MomSkoop
Choosing the right hairstyle in your 60s can make all the difference in how you look and feel. As we age, our hair changes texture and may thin, requiring different approaches to styling. The perfect cut can brighten your face, highlight your best features, and boost your confidence. Let’s explore which hairstyles to avoid and which ones will keep you looking stylish and age-appropriate.
1. Severely Layered Cuts
When hair thins with age, too many layers can backfire spectacularly. Excessive layering removes valuable bulk and exposes areas where hair is sparse, creating a wispy, unintentional look that ages rather than refreshes.
Many women seek layers hoping for volume, but the opposite often occurs. Hair ends up looking stringy and difficult to style, especially with the changing texture that comes with aging.
2. Overly Short Pixies
Radical pixie cuts might seem like a low-maintenance solution, but they can actually emphasize facial aging when cut too short or with harsh lines. Without softness around the face, these severe cuts create stark contrasts that highlight rather than minimize signs of aging.
Face shape becomes increasingly important with shorter cuts. What looks chic on someone with delicate features might appear masculine or severe on others, especially as facial contours change with age.
Ultra-short pixies also offer limited styling options and can be unforgiving during the awkward growing-out phase if you decide the look isn’t for you.
3. Flat, One-Length Hair
Long, straight hair with no layers creates a curtain effect that drags down facial features. Without dimension or movement, this style emphasizes every strand of gray and can make thinning hair look even sparser.
The weight of one-length hair pulls at the roots, eliminating any natural lift and volume at the crown. This flatness around the face creates shadows that can emphasize fine lines rather than draw attention to your best features.
Styling becomes increasingly challenging as hair texture changes with age, making that sleek, flat look harder to achieve without excessive heat styling that further damages delicate strands.
4. Heavy Bangs
Thick, straight-across bangs create a harsh horizontal line that can accentuate drooping features rather than lift them. What looks youthful on younger faces often has the opposite effect after 60, creating a heaviness that pulls the face downward.
Maintenance becomes a significant issue with heavy bangs. They require frequent trims and daily styling, especially problematic if you’re experiencing the forehead perspiration common in women during and after menopause.
Dense bangs also hide one of your most expressive features—your eyebrows and forehead—creating a closed-off appearance rather than the open, engaging look that keeps faces looking vibrant and approachable at any age.
5. Overly Trendy Cuts
Following every hair trend might have worked in your 30s, but extreme styles like undercuts, vibrant colors, or asymmetrical cuts often clash with the elegant dignity that naturally develops with age. These styles can appear as though you’re trying too hard rather than embracing your natural beauty.
Many trendy styles are designed with younger hair textures in mind and simply don’t translate well to the typical changes in hair density, growth patterns, and texture that come with aging.
6. Soft, Face-Framing Layers
Gentle layers that curve around the face create natural movement that lifts features and softens lines. Unlike severe cuts, these subtle layers work with your hair’s natural texture while providing the illusion of fullness where you need it most.
The beauty of face-framing layers lies in their versatility. They complement virtually any face shape by highlighting your best features—whether that’s your cheekbones, eyes, or smile—while disguising areas you’d prefer to downplay.
This style transitions beautifully between casual and formal occasions, requiring minimal styling while still looking intentional and polished.
7. Textured Pixie
Unlike its too-short counterpart, a well-executed textured pixie maintains enough length on top to create movement and softness around the face. This thoughtful approach to short hair offers the convenience of minimal styling time without the harshness of extremely cropped cuts.
Texture is the magic ingredient here. Soft layers create dimension that flatters aging hair by adding the appearance of volume and fullness where needed most.
For women embracing their natural gray, a textured pixie showcases silver strands beautifully, turning what some consider a sign of aging into a stunning style statement.
8. Shoulder-Length Waves
Soft waves at shoulder length create natural-looking volume that counteracts the thinning many women experience with age. This versatile length offers the best of both worlds—long enough to pull back when needed but short enough to maintain lift at the roots.
The gentle movement of waves softens facial features and creates a romantic, timeless look that never goes out of style. Unlike straight styles that can emphasize every imperfection, waves distract the eye and create dimension.
Many women find their hair naturally develops more texture with age—shoulder-length waves work with these changes rather than fighting against them.
9. Classic Updos or Chignons
Nothing says timeless elegance quite like a sophisticated updo or chignon. These classic styles have graced red carpets and royal gatherings for generations because they’re universally flattering and instantly elevate any occasion.
Contrary to outdated beliefs about “age-appropriate” styles, updos aren’t just for younger women. A softly gathered chignon or loose updo actually complements mature features by creating a lifted effect that’s both flattering and refined.
Even fine or thinning hair can be transformed into something spectacular with the right pins and a bit of teasing at the crown.
10. Long Bob (Lob)
The lob hits that sweet spot between too short and too long, typically falling somewhere between the chin and shoulders. This modern classic offers the perfect balance of sophistication and ease, working with aging hair rather than fighting against it.
Versatility makes the lob a standout choice. Wear it sleek for formal occasions or with natural texture for everyday elegance—either way, it maintains its shape without hours of styling.