What is the most flattering hairstyle for women over 50?

There's no single answer, but a lob or chin-length bob with soft movement flatters most face shapes and makes fine hair look thicker.

Should women over 50 have short hair?

Only if they want to. Long hair suits many women over 50 when it's healthy and has face-framing layers. Short cuts are easier if hair has become fine.

What hairstyle is best for thin hair over 50?

A blunt bob or lob, a textured pixie or a soft shag with light layers. Avoid very long, heavily layered hair.

Hairstyles for Women Over 50: Cuts by Face Shape

How Hair Changes After 50

Hair often changes in midlife. Around menopause, falling oestrogen can make hair finer and slower to grow, and female-pattern hair loss, a gradual thinning at the part, becomes more common. Grey hair has a different texture: often coarser and drier, partly because the scalp makes less oil with age. None of this means hair must be short; it means the cut should suit the hair you have now.

If thinning comes on suddenly or in patches, it's worth seeing a doctor, because thyroid problems, low iron and other treatable causes can play a part.

The Bob

A chin-length bob makes fine hair look thicker and suits oval, heart and diamond faces especially well. For a round face, choose an angled bob that's longer at the front.

The Lob

A collarbone-length lob is the most versatile choice: long enough to tie back, short enough to stay full. Add soft waves for movement. It suits almost every face shape.

The Textured Pixie

A pixie with texture on top is low maintenance and shows off the cheekbones and eyes. It suits oval, heart and diamond faces; round faces should keep height on top.

The Soft Shag

A shag adds volume and movement to fine or thinning hair, especially at the crown. Ask for soft, not choppy, layers if your hair is fine.

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Long Layers

Long hair over 50 is a matter of taste, not rules. Keep it healthy with regular trims, add face-framing layers to lift the face, and keep layers light if your hair is fine.

Curtain Bangs

Curtain bangs soften the face, add volume at the front and can disguise a higher or thinner hairline. They work with lobs, shags and long hair.

Choosing by Face Shape

Round: length past the chin, a side part and height at the crown. Oval: almost anything. Square: soft waves and layers below the jaw. Oblong: a fringe and width at the sides. Heart: chin-length volume. Diamond: fringes and chin-length cuts. Triangle: volume on top.

Faces also change shape a little with age as the jaw softens, so a face that read as square at 30 can read as round or oval at 60. The free face scan in Ollie Stylist measures your face as it is today and ranks cuts for it.

Grey Hair and Colour

Going grey, blending grey with highlights or lowlights, and colouring are all good choices. Grey looks best with a sharp, modern cut and a gloss or purple shampoo to stop yellowing. See grey hair styles and hairstyles that make you look younger.