Hair Style shouldnt stop at sixty!

By Scott Cornwall

When entering their sixties many women begin to worry about the type of hairstyles they should be adopting. It can be a worrying time, whilst on one hand you don’t want to look like mutton dressed as lamb - sporting a hairstyle which would perhaps be better suited on a head thirty years younger - you certainly don’t want to make the mistake made by many ‘older’ women of the passed few decades and surrender to shampoo and set ‘crash helmet hair’.

A good hairstyle can not only make you appear younger (or at least good for your years) but it can also create a positive effect on the impression you give to others. No matter what age, we are all entitled to keep fashionable.

So with this in mind, here are a few pointers to keep your hair looking great:-

Cutting

Always ensure you have some kind of shape and definite style to your hair, be it short back and sides, tapered into the neck or a basic bob. The biggest hair problem with many older women is they have the hair cut to the same length through-out the head, this creates either that dreaded crash helmet look (on wavy or curly hair) or a very flat non descript effect on straight hair.

Long Hair

It’s typically assumed that long hair on older women is a no no. In general this is true, simply because a longer hairstyle can add years onto a woman of a certain age. However there are always exceptions. Long hair dressed up can actually look great on older ladies – what’s more it’s easy to manage. Shorter one length bobs are easy to maintain and can benefit those whose hair is fine - as the lack of layers bulks the hair out and gives it a healthy appearance. In general though, a safe rule of thumb with older ladies and longer hair is ‘Keep it up or keep it short’.

Perms

Many people feel perms are the root of all the problems connected with older hair, they are not! In fact, perms are a brilliant way to keep hair looking good and reduce upkeep. However, the problem with many perm clients is they use the smallest curlers (creating a tight almost frizzy curl); the hair is then set it on rollers but without any kind of foundation cut. If your cut is good then use a perm to give you volume, movement and style. Instead of small curlers ask your hairdresser to use larger ones or even your regular setting rollers. The actual perm may be looser and last for only six to eight weeks, but it will give a far more fashionable result and reduce the necessity for you to need to roll your hair between visits to the salon.

Grey

If you decide to give into grey and let it show, use a silver shampoo once a week to keep your white hair looking clean and devoid of yellow tones. However, (if like many) you want to colour your grey, make sure you select a tint that is around three shades lighter than the natural colour your hair grew whilst in your early twenties. Many people make the mistake of keeping their original colour. If darker than a very light brown this can look extremely aging and artificial as our natural skin tone fades as we age. Introducing warmth into your hair colour will also lift skin tone and appearance – mahoganies, coppers and golds will absorb grey tone and produce a healthy, natural looking hair colour. If you are perhaps hesitant to continue undergoing a whole head tint, why not ask your hairdresser to apply a mixture of colours in foils? With foil colouring, fine weaves of hair are coloured and processed in tinfoil packets, the result is a very natural mixture of shades that mix with your base hair colour. A good tip is to include your (original) natural shade in the foil pattern, but also include some lighter warmer shades. Whilst the white hair will still be noticeable the inclusion of your original shade along with some new tones will heavily reduce the amount of grey present, knock years off your age, look entirely natural and stop that silver/iron haired effect.

So as you can see, none of the above pointers are entirely dramatic – but they will steer you away from the dreaded blue rinse brigade, whilst keeping you stylish, elegant and presentable. [ Back to Scarlet Woman ]