Top myth about wearing long hair after 40, 50 or older…

 True or False? Women over a certain age should NOT wear long hair?

It’s a myth that many women wonder about and is the subject of today’s FAF Style Question:

Is this hair style age-appropriate? We agree with Billy Lowe...Yes, she looks FAB!

Dear Glam Gals,

I am so unsure about whether I am too old for all this hair!   I am 43 years old.

Thanks,

Ivonne Schwartzman

Dear Ivonne,

We have sent your question over to our FAF celebrity hair expert Billy Lowe and here is what he said:

Hi Ivonne!

Well, if you aren’t a throwback to “That Girl” I don’t know who is.   CONGRATULATIONS is all I can say for sporting a fabulous do, and looking so fun and fabulous while you wear it.  As I always say, you’ve come to the right place for your questions and I’m super excited to work with Fabulousafter40.com to help provide answers to great questions such as yours.

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How to wear long hair after 40!

Last week we had a question from a reader about long hair. Here is another style question from this lovely reader who sent it in her photo :

We asked LA celebrity stylist Billy Lowe to weigh in on this question and here is his advice:

Natalie: While I’m a fan of blonde manes, think Heather Locklear, not Heather Lioness.
The color is great on you, but I would add a little dimension so it doesn’t appear over processed. I would also lighten the weight, and add great texture, and bring it up 2-3 inches.  Keep it long, but lighten it up.  Easy on the hot rollers, and just rock it.

Pearl: Move into a rich chocolatey color with soft strapping of highlights.
Bring it up to barely hit the shoulders and allow the top layers to grow just a bit to release the bulkiness at your ears.  Your top layers seem to be cut too short so it’s creating a blooming effect around your head, and a disconnect with the overall length which is bouncing out at the shoulders.  So you have 2 options.  Grow the layers out, or bring the length up.

Here are more notes from Billy for the rest of us!:

I’ve always said hair rules are definitely made to be broken.   The biggest problem with most stylists is that they don’t think outside the box.   For years stylists and beauty experts have focused on face shapes and rules that may apply to them.  While there is some truth and guidelines that hold true, I don’t believe our hair should be defined by our face shapes alone.

The biggest opportunity I try to tap into is learning about a client’s lifestyle.  When engaged in a consultation here are my key points:

1. How much time my client has
2. What products and tools is she comfortable working with
3. What her lifestyle is about (career, mother, extracurricular activities, etc)
4. Will she feel great about her new cut or color

If I can tap into these elements, then she’ll for sure walk away looking and feeling her very best, AND be able to recreate the look at home.   If I give her a cut or style that is too difficult to manage, or one that requires working with a round brush when she’s not comfortable using one, then she will ultimately be disappointed.

I have MANY clients who are in their 50′s, 60′s and 70′s who have longer than shoulder length hair.   But it’s a matter of creating a style that works for them, their look, and their character.   Mind you, mid-length hair on a 20 year old and mid-length hair on a 60 year old says 2 completely different things.   The same thing goes with blue-jeans, or the kind of car you drive.  So take it all into account.

YES – you can wear longer hair styles and YES you can be proud doing so.   Just be sure that within that longer cut & style that you have a SHAPE that works well and expresses the real you.

Billy Lowe is an elite talent responsible for creating extraordinary beauty behind the scenes of Hollywood.   Stay tuned for these and other great beauty tips from Hollywood’s own Hot-Head.

Thanks so much Billy! What great advice, we are thrilled to have you as our hair expert on Fabulous after 40!!!

Long hair after 40?

So many of you have written to us with the age old question, “Can I still wear long hair when I am over 40?”, that we thought we could get everyone to chat more about it!

The Glam Gals take on long hair: We are not against ladies wearing long hair, but we don’t think we can just make it a blanket statement. Here are some guidelines that we suggest:

Long hair looks “nifty” if:

• You have super healthy hair
• You have the right face shape for long hair (oval or long)
• You keep it trimmed up regularly and don’t let it go too long

Long hair is “iffy” when:

• You hair is too thin
• You wear it with those “puffy” bangs or “wings”
• You wear it down to your waist
• You end up wearing up in a bun all the time or using clips to hold it back.
• If you have super thick hair, beware it can really drag your face down and be aging if you wear it too long! (but don’t cut too short either)

Here is one of our readers, Julie Srhir (age 51). She is an excellent example of someone who is wearing long hair and rocking it!!

One more note…

Long hair is a very “romantic”, soft look. If you are working in a corporate environment or one that is very competitive, you might consider a shorter style or keeping it pulled back for those times that you want to look more professional. Check out some of these makeovers on long hair.

Too see more examples of  great hair ideas, check out Christopher Hopkins book, Staging Your Comeback!

If you have a question about your long hair, send us  your photo or comment below!