Stylish short hairstyles for women over 50

Hair can change your whole appearance, but it can be hard to find the perfect style to suit you, let alone the best hair tool to achieve that style. But, if you stick with it, changing your hairstyle when you're over 50 can be such a confidence booster.

We're not saying once you reach 'a certain age' you should get the scissors out and go short. But many of us who are looking for ways to combat our thinning hair or find ways to wear grey hair without looking old, might want to try a shorter style to help our hair appear healthier and make us feel better.

It'll also save you plenty of time on washing, drying and styling your hair, which can become harder as we age, with all the turning of styling tools and heavy hair dryers.

Anything from your face shape to hair type can affect what kind of style you should opt for, so we’ve rounded up some of the best celeb short hairstyles ideal for women over 60 and 50 for you to consider as well as the best cuts for you, whatever your hair colour.

Short hairstyles for women inspired by celebrities

There are so many famous faces looking fabulous with their short cuts, many opting for an edgier haircut. We love how these celebs have embraced their crop styles so why not copy them for yourself? Take one of these pictures to the hairdresser at your next appointment!

Crop hairstyle

Face shape: Oval or round | Hair type: Thinning hair

Short hair is a brilliant choice if you find your hair is thinning and want a real change in style. It’s also a brilliant choice if you’re looking for a low maintenance do. Judi Dench's famous pixie crop haircut is the perfect style for our favourite leading lady. Ask your hairdresser for short, textured layers. If you have long or mid-length hair, then it’s best to go short gradually.

Short bob hairstyle

Face shape: Square | Hair type: Straight hair

She’s had long hair, tumbling curls and even pink hair, but Helen Mirren’s latest look is our favourite. This slightly dishevelled update of her signature bob looks modern, fresh and is easy to copy. Suits most naturally straight hair types. Ask your hairdresser for a short layered bob to help cheat some texture.

Tip

Rather than blow-drying your hair, leave your hair to dry naturally or rough-dry it on the low heat setting, before finishing with a little wax to define the ends.

Sleek bob hairstyles

Face shape: Square | Hair type: Thick hair

Her trademark sleek bob and fringe have always left us envious and we also love Dawn French's latest locks! Gone is the short angular fringe and instead a softer, longer, side-swept fringe flatters her face, making her look years younger. Suits thick hair types and those who want to grow out a fringe or short layers. Ask your hairdresser for a longer bob, with a slight side parting and a sweeping fringe. If you're looking for ways to get your hair feeling thicker, try avoiding heated hair styling tools, invest in a scalp massager for hair thickness for when you're washing your hair, try some supplements for hair growth and avoid tying your hair up.

Fringes

Face shape: Oval | Hair type: Curly hair

Elegant and polished, we love Darcey Bussell with a fringe. Copy her style and avoid anything heavy, short or structured and instead go for a longer fringe that’s softly feathered. Fringe's are notoriously hard to maintain, so you might want to learn how to cut your hair at home for simple maintenance.

This short hairstyle for women over 50 suits those of us with fine hair or thin hair types. Ask your hairdresser for a shoulder-length cut, with some long layers and a soft, longer fringe. When styling, it's a good idea touse a brush for thinning hair to keep it voluminous.

Long crop with a fringe

Face shape: Oval | Hair type: Straight hair

With her softly layered cut and long sweeping fringe, Dame Emma Thompson steals the show with this polished and flattering look. It’s perfect for straight and fuller hair, but avoid this look completely if you have thin or curly hair. Ask your hairdresser for a long crop with a side-sweeping fringe.

Layered bob

Face shape: Long or heart-shaped | Hair type: Fine, thick, curly or straight hair

With bouncy curls and lots of volume, we love this look on Benidorm star Sherrie Hewson. This style suits most hair types including fine, thick, curly or straight. It works best on those with long or heart-shaped faces though, so if you have a round face shape a slightly longer version will suit you better.

Ask your hairdresser for a shoulder-length bob with layers for extra movement. Highlights will also help add some dimension to your hair to make it appear thicker too. If you're keen to add different colour but you want to avoid harsh dye, read our guide to natural hair dyes. If you need slightly more length to achieve this look, try these natural ways to make your hair grow faster.

Short hairstyles for women over 50 with glasses

Glasses are actually a great accessory to enhance your hairstyle and even your clothes, so it's worth considering your glasses when choosing your style of hair for the day.

Here are a few of our favourite hairstyles we would recommend with your specs:

•Long pixie cut

•Super short cut

•Short bob

•Short layered hair

Finding a hairstyle to suit your face shape

Finding the perfect hairstyle to compliment your face shape can be hard. You’ll first need to decide what face shape you are. Take a look at the images above and think about which matches your face most.

Round - the face will be a similar diameter all the way across with little definition of the jaw. If you want to go really short, something like Olivia Colman’s pixie cut would look fabulous.

Heart - the chin will be a lot slimmer than your forehead in a kind of upside-down triangle. Something similar to the style of Sherrie Hewson’s shoulder-length bob would look great.

Square - the jaw line will be defined and the same width as the forehead. A long-bob like Dawn French’s with a sweeping fringe would suit this shape.

Oval - the face will be more elongated than a round face with a more pointed chin and higher hairline. This face shape suits most styles including Judi Dench’s crop cut to Darcy Bussell’s effortless shoulder-length cut.

Types of hair

Short hairstyles for over 50 with fine hair - If you want to go very short, try something like Judi Dench’s do which requires little maintenance and effort to appear thicker. For a longer style, Darcy Bussell’s feathery cut suits thinner hair types perfectly.

Short hairstyles for over 50 with thick hair - Fuller hair would look great in a style similar to Dawn French’s showing off its structure, volume and shine. Sherrie Hewson’s style is full of volume at the root making it an ideal style for those with a thicker head of hair.

Short hairstyles for over 50 with curly hair - If you prefer to keep your hair naturally curly, a Darcy Bussell style would require little maintenance to look stylish.

Short hairstyles for over 50 with straight hair - Emma Thompson styles her straight hair perfectly with her crop and sweeping fringe, great for naturally straight hair.

Short hairstyles for women to take to the salon

Complement your new look with these relaxing beauty buys on our Members-only Website.