Cut, Color and Style to Look Younger

Woman with hair that makes her look younger
Photo: Depositphotos
Q: My hairdresser is trying to talk me into getting a pixie cut. According to her I’m too old for long hair, and a pixie would make me look much younger. She says that I have the perfect face for very short hair. I’m 45. I don’t feel like I’m ready to say goodbye to my long hair.
 
Won’t a ponytail or a bun give the same rejuvenating effect as a pixie? I’m confused. Should I switch hairdressers or simply take a deep breath, follow her advice and go for the chop? She has been doing my hair for almost 12 years. Somehow I do trust her but the pixie advice was quite shocking.
 
A: What do Christie Brinkley, Madonna, Andie MacDowell, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Julianne Moore have in common? They’re all well over 50 and still wear their locks long and fabulous. I’m seriously against trying to talk a client into cutting her hair off if she doesn’t want to or doesn’t feel ready to do it. You’re most probably not going to be happy as you didn’t take the step out of your own accord and will end up resenting your hairdresser.
 
If you want to cut your hair, start by cutting off a few inches and adding layers that rejuvenate the whole style. You can also add long sweeping bangs that frame your face. Go and have a look at pictures on the internet or in magazines of the women that I named at the beginning of the answer. There are certain elements that you can use in conjunction with long hair that will make you look younger, even with very long hair.
 
Another huge thing that you can change is the color of your hair, and this will probably also put a smile on your hairdresser’s face. Harsh, intense or unnatural colors can work on a girl that’s in her twenties, but it doesn’t work for mature women. Pitch black or solid platinum hair tends to look harsh and uncultured on women over 30.
 
Your skin tone plays a huge part in deciding which hair color will suit you best. The rule of thumb is to never go more than two/three shades lighter or darker than your natural hair color. A lot of hairstylists also believe that you should have a look at a photo of yourself when you were five years old. This is the hair color that will still suit your skin tone beautifully, yet make you look years younger.
 
This is because children at this age tend to have a rich base color with thin sun-lightened streaks that resemble very natural and gentle highlights. You can have your hair colored in a medium or light brown color, and then have very fine ash blonde highlights put in, especially around your face, as this lightens your appearance and makes you look years younger. My suggestion would be a combination of the two: have your hair cut a bit shorter with lots of layers, and have it colored and highlighted.
 
It will be a welcome and refreshing change, but you won’t have to plunge into a pixie cut without being ready for it. If you find that you liked the change and the shorter hair, you can always go gradually shorter. Or you can keep your hair cut in the layers for a while.
 
Pulling your hair into a ponytail or bun won’t make you look younger, though. Long hair needs attention, styling and maintenance, you must remember this. If you don’t make a habit of styling your long hair, it can make you look unkept and run down. Give your hair and yourself the time and pampering that you deserve.
 
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See also:
 
Virtual makeover
 
Hairstyles for older women
 
Hairstyles to look younger