The outdated hair rule every midlife woman should break
In this regular series, Ageless Beauty, The Telegraph’s beauty experts Annabel Jones and Lisa Armstrong tackle the conundrums they’ve been searching for answers to, and share their favourite tips and tricks. This week, they discuss midlife hairstyles. Ask them your questions below...
My Mum had a fascination with Julia Roberts’s short crop in her Kiefer Sutherland era, thus my sisters and I had our hair shorn off into pixie crops at her behest. My brush with short hair happened to coincide with a particularly awkward prepubescent phase, before I’d properly grown into my face and after my angelic blonde strands had morphed into a boyish mousy brown. Needless to say, but for a brief attempt at pulling off Demi Moore’s Ghost haircut following a particularly gruesome breakup, I’ve had long (artificially blonde) hair ever since.
Who’s to say whether my formative dalliance with the pixie tainted my perceptions, but the fact my hair still grows with fervour at this age feels like a blessing I shouldn’t take for granted. Besides, needlessly lopping off a perfectly good head of hair in service to an old-fashioned idea of what a woman’s hair should look like in midlife seems like a fool’s errand.
And yet ever since I turned the central heating on I’ve been itching for a fresh image. Autumn brings with it a demand for a certain sense of polish that’s not necessary during summer months, hence I asked my hairdresser for a new take on my voluminous waves which were beginning to look unwieldy and which hardly suits my perennial pursuit to appear understatedly glossy.
Hairdresser Larry King has been cutting my hair for years and therefore he kindly observes all of my neurosis. Not too short. Not too layered. Not too much volume. Not too cool. (Asserting what you don’t want will, if nothing else, prevent you leaving the salon with a style you abhor.)
I’ve been religiously applying a deep-conditioning mask and the work has paid dividends. My locks are thicker and less wiry than they deserve to be, especially considering I douse them in bleach every six weeks. Which lends itself nicely to the glassy long bobs we’ve been seeing on the likes of Kendall Jenner of late. Ready for a something-but-nothing hair tweak, King and I decided on a midi length that sits a few inches below my shoulders. Still long, but not Victoria’s Secret long.
If I have one insecurity, it’s that my lower face is less taut than I’d like, therefore I rely on a middle parting with little shaping either side to soften my jawline and draw attention to my eyes. Factoring in your facial angles isn’t an exercise in anti-ageing. De-emphasising a personal bête noire, whether it be a body hang-up or facial laxity, while you dial up another more flattering asset is the key to enduring confidence. No different than choosing one style of denim over another.
While I prefer to keep shaping to a minimum, King sliced through the ends to take out some of the weight. This stops the style from spreading too wide at the base which can come off as girly or worse, mumsy.
For the glossiness I crave, I’ve been instructed to oil my scalp the night before I wash it to tame fluffiness, and when it needs it, massage in a scalp scrub prior to shampooing. For styling, I’ll be using mousse to give my mid lengths some root lift and as it’s coat and cashmere season, I’ll be blow-drying it to a smooth finish more often than I’m used to. An effortless task if you have a Dyson Airstrait. Expensive but worth it.
I’ll admit, my new haircut isn’t so far removed from the one I’ve had for the past decade, but the great thing about growing older is that you develop an innate sense for what suits you. And so long as you’re open to adjusting the length, colour and styling vibe ever so slightly season by season, you’ll maintain modernity without abandoning your signature.
Should you cut your hair as you get older? Maybe. But not because you’ve got a few more birthdays under your belt. Only if it suits your face shape, mood and hair type.
Annabel’s top picks
Clean as a Whistle Scalp Scrub, £18, Larry King; Kerastase Premier Anti-breakage Repairing Filler Mask, £55.35, Look Fantastic
Dyson Airstrait, £449.99, Dyson; Pantene Volume Hear Protection Mousse, £5.25, Boots
I had the opposite formative hair experiences to Annabel. My father loved the idea of his daughters having long hair. When he and my mother split up, my sister, mother and I got our hair cut shorter (go analyse that) then stressed out about what he’d say the next time he saw us.
Anyway, guess what, short hair has always seemed freeing and rebellious to me, but for a long time I wasn’t ready for it. Long hair represented femininity, glamour and fashion, even though I was wowed, along with everyone else, by Linda Evangelista’s first crop. But you have to be ready for short hair. It is honestly momentous going from long to short and can change the way you perceive yourself.
Most rules about how women should wear their hair at a given age are irrelevant. If your hair’s bouncy and suits you, don’t lop it off just because you hit your late 50s, especially when you can have a cut that still looks long, but is graduated or layered at the front so the hair around your face isn’t dragging your features down.
The main thing I notice now when I look back at pictures of me with the bob I had more or less from my 20s, is that although it was only chin length, it hung like a curtain, making me look mumsy.
Once you’re ready for short, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. It grows back after all. I was just so pleased to see my hair off my face, swept back, looking pretty lustrous (I’d never had really thick hair) and lifting my features. I always knew ponytails suited me, but because my hair had become wispy, I couldn’t grow it long enough to tie it back. With short, I can achieve that look. Joel at John Frieda gave me a style that’s quite long on top, for maximum versatility, but also cut into the nape so that it hugs the back of my head – a kind of Phoebe Philo tucking her hair into the collar of her jumper effect. It’s elegant from the back, I’m often told.
A huge plus is that the right cut (one that takes into account your jawline and shape of your skull) can look cool and carefree. You can be bold with colour. Your classic clothes look more youthful and modern.
Another bonus: I’ve stopped blow-drying it which has made it smoother and shinier. I simply brush it back when it’s wet and smooth in some of Northwood’s Moisturising Cream or Hershesons Everything Cream, which is lighter with slightly less hold. It pretty much stays where it’s meant to. I use masks, oils and one of those rubbery scalp brushes to stimulate my scalp. I was recently prescribed Philip Kingsley’s 3 M drops to make it even thicker at the front. They work because they contain Minoxidil but if you stop using them you’re back to square one.
Whatever cut you go for, choose one that works not just with your features, but your type of hair – its volume, kink and quality, otherwise you’re constantly fighting nature. No one needs a fight with their hair.
Lisa’s top picks
Living Proof Colour Care Conditioner, £24, Amazon; Centred Squishy Scalp Massager, £12.50, The Beauty Agenda
Moisturising Cream, £15 (for 250ml), George Northwood; Density Discovery Collection, £52, Philip Kingsley
