Your hair can make or break your appearance. When styled right, it enhances your features and makes you look fresh and youthful. But some hair trends, despite their temporary popularity, can add years to your look. If you’re not careful, these trends could inadvertently age you. Here are 12 awful hair trends that might make you look older than you are, and what to do instead to keep your hair looking timeless.
12 Awful Hair Trends That Will Make You Look Older
Overly Voluminous, Teased Hair
While big, teased hair was popular in the 1980s and represented freedom and pleasure, it can make you look out of date today. Excessive hair tease can make your hair appear stiff and unnatural, highlighting thinning or dry hair, two characteristics of age. It might also make your hair look like a “helmet,” which is not a young image.
What to do instead: Embrace natural volume by using volumizing mousse or sprays that lift your hair at the roots without the need for aggressive teasing. Loose, natural waves add movement and a youthful glow.
Super Short, Boxy Cuts
While a well-tailored short haircut can be chic, some concise, boxy cuts lack softness and tend to age the face. These styles can highlight harsh angles and drag down the overall structure of your face, making it appear more rigid.
What to do instead: If you love short hair, opt for a softer, more textured pixie cut that adds dimension to your face. Incorporate layers for movement and a more youthful, playful look.
Flat, Stick-Straight Hair
Straight hair can look sleek and elegant, but when worn flat against the scalp, it can give off a limp, lifeless appearance. This style tends to emphasize thinning hair and doesn’t do much to uplift your face. It can also make fine lines more prominent, particularly around the eyes and forehead.
What to do instead: Add some texture or gentle waves to your hair. Use a curling iron or texturizing spray to bring life and volume to your strands. Soft curls and beachy waves will frame your face and make your look more dynamic.
Too-Dark Hair Dye
Selecting a hair color that is too dark may give you an older appearance. If you have a fair complexion, dark colors—especially black—can draw attention to fine lines and produce an unnatural contrast with your skin tone. As people become older, it also highlights gray roots and thinning hair.
What to do instead: Choose a hair color that complements your skin tone and lightens your face. Opt for warm tones like soft browns, caramel, or golden highlights to bring warmth and brightness to your complexion.
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Overly Bleached Blonde Hair
Conversely, excessively bleached or platinum blonde hair can dehydrate and age your skin tone. Extremely light hair usually draws attention to areas of the skin that are pale or discolored, emphasizing wrinkles or dark circles.
What to do instead: Consider adding dimension to your blonde with lowlights or warmer tones. A honey or beige blonde will look more natural and flattering, providing a youthful glow.
Heavy, Blunt Bangs
It can be challenging to pull off thick, blunt bangs, especially as you get older. They might draw attention to fine lines or wrinkles on your forehead and give your face a heavy, overpowering appearance. Furthermore, blunt bangs have a tendency to draw your face in, making it appear wider and shorter, which might give the impression that you are older.
What to do instead: Opt for soft, side-swept bangs or wispy fringes. These styles open up your face, create movement, and soften your overall look, giving you a more youthful appearance.
Excessive Layers or Choppy Cuts
Layers can provide hair volume and dimension, but too many or too jagged of them can make the hair appear unfinished and highlight thinning areas. Excessive layering can age your entire appearance by giving the impression of uneven hair.
What to do instead: Go for long, subtle layers that add movement without looking messy. This helps create a balanced, sophisticated look that keeps your hair looking full and healthy.
Also Read – 8 Fashion Rules You Can Break to Find Your Unique Dressing Sense
Middle Part with Long, Limp Hair
A middle part can lengthen your face and highlight sagging features, particularly when worn with long, lifeless hair. In addition to making your hair appear thin and flat, long, unstyled hair with a middle part can also give you an older aspect.
What to do instead: Switch to a side part, which gives your face an instant lift. A side part creates a sense of volume and movement, making your hair look fuller and your face more youthful.
Excessive Hair Spray Use
Hair that’s overly stiff from too much hairspray looks unnatural and frozen in time. The lack of movement in your hair can give the impression that your style is outdated, and it also emphasizes thinning or dry hair.
What to do instead: Use flexible-hold styling products that allow your hair to move naturally. A light mist of hairspray will provide hold without making your hair look rigid. Embrace softer, more touchable styles that enhance natural movement.
Outdated Hair Accessories
You can look instantly older with certain hair accessories. Even though thick headbands, scrunchies, and large claw clips are becoming more popular, and worn incorrectly, they can still look childish or out of style.
What to do instead: Opt for modern hair accessories like sleek pins, thin headbands, or minimalist clips that add a touch of elegance to your hairstyle without overwhelming it.
Too Much Product in Curly Hair
If you have curly hair, using too much product to tame or control the curls can weigh down your hair and make it look greasy or heavy. Overly defined curls can also appear dated and unnatural.
What to do instead: Use lightweight curl-enhancing products that define your curls while keeping them soft and bouncy. Allow your curls to maintain a natural, voluminous look without being overly stiff.
Neglecting Your Hair Health
Regardless of the style, having dry, damaged, or unhealthy-looking hair will make you appear older. Ignoring your hair can lead to lifeless, lifeless locks that can drastically age your appearance. This can occur from heat damage, chemical treatments, or a lack of conditioning.
What to do instead: Invest in regular hair treatments, such as deep conditioning masks and heat protectants. Nourishing your hair from the inside out with a healthy diet and proper hydration is also key to maintaining youthful, vibrant hair.
Final Thoughts
Your hairstyle has a big impact on how young or old you appear, and improper hairstyle trends might unintentionally make you look older. You may maintain your hair’s youthful appearance and freshness by steering clear of these 12 hair trends and opting instead for softer, more appealing styles. The idea is to preserve the health of your hair while enhancing your inherent attractiveness with a style that complements the form and structure of your face. At any age, you may look and feel your best by making these small changes to your hair routine.
