustrous, healthy, thick, and clearly you feel confident in it just the way it is. Ignore what anyone says! It's up to you if/when you change things up and learn whatever feels best for you.

A stupid hair-life story: I grew up with long, natural hair in my teenage years until I 'rebelled' and bleached it platinum blonde etc and chopped it all up. Grew it all back, and promptly had it cut into a severe pixie cut later on (which I promptly dyed bright pink 😅). Then a 'sensible' blonde balayage and shoulder length wavy cut for the work place... then finally grew it back even further, and I'm happier than ever to have my long hair back at my age. (But still fantasising about different dyes I could do..!) No age limits, taking good care of it, feeling like myself.

Take care of your hair and identity as you wish, and think about how it makes you feel YOU! :)

Maybe getting some layers in your hair would help as it would give your hair more style, take away some of the weight and can still be long enough to tie up. There’s no one way for anyone of any age to wear their hair it’s all comes down to preference.

I'm 45 with long hair

You can have a long bob that you can tie back. Long hair is fine at any age but styling will help.

I do think wear your hair however you want too!
however, I’m 43 and I’ve just had the chop too, from length like yours to a really choppy bob and I love it! It’s taken years off me! I went for the chop because I never styled my hair, just threw it up in a messy bun and it was in terrible condition. I was also finding that the messy bun/pony tail was doing nothing for me- I found as I got older, it just made me look a bit unkept rather then anything else! Good luck with finding a style that your finally happy with xx

Your hair is beautiful op!

I suspect your friend might be a touch jealous of your thick luscious hair - age does strange things to hair but yours is thriving!

I've always had long hair - a bit wavy, mostly up in a drawn back, ageing ponytail like you, got to my mid 40s and had a similar crisis - then had to have it cropped very short indeed (medical reasons).

I've since been able to grow out the grey and with my VERY lovely hairdresser's help now have an actual STYLE for the first time in my life - I only have to wash it on the 3rd day, easy to 'do', and despite the extra grey my new style has reversed the ageing hair somehow, it's past my shoulders again yet I don't wear it up in a ponytail except when exercising/cleaning.

With hair like yours you can pull off lots of the hairstyles you might see when googling 'long hair 50 years' kinda thing, that are frequently only modelled on thick hair - do some research, find a fab hairdresser and love your hair!

(I do think that limp,lank, long hair looks awful on anyone regardless of age, but not that older ladies shouldn't have long hair if yours has the body and condition to pull it off!)

I think it’s not your age that should determine your hair length but the condition. Yours is thick and shiny and looks fabulous, so have it however you want.

Google some recent photos of Catherine Zeta Jones. She's in her fifties and totally rocking it🔥, no reason you can't too!

Op - this is an absolute game-changer - I was unable to use a hairdryer and invested in one of these - cut my drying/styling time by about two thirds, I've never had nicer hair than I do now and I'm 51!

https://www.boots.com/babyliss-air-style-1000-hair-10283649

Your hair is beautiful! Age shouldn't be a factor in deciding whether to cut it.

I am 44 and I will always have long hair.

I had a bob about 7 years ago. It looked horrendous on me, I don’t know what I was thinking.

My hair is long again now and always will be. will always be dyed brown too, I don’t care what anyone else thinks.

Your hair looks great! So healthy and shiny

I have really thick dark hair that has a wave to it - I tried a bob once never again - I had to style and straighten it nearly every day, if I didn’t it looked awful and stuck out at angles lol! I couldn’t even tie it up as it was too short.

I am not saying you will have the same experiences but I am 50 and have my hair about 3-4 inches shorter than yours. So I can pit it up when I can’t be bothered with it!! Perhaps try a long bob so you have a choice of up or down style!

Your hair is lovely by the way - but its yours so you do whatever feels best and most comfortable 😀

I’m 77. You have whatever makes you feel good and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. My hair isn’t as long as yours OP but it is still my natural colour and I like it. I’ve no plans to cut it anytime soon. I have what they now call a Claudia Winkleman fringe that I have had since before Claudia was born. I like that too and it’s cheaper than botox 😂
Enjoy your long hair - it’s beautiful.

NRTFT.

Firstly too old for long hair is such bullshit!!! My DM and MIL (in their mid 80s) both have short hair most of their lives but that was the fashion when they were younger - it was fun to see them both with longer hair during lockdown 😄Although both went back to short hair afterwards. Shoulder length works best for me, quick to dry but can still tie it up. OP you have FABULOUS hair 🥰 I might take a few inches off and get some layers/shaping done but ignore your idiot friend!

My mum is almost 81 and still has long hair. I think it's a personal preference - I am in my late 50s and have short hair. I've had short hair since I was 11 or 12.

Devpatelslaughingeyes

Your hair is lovely, my DM is 73 and has similar hair. I’m 55 and have that length hair, it’s still long but manageable.

I'm 65 and still have long hair. Not as long as yours but rather long too. My hair is healthy and the split ends are taken care of regularly. I usually put it up a bit because that's more practical doing chores, but when I go out and dress up I have my hair down. There's no age for whatever hair style you like, but maybe your daughter is right and you might do something about those split ends - otherwise your hair is beautiful! I'm in a group on facebook that shows the beauty and strength of women ofer fifty, it's called Wifty 😊 Check it out!

If it was getting thin and scraggy (like mine at 47 😭) then yes, I'd say cut it - but your hair is glorious. I don't know what your friend's comment was about, maybe she feels a little low about her appearance at the moment? This getting old malarkey ain't easy, so I would say keep your lovely hair but if she's generally a good friend, show her some grace for the comment.

My mum thought you should cut it at 30! She wasn’t a fan of long hair at all though and always kept mine short when I was little. It’s an old fashioned idea. I’m nearly 50 and have shoulder-ish length quite thick hair - I don’t think I suit it too short (or too long) so will not be cutting it all off anytime soon. I have braved it just below my chin a few times but like to be able to put it up.

I have long thick hair aged 44. No plans to cut it short, the last haircut I had was in 2021. I wear it up every day with the ends tucked in. I've just started getting grey hairs and I plan to dye it at home but haven't got around to it. I've always found short hair to be higher maintenance. I have never got any negative comments about long hair at my age though.

Neurosurgeons are terrible hair dressers. I’m 48 and have very short hair due to medical issues I’d love to have it long but struggle to grow it past that Einstein length.

is your friend 103 ? That’s a very outdated attitude.

if you’re hair was mine I’d take 3 inches off the bottom bluntly and wear it with soft curls when going out out.

do what feels right for you and no one else

big up the 40+ ladies <3