Short hair on woman over 40.

[Thebfg75]

Hi! I'm 45, thick hair and not especially good at styling my hair (so would need low maintenance!) I've had a shortish Bob for years and am toying with the idea of having a short cut.
Should I? What sort of states would you recommend? Thanks!

I'm 55 and have just gone very short from short bob. Plus sides are ease of maintenance and several people have said it takes years off me!

Downsides - more frequent cuts and highlights are difficult because the sides and back are too short. I'm not actually very grey but I look better blonde.

It does mean a bit of a rethink of clothes as I've got a bit of a pinhead!

I'm scared this is my future and I don't suit short hair. I've always had long hair but I now have a crown of fuzzy white hairs. They don't grow as long so my ability to have long hair will simply leave me. That's of no help to you, good luck!

And check out Pinterest for ideas.

I know what you mean, dudsville, it's like having pubes grow out of your scalp! I'm so enjoying aging.

Midlife crisis: apart from having to get it cut regularly, do you find it easy to maintain day to day? I have visions of faffing around for hours a day with a pot of styling wax.... Which I'm keen to avoid!!

It depends. Some women suit it some don't. Can you post s pic of your face and just blank out the central part, face shape is a large part of it...

The only two age related reasons I know of are:
If your face gets very saggy around the jawline then long hair can make it look even saggier.
If you hair gets very thin then trying to keep it long might accentuate it.

I think both are more common post menopause. Otherwise short hair suits some but not all women, irrespective of age.

For what it's worth, mine suits me far better short but then it always has. As for it being higher maintenance, all I can say is I have it cut every six weeks and the rest of the time I wash it, slap on some stuff and go. I haven't brushed or combed it in over 30 years.

I think it works really well if you have a thinnish face - defined jawbone, good cheekbones etc. If you have the face of a balloon (as I do) it would look shit.

I'm 57 so well through the menopause and find keratin treatment really good to make that kind of hair smooth so you could still have a bob xx

I'm 51. I suit limos to long hair.

Last September I stopped colouring my hair. The natural silver that has grown through is beautiful and is in fantastic soft and shiny condition.

I couldn't stand the dark hair dye when it faded so when my natural hair was a few inches long I chopped off the coloured ends.

Short hair on me looks hideous!

My hair is fine but as I've got older I seem to have a lot more of it and it grows very quickly.

Not quick enough! It's in a layered bob with a fringe which I flick out the sides like Camilla which I don't like but looks better than curled under and I can't wait for it to be long again.

Have the hair that suits your face not your age.

Obvious dyed hair as you get older is more aging than short hair in my opinion.

Floisme that sounds great!!

Hassled... Am afraid I'm more of the balloon faced variety too. It might be more of a "when I lose weight" goal.

I've had short, then long, short again and now long. I find longer hair easier now and softer for my features. At mid 50's, I won't be having it cut anytime soon...

I found short hair to require may more styling than longer hair. It way a pita so I've grown it out (which was a whole other unpleasant story). never again.

The stereotype of old women having short, grey, set curls, wearing skirts and flat shoes has, I believe, seen its day. If you look back 100 years, we were all wearing long skirts and buns in our prime (thankfully, that evolved too). Our generation of "grannies" will have their hair in many different styles and colours. They will wear jeans. They will have tattoos. Times are a changing ladies. Not sure if that helps as 40's is by no means old age. I'm 47 and my hair is dark brown and long layered, I can't wait to let my grey come through, but my mates have said 47 is too young to go grey and I trust them. I had my hair cut really short when my daughter was having chemo, didn't suit me at all, but it was besides the point.

I was looking at pictues earlier today and found a lovely cut that katie homes had years ago. Side parted bob just below earlobes and graduated at the back.
So tempted

This

I do no styling at all, partly because I'm living in a camper for five months! It's so short I go for days without brushing it

I'm 47 and have had very short hair for years and love it. Also stopped dying it when I turned 40. I basically have it clippered very short at back and sides and a bit longer on top to put some wax in and 'style' it roughly. I have it cut every 5 weeks otherwise it starts feeling way too long and annoying! I actually don't really care what people think of me looks-wise and whether it particularly suits me or not, and it's so easy to care for!

I agree there are some artfully dishevelled styles that in reality are a shitload of work but for the most part I would say that if short hair requires a lot of styling then you probably don't suit short hair. I am extremely lazy and there's no way I would keep mine short if it involved anything more than a regular cut.

I agree with the poster who said if it's hard work to style short....it's probably not for you!

Also, be careful what you ask for. A few years ago I asked for Flavia. One week later, after I'd "styled" it, it was totally Jim Carey 😳

I disagree that short hair is trickier to style. I put hairspray on mine when damp and ruffle it. Sometimes I dry it smooth but it literally takes two minutes (I time it!) I worried about my round face with short hair but it turns out I have cheekbones and a jawline that the great cut accentuates. :)

I had mine cut short at 40 (longer on top) and loved it. I was two stone thinner then and I have small features so it suited.

However, I was paranoid that I couldn't covet/see grey at the back. With each cut it got shorter too. Then I put on weight so I grew back to bob.

I found it easy to maintain though and I have fine, severely greying hair. I kept it higlighted thougj found it hard to highlight short bits and of I left those bits naturally dark then the greys popped through. Bloody ageing!!

I have short hair and I wash and leave it to dry then shove a bit of wax in and it's good to go. I do have it cut every five weeks as it grows really quickly.
Hopefully you won't encounter the hairdresser I once had who said 'you don't want to go any shorter or you'll look like a lesbian'

I've always had short hair, as mine is very fine and there's not much of it. It's layered and bleached. I too am a pinhead like a pp and disappear behind long hair.

I find it easy to style provided it's cut and coloured right. I think you need to have some height to balance out the inevitable droopy jawline.

...and no, you won't look like a lesbian. .

Just had mine cut from shoulder length to this. I am loving it. I am 46.