Few women with hair over 45?

[Hoosebag]

I'm 45 and my dark brown hair is long (mid back) and thick. I haven't dyed it since my 20s so it's all in good condition although I'm starting to get grey hairs in it now at my parting.

I spoke to my hair dresser who told me that if I want to start colouring it I'd need to switch to a shorter length in the next few years as the processing would damage my hair so that the lengths of it would no longer look nice after a few years. She then went on to say that few women have hair my length over 40ish because years of colouring, heat treatment and hormonal changes mean it only looks good to about shoulder length or even shorter.

I must admit I've never thought about it but looking around I do see very few women my age and older with long hair. I know some of that will be a style related choice but I suppose it must be in some cases due to the damage from colouring and possibly menopause.

So I'm just curious, did chemically colouring your hair cause damage to your hair and did you end up going for a shorter length than you'd have preferred or would your hair still look good if you decided to grow it long?

Just wanting to make an informed choice about my luxurious greying locks 😆

My hair is below shoulder length and I get regular highlights (I'm 49). Have never been advised to cut it shorter. When I get my highlights done they only bleach the roots so the ends are fine

My hair is almost down to my bum naturally curly, naturally silver and I'm nearer 60 than 50. No plans to get it cut.

I'm 50 and have bra strap length hair, but I am white/grey and have been for 10 years. I'm told frequently how amazing it looks and it is in great condition

Most women's hair thins as they get older. Thinner hair does not look good long but can still look great in a shorter style.
I also think older women cba with the care needed for longer hair.

That's good to know, I don't really want highlights myself just my natural colour to hide the grey but apparently on dark brown hair the bleach used will fade my natural colour to a red / orange which I remember from when I used to dye it at uni, even if I dyed it darker it always faded to a reddish colour. Then you need to apply more bleach to get the brown colour to take over the bleach damaged hair and so on. Perhaps that is why highlights are so popular, staying your natural colour is tricky!

Wait and see what happens

I'm 46 and though I change a lot, I've recently decided to try growing it out - look at Kate Middleton's hair and feel well jel! Have a friend in her 50s with that sort of hair nearly waist length...but she only washes once a week, mine needs nearly daily.

you don't need to decide now. You can't really predict how it will go.

So you think if I want to keep my hair long and healthy I should embrace the grey? I do love long white, silver hair but it's the inbetween stage that is tricky. I only have a random sprinkling no cool stripes or anything and it looks bad against my dark hair.

Could you try a henna colour maybe?

Waist length thick reddish brown hair here, regularly dyed but I go slightly lighter with a copper colour so I don't need it bleaching the same. It's still thick, I wouldn't complain if it did thin out a bit as its incredibly thick and if anything has gone a slightly coarser texture which makes it seem even thicker

If you're covering grey hairs on dark brown hair then you'll be using dye that adds pigment, no bleach needed whatsoever!

Nope thats not true at all. I dye my roots dark brown every three weeks and use Olaplex 1 and 2. My hair is glossy, healthy and down to my boobs. I did go through a period where my hair started getting dry/brittle but it turned out I had a an issue with my thyroid so started levothyroxine and now my hair is back to its glorious shiny self. Thyroid issues and hormones being off (perimenopause) can also affect women in that age bracket which can affect hair quality. Obviously if you are bleaching it blonde regularly that can dry hair out but using a gentle dye with olaplex will not cause any issues at all.

I wear my hair up a lot but when I take it down I always get compliments. I don't like the inbetween grey / brown stage though. Quite happy to have fully long grey hair one day!

I've been dying my grey hair for 20 years and there's no damage. It actually looks better and thicker afterwards due to the pigment added.

Well I thought that too but apparently not because you need a developer (creme bleach) to open the hair cuticle and deposit the colour, that's the process. I think there are some deposit only dyes like Henna or the Daniel Field Watercolours but they apparently don't cover grey well.

Rubbish - I’m 41 and have been having my hair coloured for years (full head bleach/tint) I have my roots done every 6 weeks (lots of grey!) It’s long, thick and healthy and my hairdresser often comments how she wishes her hair was in such good condition and she’s a lot younger than me.

Contrary to popular opinion on here I think having your hair cut in a bob/short when you hit your 40’s is usually very ageing. I think longer, well maintained hair (combined with other things such as how you dress/making an effort with makeup/nails etc) is much more youthful. I wonder if you just have a scissor-happy stylist who wants to practice on you - and a good stylist should never try to inflict their own ideas into you, so I’d be wary of that.

I'm looking into henna, I did that in my teens but I wasn't trying to cover grey then.

I think a lot of women over 40 have short hair as short hair used to be the norm.

In my primary school class only one girl had long hair.

Contrary to popular opinion on here I think having your hair cut in a bob/short when you hit your 40’s is usually very ageing

I agree with this. It suits some people (of any age) but others look better with longer hair so to cut it simply because you are over a certain age seems ridiculous to me. Do what suits you and what you enjoy.

Ops I've just noticed my title typo 😅, I meant long hair over 45 not that women all go bald after 45!

I’m 55 with long hair, I’ll always keep it long. I think if I went grey I’d embrace it & have it long still. Long grey hair is stunning. I think the dyeing of roots once grey all over & colouring it is pretty high maintenance. Can you start to get it blended until it’s fully grey at the length you want?

I use henna now (am 41) on my light brown hair. I don't have many greys, but they are coming in on my temples and it's ageing. I've no problem with embracing grey when it's all over (my mum looks fabulous), but it makes me look tired at this stage.

I don't like chemical dyes, not just for the hair damage but also because of the crap that's in a lot of cosmetics that may be carcinogenic.

I use Khadi nut brown henna and find it's a perfect match for my natural hair colour, covers the greys and also thickens and conditions.

I'm jealous of your hair though OP. Mine is shoulder length, but only because it won't grow any longer without splitting. It's quite fine. I'm not one for envying other people's beauty, but if I had one vanity-based wish it would be for long, thick hair.

That must be beautiful . There is a woman I see locally who is mid seventies with white waves past her waist, she looks like an angel , it is really lovely and suits her.
Two of my friends have long hair, at 58 and 59. I like seeing long hair on women over fifty, I think it looks great.

I do agree that you shouldn't cut your hair just because of an old outdated social norm I was more interested to see if people are getting it cut shorter as they get older because they have to due to damage thinning? The can't be arsed reason seems a decent reason too!

I'm in my 50s and have bra length hair I have odd greys and sometimes use a box dye to cover them when I can be bothered. I love my longer hair and feel seriously drab when it's shorter.

Been dying my hair for over 20 years (a lot and some real bad jobs as well) and my hair is nipple length (post three dc nipples too). It is one of my favourite things about how I look!