Your hairstyle can be your best friend or worst enemy when it comes to looking youthful after 60. Many women stick with familiar styles from decades past, not realizing these outdated looks might be adding years to their appearance. Let’s explore which classic hairstyles are aging you prematurely and the common styling mistakes that could be sabotaging your look.
1. The Helmet Bob
Stiff, rounded bobs that form a helmet-like shape around the face create harsh lines that emphasize wrinkles. This solid wall of hair lacks movement and dimension.
Modern bobs incorporate layers and texture for a softer, more youthful appearance that still offers easy maintenance.
2. Teased-Up Bouffant
Popularized in the 1960s, the bouffant with its dramatic height and excessive teasing screams “bygone era.” The unnatural volume ages the face by drawing attention to sagging features.
Height at the crown can be flattering, but moderation is key.
3. Tight Poodle Curls
Those tiny, uniform curls from traditional perms create an instantly recognizable “grandma look.” The tight formation lacks the soft, natural movement that gives hair a youthful appearance.
Looser waves with varied curl patterns look far more modern and flattering.
4. The Wedge Cut
Made famous by Dorothy Hamill in the 1970s, this short, stacked cut with its triangular silhouette dates you immediately. The severe angles highlight facial sagging and neck wrinkles.
Today’s pixie cuts offer similar convenience without the harsh geometric shape.
5. Rolled Bangs
Remember those bangs rolled back with a round brush and frozen in place with hairspray? This 80s and 90s staple creates a dated frame around the face.
The stiff appearance and unnatural height draw attention to forehead lines instead of minimizing them.
6. The Single-Length Blunt Cut
A straight, shoulder-length cut with zero layers creates a heavy curtain effect that drags features downward. As we age, this severe style emphasizes jowls and neck laxity.
Without movement or texture, hair appears lifeless rather than lively.
7. The Shaggy Mullet
This throwback to the 70s and 80s with its “business in front, party in back” approach looks particularly outdated on mature women. The choppy, disconnected layers create visual chaos rather than harmony.
Modern shags offer better balance and flattering movement.
8. Short Bubble Curls
Those perfectly rounded, uniform bubble curls that sit close to the scalp create an artificial, dated appearance. This style, popular in the 80s, looks more like a hair helmet than natural locks.
The uniformity emphasizes fine lines rather than creating softness.
9. The Pageboy With Rolled Under Ends
This classic cut with its precisely turned-under ends and often paired with blunt bangs screams 1970s. The rigid, uniform shape lacks the movement and layers that create youthful dimension.
The perfect symmetry actually highlights facial asymmetries that come with age.
10. The Ultra-Short Granny Crop
Extremely short, mannish cuts that lie flat against the head can create a harsh, institutional look. Without softness around the face, this style emphasizes every line and facial contour.
Even short cuts need texture and movement to remain youthful and feminine.
11. Ignoring Gray Coverage Roots
Dark roots growing in against colored hair create a stark, unflattering line that draws attention to your roots instead of your face. This maintenance slip-up instantly ages even the most stylish cut.
Regular touch-ups or embracing your gray fully creates a more polished look.
12. Excessive Hairspray Shellac
That rock-hard, immovable finish from too much hairspray screams “senior citizen styling.” When hair doesn’t move naturally, it looks artificial and draws attention to its dated styling technique.
Today’s best looks have touchable softness and natural movement, even when styled.
13. Ignoring Thinning Areas
Continuing to wear styles that worked for thicker, younger hair only emphasizes sparse areas. Trying to cover thinning spots with comb-overs or sparse bangs draws more attention to the problem.
Layered cuts that create volume where needed look much more flattering.
14. Overly Dark, Flat Color
Solid, dark hair color without dimension looks harsh and artificial against aging skin. The stark contrast emphasizes fine lines and wrinkles instead of complementing your complexion.
Softer shades with highlights and lowlights create a more natural, youthful appearance.
15. Outdated Accessorizing
Large scrunchies, obvious plastic headbands, and dated hair clips can instantly age your look. These accessories scream “I haven’t updated my style since 1992.”
Modern hair accessories are more subtle and sophisticated, complementing rather than dominating your hairstyle.
16. Excessive Teasing and Backcombing
Creating height through aggressive teasing damages hair and looks outdated. The ratted, messy base beneath a smooth outer layer is a telltale sign of aging styling techniques.
Modern volumizing products create lift without the damaging, dated appearance of heavy backcombing.
17. Over-Processed Perms
Damaged, frizzy curls from harsh chemical treatments create an aged, neglected appearance. The uneven porosity and broken ends from over-processing make hair look unhealthy.
Today’s gentler curl techniques create more natural-looking, bouncy curls that move.
18. Ignoring Face Shape
Choosing a hairstyle that doesn’t complement your face shape can emphasize your least favorite features. A style that worked in your 30s might highlight jowls or neck laxity now.
The right cut should enhance your best features while minimizing age-related changes.
19. Skipping Regular Trims
Split ends and shapeless growth-out create a neglected appearance that ages you instantly. When a style loses its shape, it stops working with your features and starts working against them.
Regular maintenance keeps any hairstyle looking intentional rather than forgotten.
20. Mismatched Hair and Eyebrow Color
Dark eyebrows with platinum blonde hair or vice versa creates a jarring, artificial look. This disconnect between hair and brow color is a common mistake that screams “dye job.”
Coordinating your brow color with your hair creates a more harmonious, natural appearance.