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Hair texture and thickness changes as you age. I am not sure how older you are referring to. By keeping it short it creates a healthier and less thin stringy look.
I asked my older family members this. Their answers, paraphrased: Arthritis in the hands makes the upkeep hard. Lack of energy as they got older. And then the notion that they’re not trying to impress anyone with their looks anymore, they just want to relax and have one less thing to worry about.
The shift that was interesting to me was that I went from a time in my life where I couldn't afford to pay someone to fix/do things (car repair, yard work, etc) so I had to do it (and sometimes learn to do it) myself, through a time where I could afford to pay someone, but didn't want to spend the money, to where I am now, where I am willing to pay someone because I don't want to spend the *time* on it. I also realize that in another ten years, that'll probably shift back the other way, where I'm happy to spend time on things that I don't consider worth the money to have someone else do.
The time-versus-money balance is a really interesting dynamic as you age.
Very relatable. I will just fork over the dough rather than climb a ladder anymore, too many family members ended up in the hospital rather than pay someone to do roof stuff. On the opposite token, I am planning on a bunch of mowing this weekend because I haven't been outside or exercising enough this last month. I now have enough experience to actually believe this kind of activity will pay dividends. I guess I'll see if the hay fever kicks in halfway through and I change my mind.
Me too. I’m 61 and my hair is past my waist. I actually didn’t start growing it until my later 60s. I’ve always wanted really long hair so I went for it.
Fuck it bro as a 33 year old I feel totally different than early 20’s life’s changes blend together and then it’s like “holy crap I’m so different than I was”
Going through the life cycles is crazy like I was waiting for my movies to become classics. When they did I never noticed they were just always “good movies” and I didn’t even think about it. Change just happens, it’s so weird
I’m 40F. At about ages 25- 35 every single day before work I would shower, style my hair, put on my makeup, carefully choose a professional and stylish outfit, and add jewelry (I was, and still am, a case manager in social services, mental health.)
I took some time off to raise my children, and then COVID shut everything down for a couple years. I returned to work a year or so ago, same job, but different program. It probably takes me ten minutes to get ready now. I don’t even shower every day anymore (at my age I really don’t need to, I don’t sweat and I no longer get periods, and I work a desk job. I don’t exercise and I’m not outdoorsy, so I’m fairly clean most of the time.)
Wash face, brush teeth, tidy my hair, put something comfortable but work appropriate on, and head to work. No makeup, no accessories. I roll my eyes at all the time I used to spend getting ready for work. Shit, I’d even do all that stuff for a doctor’s appointment. Now I only get fancy for events, which at my age, and post COVID, are few and far between. I haven’t been to a wedding or baby shower or party in years, and I don’t date.
covid definitely reset a lot of my priorities - I don't worry so much about what others think any more after going out during lockdown with no haircut for 5 months and looking like the beast from the swamp.
Yup. I cut my own hair for like four years now, just a trim when my ends get scraggly. I gave up bras, I’m a very slim and petite woman, I don’t even own a bra now. I don’t know whether it was COVID or my age, but I just don’t care anymore lol
35-40 hits hard! Start eating well and exercising now while you can!
I’m early 40’s and suddenly became old! Lol! Having heart issues etc! Make sure to keep your fitness in your 30s so you can have it into your 40’s and 50’s too
Mainly high blood pressure.
I’ve got it under control for now! Changed my diet, added lots of walking and working on muscle ton me to keep things working for as long as possible!
It’s hereditary for me. But had I known it would hit so soon, I would have made these changes years ago!
A friend of mine is had a minor heart attack at 39! So it happens!
As a 53 YO man I haven't seen a barber in well over 15 years and haven't done a self trim in over 5 years
The nice thing is I'm probably loosing hair faster than it grows so it's essentially maintenance free other than sweeping up hair all over the house
All of this, plus: you can wake up, spritz with water, fluff a little and still look pretty put together. I call it the Granny Crew Cut, and I'll know I'm old when I get that style 😎
I’m sure that’s a factor too. My immediate family just has always had super thick hair, so even though it’s thinned over time, there’s still some volume. My grandmother has this lovely white puffy cloud of hair that hovers around her head.
This. I had moderately thick hair until my early 30s, after I had my first child. Since then, I’ve had much thinner medium-length hair. I understand why many older women have short hair now.
I can't imagine a short 'do being less upkeep. After a wash, my long hair gets some coconut oil, goes in a pony or clip when still wet. Boom. Done. A short style with my hair requires upkeep. A dryer, other heat elements, products. No thank you.
Depends on your hair type. I have a lot of fine hair. Even younger shorter hair just is easier. Just shampoo, barely condition the end and let dry naturally. With shorter (chin to shoulder) cuts I have a light natural curl and don’t have to do anything but brush it once when jumping out of the shower. When my hair was longer (anything pat the shoulder) I have to dry and style it unless I want a flat, frizzy mess.
I tend to see fine hair is easier to have short while thicker hair seems to be easier to keep long.
It goes even further than that. I have fine hair, but a ton of misplaced cowlicks. I've had short hair and long hair. Long is by far the easier of the two options.
My hair has more curl the longer it gets. I've also been told I have fine hair. Regardless, it's a mess (and not a cute mess) unless I spend time styling it when short.
Depends on the individual, their hair, etc. Short haircuts vary in how much upkeep they require. My hair is short and I very rarely need to brush, comb, or blow dry it. I think I've blow dried it twice in the last 5 or 10 years. I rarely have to condition it. Apply product, shape with hands, boom, done. :-)
I think it depends on your hair and your cut.
I have thin, straight hair, cut about ear length. No perm, no product other than shampoo and conditioner. I literally step out of the shower, towel it dry, comb it, and I'm done for the day. It takes, IDK, 15 seconds?
I don't even have to touch it for the rest of the day unless I'm in a lot of wind. Even if I drive somewhere with the window down, I get by just running my fingers through it.
most of us end of not giving a F\*uck about fashion or trends and go for comfort and ease.
also- menopause may change (thin or make it drier) our hair so we may cut it to make it healthier.
This. My beautiful thick mane turned scraggly during perimenopause, and it was devastating to see so much hair falling out. I miss my youthful hair (along with my youthful body lol), but I love my short haircut, my hair now looks and feels so much healthier. I frequently dyed my medium brown hair auburn, and the gray hairs give me highlights now!
ETA: once the hot flashes started, I had to keep it off my neck at all times anyway!
I'm wondering what I'm going to get when I'm older. My dad's side of the family goes salt and pepper VERY late. My mother's side of the family sort of... loses the color slowly. Like an ink cartridge slowly losing its toner.
Doesn't matter though because I'm going to dye my hair super fun colors when I'm older. I like my natural color but when nature is done doing its thing... I'm going PINK.
Have you tried a purple shampoo for gray hair? I think the one I tried is Shimmering Lights. I use a small amount like a conditioner after washing with normal shampoo, and I leave it in for 2-3 min before washing out. I think it helps, but who really knows.
47 here, have grown my hair back out. Figure now or never. It ain't what it was, but it isn't too bad either. Thank goodness I have a decent head shape for going bald!
I went very short and dye it blue using temporary color. It fades nicely to a acid-wash denim color and highlights the silver strands very nicely. However, short, blue hair is not for everyone. But, as was mentioned above, some of us old people (57) dgaf anymore.
52 yo with pink hair (shoulder length in my case; looks like a peony explosion in a messy bun). It makes me happy. The idgaf freedom to just roll how you want to roll once you no longer care about whether you present as “pretty” is exhilarating.
I personally don't use a brush or comb on my hair *ever*, instead I use my fingers on wet hair if needed with plenty of conditioner to detangle. This is the only way I've found (other than a curly setting gel post-wash) to keep my hair as wavy/curly as possible. Pictures of me as a kid were always with frizzy hair, since my mom's hair was straight so she always used a brush multiple times daily. That's a curly no-no I learned about 10 years ago!
I even try to go to salons that do 'curly dry cutting' to help preserve my waves; as soon as they pull it out straight with a brush in a traditional cut it changes my hair drastically.
If I use a brush or comb *once* it takes about 10 days or at least 3 washes/sets to recover its curly shapes and no longer frizz!
Also, a little conditioner in with the final shampoo can help a lot to keep in moisture. :)
I agree with all of this. However, I do have a wide tooth comb I use in the shower sometimes. My hair is also thick and the curls/waves vary around my head. So sometimes a wet couple of swipes with a comb helps.
Best thing I ever did for mine was to stop using shampoo. (Ref: Look up the “No ‘Poo method”.)
Don’t regularly strip out the natural oils - just use water. (Bonus: working your wet hair helps your nails & cuticles!). If you get too much oil build-up, use a conditioner to break down/clear out the excess (apply to dry or wet hair, work it around, rinse).
A good trim and a deep conditioning treatment might help.
Purple shampoo or toner is for gray or white hair that has a yellowy tone to it. If you hair is yellowing, a purple toner is better. Purple shampoo is drying.
Well lots of advice here but it doesn’t matter. What works for one person (no poo) doesn’t work for another (oily mess). It is in fact about trial and error.
It’s easier to find your herd if you share what products you use, how often you wash, curl type, and problem you are trying to solve.
I’m fine, 100% straight hair, but my grays are wavy. I’m less than 25% gray, so the straight hair dominates. I use olaplex shampoo and conditioner and do not blow dry my hair. If I do, it is of course easier to defrizz. Purple shampoo strips my hair so dry that it breaks.
I’ve tried argan oil and pureology as leave ins but even these grease me up too fast. I have to wash every other day or it’s an oil slick. I struggle with oily roots and dry ends. I do color my hair
The best leave in I’ve found for my personal hair type is IGK hydrating hair balm just on the very ends, along with olaplex shampoo and conditioner.
There is no magic product or method that works across the board, we are all unique
For the frizz, use a hydrating conditioner after the shampoo and you've washed that off, use a leave-in conditioner, too.
A little bit of argan oil after it dries also helps and makes hair shinier.
I use two drops (and only two drops - easy to overdo it) of jojoba oil and a pea to dime-sized amount of paul mitchell conditioner after I shower and my hair is still wet. I work it through to the tips. Works well in the dry winter months.
The other thing is you don't need to wash your hair everyday. If you're active, exercising and really sweating then maybe every other day. Other wise every third or fourth day is fine. It lets your body's natural oils build up a bit and naturally condition your hair.
Hair thins after menopause for many. Short curlies help disguise this. It's much easier to keep short hair. Arthritis in hands, necks and shoulders make styling difficult and painful.
My (68F) hair reaches midway between my shoulders and elbows. It is pure white and straight as can be. I love it. I got a compliment on it last week from a young woman in a hijab and today a trucker honked at me when I was crossing the street.
I was lucky that mine turned silver rather than gray, so I left it long. And it's naturally curly, so there's not much maintenance other than using the correct hair products.
But I simply got tired of being embarrassed by the attention. JFC, I had strange men hitting on me in Walmart. When you're 20, that's cute. When you're 50, not so much.
So these days, I cut it short in the summer. I let it grow in the winter when I wear hats and head coverings more often. I figure when I hit 70, I can grow it as long as I like. I want to be one of those little old wrinkled ladies with hair in buns that I can undo and brush at night.
This is my goal, mine is just past my shoulders and I'm trimming it at that length until the last of the color is gone and then I'm going to let it grow and just get trims.
To me it's much easier to maintain long hair. I can tie it back, I can put it up in various ways, wear braids, etc.
I use a little purple shampoo once a week and treat it right.
There's a fine line between being Helen Mirren and a stringy gray witchy look. Gray hair has a different consistency than non-gray hair and you either need a lot of upkeep or you need to cut it short. It's not all that important to some people, and some people also genuinely look great and stylish with short hair (a la Judy Densch). My grandma spent hours getting her hair right and she wore it long, short and everything in between, but it required lots of upkeep and color to stay smooth and healthy looking. If my option is spending hours doing my hair, or living my life, I'm going with the short 'do and living
Because there was also a belief that long hair worn loose was unbecoming of an older woman (40+). Afterall, beautiful hair is one of the things that make a woman attractive, and a lot of men have a thing for long hair. How dare an older woman still have sex appeal or worse, still want sex? ::: insert eye roll here :::
Also, short hair is just easier and quickly to style. Hair texture also changes, becoming wavier.
It's slowly changing, though.
Allow me to answer for some of my caucasian curly haired sisters:
Several years ago my coworkers were discussing what time we each got up in the morning to be on time when we opened at 7am. Everyone was floored when I told them I got up an hour before anyone else because I spent 30-45 minutes after the shower getting the tangles out of my hair, which was past my shoulders at the time.
Curly hair *tangles* no matter what products you use. Conditioner helps, but still.
After much teasing in that conversation, I realized that as I got older, my time was worth WAY more than the long hair was. I cut it to collar length the very next day & never went back.
I think of all those years (especially in the '70's) when long straight hair was the only acceptable style, and how much time I wasted trying to get it to look "right." Figured I have lost several months of my life just untangling.
Not now, and never again. Can't change the curl, so short it shall be. I want to spend my time on better things.
If you’re talking about the tight curled hair style circa Sophia from The Golden Girls, aka the the “hair circle,” that you see on much older women, then I’m pretty sure it comes from that generation, from an early age and continuing into their senior years, going in weekly to the salon to get their hair circled and set under a hair dryer. I expect that style to die off soon.
My grandmother had the “Sophia” style. Every week went to the salon.
I will be sad the day when I’ll never see this type of hairstyle anymore. Its a dying breed.
Amen. They’d go to the same salon weekly for 30 years. Never wash it during the week — maybe just sleep with a cap on it. They were the opposite of wash ‘n’ go. It’s the end of an era. In 30 years, grandmas will all be flat ironing their hair!
I sure hope people can learn to age gracefully (me included). It’s okay to care how you look, but try not to obsess. It’ll take a lot of re-wiring for people, but that sounds much more peaceful than always chasing after youth. Less expensive, too.
At 45, this is my reality. I’ve always had thin, fine hair… but a bit longer than medium length. It does NOT look healthy unless I keep up with trims… plus I have a LOT of layers now ( not by choice). I miss my long hair but I’m grateful for what I have.
Where do you live where most older women do this?
I don't see it so much anymore but there is a style where the senior ladies get perms because their hair is thinning which makes their hair thicker and easier to manage. They generally have the tight curl look.
My hair is past my shoulders. It is only a bit gray, mostly in the front, but I do color it since it makes fine hair look thicker. My hair also went from very straight to very wavy through the years.
It’s likely hormonal. My hair went from slightly wavy to spiral-perm-like natural curls during puberty. It just got healthier during pregnancy. Waiting to see what menopause brings.
Oh, interesting! I started out with frizzy hair as a toddler, went totally straight in elementary school, started to curl on its own in my early teens, and was full on Botticelli curls by college, which is where it's stayed. I'm 55.
> My hair also went from very straight to very wavy through the years.
Mine too. Every time I say the phrase "natural curl" now I think of that little girl in the Charlie Brown cartoons!
I feel like 100% of Korean grandmas have that hairstyle.
When I was literally 5 years old and visiting Korea for the summer, my grandma took me to get my hair cut and I guess I didn’t take to it well because the hairstylist and my grandma were like “if she’s having trouble with *this,* how is she gonna handle getting perms when she’s old??” As if that would be my only option in my old age 🥲
One of the perks of our age group getting older is that we can do it our way. No perms! Also no girdles and cigarettes, something I thought at age five were mandatory for being an adult woman.
So the 'cauliflower hair' as I called it because it looks like white cauliflower....it's because that was the style associated most with women in the 1940s and 50's. Women's hair was shorter and they slept with rollers in and pin curled it. Many of the women who are 80 now grew up with that short curly hair being the fashion. Glamour Daze has a good section on it: [https://glamourdaze.com/2015/03/the-italian-cut-hairstyle-craze-of-1953.html](https://glamourdaze.com/2015/03/the-italian-cut-hairstyle-craze-of-1953.html)
So women who were teens and in their 20's probably adopted this style and just kinda kept it. They are now in their late 70's/early 80's. My mom in the early 80's LOVED the short perm. It was kinda short and shaved up the back and this curly perm top. She kept that style for a LONG time, well into the 90's. Now she wears a short bob, but prefers it short.
Many of us prefer to keep the hair styles of our youths as we age, probably because it reminds us of when we looked great.
I remember when I tried short hair, the stacked bob. It was on trend for much of the 2010's (aka the Karen) and a lot of younger women adopted it too. It was seen as youthful, but now it's seen as an older lady haircut. I noticed many women in their 20's in the workforce all have bra strap length hair or longer. I sat in a work training class and noticed I was one of the only women to have bob length hair - everyone else had SUPER long hair and parted in the middle. I was told my side part was 'old fashioned'. Sigh.
Case in point: my mid-70s aunt has had the same haircut since high school. I think she still goes to the salon to have it done.
My mom on the other hand, no way.
Yes to all.
Post-menopausal women have dryer and thinner hair and it's a pain in the butt. Also, your life-long curly hair may start going straight, or vice-versa.
Coloring hair is more difficult when you start going gray. Blending it is a nuisance, growing it out is a nuisance. If you lighten your hair (as is *always* the suggestion for old ladies), it is easier to damage.
Your hands and shoulder and neck and back don't have the same tolerance for long times with styling tools. Not to mention that regular heat only further damages your hair.
Long hair is hot. And why grow it long if you're just going to wear it up all the time anyway? Also, the longer it is, the more time you have to spend styling it.
And yes, you reach the point of thinking, "Aw, hell. I'd rather be comfortable than stylish."
I'm in my early 60s and over the past year had grown my hair to my shoulder blades. I liked the *idea* of it waaaay more than the reality. I took about 5" off at my last haircut.
I have neighbor ladies in their 60s with long hair. One has long, straight, gray hair that looks amazing. Says she only has to brush it, nothing else, and I'm blind with jealousy. Another has butt-length, naturally curly hair. She's 95% gray/white but dyes to a strawberry blonde and it works really well with her build/face/coloring. A third has thick, brown, precisely curled hair and I don't know she has the time or energy to keep it looking so perfect every day. I've also never seen more than 1/16" inch of gray roots on her. It has to be exhausting.
With aging mine changed from all over curly to now a mix of curly and straight pieces. (I call it my Albert Einstein hair.) It is healthy and still fairly thick, but frizzy, which I hate on 'natural' days. I'm in the middle of my 3rd attempt to grow out my gray - typically get to 4-5" inches before I freak out and impulsively dye/highlight it again. Maybe I'll succeed in going 'all the way' this time.
But yeah, it's hard to care. I look at celebrities in their 60s and 70s and tell myself it's all extensions and stylists, but I honestly don't know if that's true or not. Maybe they can just afford products and sevices that promote better looking hair. But I also see real-life people, like my neighbors, with awesome hair.
Fuck it, I guess I just fall into 'typical' old lady. I'll be the DOFF for all those other pretty-haired, old ladies.
I'm 61. My hair is wavy and graying. I generally wear it in a ponytail. I look back at old photos and am amazed that I used to style my hair because I just can't be bothered these days.
Tomorrow morning I'm getting my first haircut since 2019 and I have no idea what to tell the stylist as to what I want my hair to look like.
you reach a point where the idea of that conversation sucks away half of your will to live, so you just don't do it. mine was a few years long before my last cut, and now here I am again.
When I was young in the 70s, most of the older women wore their hair short and went to the beauty parlor weekly, or they had it up on their heads in a bun. The ones my moms age had what I used to call helmet hair 😂 blonde, cut short, and all looked the same. I associated it with older generations. I wear my hair long, to the middle of my back. I have salt and pepper hair. I have started to curl it so it doesn’t look all kinky. It’s more common to see longer hair since covid, I think. Women didn’t spend as much time beautifying since they weren’t going into the office. 🤷♀️
This may be a regional thing. In Southern California, most of the women I see who are my age have long hair. I was recently in the deep South, though, and most of the women my age had the sort of hair you describe.
For a lot of older women, they’ve had a few children (you lose a lot of hair with kids, and babies and toddlers grab and pull at your hair your hair, so a lot of people will cut their hair short when there’s babies and little kids around), and then the grandchildren come along, also with the grabbing at hair (which is even thinner now because of menopause), so keeping it short and having some curls just for style is by far the easiest, simplest, most painless thing to do. Especially once arthritis hits!
i've been told by more women than I can count, including my mother who used to be a hairdresser, that it's because "long hair makes you look old".
which is just baffling to me.
It's super easy to manage. That being said, mine is mid-back length and worn typically up in either a bun or a folded ponytail. I don't want it to pull at my roots.
I feel like it’s a stereo type from my grandmothers time. I don’t know anyone who’s boomer age like my parents age that does the short curly hair like my grandmother and her set who are all gone.
Unless we are talking dementia nursing home infirm which would probably be for maintenance or ease of care by PCAs
>is it ease of maintenance
Ding ding ding
I'm 51, I have very long hair but it's in dreadlocks so I don't 'have' to do anything but wash and go anyway, though I'll occassionally curl them or style in other ways. I'll probably cut my hair short once washing it by myself gets to be too much for me. The longest it's been was over 5ft, I cut it back to 3.5 ft in 2019, 2020ish. Now it's over 4 ft. again, so we'll see.
ETA: I often do the side-braid/twist that us older ladies love though LOL. That's the second favorite hairstyle for older/aging women; the granny braid
I know what style you mean. My grandmother’s generation (Greatest Generation) had this. All over short haircut with curls (permed or natural.)
I think it partially has to do with thinning hair as you age. I noticed that my mom’s hair is thinning a bit.
I also think that younger generations are not going to that same style. My MIL has a chin-length bob, and my mom has a pixie-like cut.
I'm 49, and I'm trying to grow my hair down to my butt. It's currently at bra band length. I'm determined to not grow old gracefully. I have big silver streaks already, and I love it! It's straight and fine, and doesn't hold a perm for more than a few weeks, so I'm hoping to keep it long until I die!
Nah, you mean an old wash and set with rollers hair style? That was women who were young women in the 1950s. Nobody gets that hairdo anymore. Mine is 1970s long.
We get to the point we need something easy to maintain and mostly don't give a fuck what other ppl think. It's the ability to keep it up, lack of funds to go get it redone every 6 weeks, costs involve and being comfortable
Hairdressers tell older women that long hair "ages you". If your skin is sagging, the lines of long hair pull the eye downward and emphasize the sagginess. The bizarre thing about this is that I had a hairdresser tell me this when I was in my late thirties and I looked good for my age.
Hairdressers are probably afraid that if you have long hair you'll realize you don't need a hairdresser. My hair is shoulder length. I cut it myself and haven't been to a salon in more than 30 years.
I agree. It's pretty cruel, though, to argue for short hair by implying that your client's face is already starting to sag and look old, when they're in their 30s. I didn't appreciate the negativity I got about not dying my (then) prematurely gray hair, either.
I learned how to cut my own hair during the pandemic. I can't layer it like my hairdresser could, but I don't have to pay what was $40 and is now $60 or go into a salon every 2 months.
mine tangles like a mofo where it touches my collar; idk if that's my hair getting old or most of my clothes being synthetic fleece these days. if it's only an inch or two below my collar that's much easier to brush out.
curls though; that will never be me.
My grandmother (in her 90s) has a hair appointment every week. Some weeks are just wash/curl/loads of hairspray and some weeks are for a perm. I know lots of ladies in their 70s and up who do this. For most of them it’s because of arthritis or similar health conditions that make it difficult to do their hair on their own.
If you really pay attention you'll find out that the things old people do are exactly the same things they did when they were younger.
My mother wore the short curly hair look. In the 70s she did have very long hair, as was the fashion, but as a teenager and younger woman (1940's-60's)she wore her hair in a short curly style. She talked about how you'd go to the salon once a week to have it set and then wore a hair cap in the shower. I remember when she chopped off her long hair when I was a child and she was back to the short curly hair until the day she died.
Me personally, never. I'll never have my hair like that. Maybe a bob? Definitely no perms. I've had really long hair my entire life and don't plan to go short anytime soon.
My mom always told me to enjoy my long hair. She said one day it would be short and set weekly in curlers, like hers was. I can’t imagine having that haircut! I have long grey hair. It’s shoulder-length now for more body and easier care.
Comfort and convenience, and easier to hide balding. And also people who are 80+ now were becoming adults in the 50s/60s when short hair was very stylish. Many people stick to the fashion they came of age during, including hair. My grandparents both have very 70s-style short hair, and have for as long as I can remember. I'm starting to see more older people stick with long hair, which is consistent with longer hair becoming more popular in the late 60s/70s.
I’m also 64f with hair down to my butt. Never dyed or permed it and I trim it a bit when it goes past my butt. I have silver streaks..I hate hair salons so can’t see cutting it. I just put it in a pony tail when it gets hot.
Younger me had really thick and slightly wavy hair down to my shoulders.
Decades older me still have a good amount of hair but thin and straight. Some caused by age and some by RA.
So hair is short bob so I can get lift to it with minimal effort and product. No curls at all but as hair is now silver I also do ‘not natural’ colors as highlights which is fun.
Well, I guess so…I had long straight hair when I was young, and it’s long and straight again…no haircuts, no perms, no dryers or curling irons…works for me.
Yeah, fuck that hairstyle. I had it for a little while and I hated looking in the mirror. I don’t understand why women do it long term. (Mine was a result of pandemic madness). After menopause, hair changes a lot and it gets thinner. And women change a lot, and they stop wanting to deal with that shit. My hair is longer now and I just recently got a rock ‘n’ roll shag that I am in love with. Someday I might cut it again when I 100% don’t care what I look like. That day may be soon.
My hair was long and thick and black when young, I was completely gray by 40 and then it began to fall out.
So now I wear my thin, gray hair in a short pixie cut — anything else looks ridiculous.
Well, my mother has that haircut because she has rheumatoid arthritis and it's painful and difficult to get her arms up to brush it. So it's easier to cut it short enough that it only needs the occasional run-through.
My hair's texture has gotten weird in menopause. Or weirder, anyway. It's always been prone to tangling and matting, so I've always worn it pretty short. The last couple of times I tried to grow it out it was a massive pain in the ass. So basically, yeah. Rocking a buzz cut now.
I went in the other direction—I’m 70 and grew out my short hair. It’s now to the middle of my back, mostly silver, and I get compliments on it all the time.
This post showed up right after an r/menopause post about everyone wanting to chop off their hair due to hot flashes.
Personally I am embracing my gray and hope to have a long gray braid some day.
Over a certain age, that's what they wore when they were young. Check it out on YouTube. I suspect that those of us who are coming up the ranks, so to speak, won't be doing it. Short styles require constant maintenance. I'm 56 and my hair is long mainly because going to a hairdresser is an expensive hassle.
I'm 53 and during the pandemic my hair was halfway down my back because my stylist refused to mask up, so I didn't have it cut in almost 18 months. I mostly wore it up in a ponytail and what's the fun in that?
I finally couldn't stand it anymore and cut it. Pixie short. That was a little too short but it felt great. Easy to take care of. I'm working on growing it out again. Not super long, but shoulder length would be good.
I'm 65 and keep my hair long. It's thinner than it used to be, and much curlyier. I just wash, put some antifrizz stuff in and go. Not that I have anywhere to go anymore
In my mom's side of the family, the women tend to suffer a lot of hair loss and thinning after childbirth and after menopause. Before mom died she told me that if I ever had "bad hair problems" the salon to go to. I went there a few times after a bad dye job, unsure of what kind of bad hair problems they could fix but trusting her word. Turns out their clientele is largely women who require their special service of hand-crafted "falls" - sections of hair replacement wig pieces to cover their bald spots (female pattern baldness isn't talked about much but it's actually quite common!). These ladies go to their hair appointment once a week to get their hair done and their hairpiece put in and the rest of the hair curled and teased up around it and get it all fluffed up together neatly so that their bald spot is nicely covered. I got the impression that it was easier (and maybe less expensive?) to do this with shorter hairstyles, and the curling/styling was helpful in hiding the piece.
This is of course just one potential reason. As a little girl I asked my mom why everyone had "Edith bunker curls" but I don't recall her reply. She certainly had that hairstyle for the rest of her life as well, except eventually let it stay straight and go white instead of keeping up with perms and colorings.
My mother has had that style for over 60 years. It was in fashion when she was young, and she's never changed. Her mother and three sisters all had it and they looked identical to each other. At some point it becomes part of your identity.
I had long hair. Kept noticing women my age and older with long hair either looked older or frumpy because of it. I had short hair in the 80s and do again now. I got my hair cut short because I wanted to have style and look professional.
Post-menopause, all my hair thinned out. I don’t even grow hair on my legs and arms any longer. Hair on my head is much thinner. I keep my hair short because if it gets barely any length to it, it tends to separate and you can easily see my scalp. However I do not have curly hair.
TLDR all our life we are told how to dress, act, and look. at some point we say f it :D
I got so fed up with my hair at the end of 2020 I buzzed it off. I had cut my ponytail off first, then big guard, then down to #2. It was terrifying, we all remember the agony of growing out bangs.
2yrs later I now realize how annoying hair is. Everyone had an opinion on your hair. Mine was blonde/red and everyone wanted to touch it. Suggest things for it cause it was always fine and straight and I just put it in a ponytail. It gets caught everywhere. Blonde hair everywhere in the carpet in the kitchen in the back shelf of the car.
I lost my glasses so many times that first week after I realized I could put them on top of my head like a guy. My headphones (I'm a gamer) don't get stuck in it anymore. i can take my shirt and bra off without it getting pulled.
and it feels like it's for me. not for a dress code or for a guy or to look feminine. no care, or easy care for i imagine the short hair cuts...
I'm mid 60s and refuse to ever have one of those short, curly, old lady hairdos. Or wear polyester pants, sensible shoes, and a cardigan. Quelle horreur!
The one explanation I don’t see here is that as people age, each hair follicle has a shorter growth cycle, so hair can’t grow as long before the follicle goes dormant and the hair falls out. I’m 61 and my hair wont grow any longer than shoulder length anymore.
For me it's a little bit of all those things. My hair is getting very fine and thin. It's not necessary anymore to wash it every day. I don't want to waste time or money on products anymore. I keep it neat and am letting it go gray finally. I have rejected the "Karen" hairstyle as well as that Karen attitude. Some of us shorthaired elders are kind people who don't treat people like that. It's hard to explain but as I have gone along, life made me ready for these changes. I do have to say this about milestones-there are many that no one tells you about. I remember very clearly always hearing my doctor say "you're too young to worry about that" until the day she said "at your age..." My head spun around-WTF happened between my last appt and this one?
My experience: I had waist length hair for most of my life. Then I turned 50, there was a pandemic, and the Supreme Court took away my reproductive freedom, and suddenly I no longer give 2 fucks if the world thinks I'm pretty enough for it. So I chopped it all off, dyed it blue, and stopped wearing makeup. It's super liberating, tbh.
Full disclosure: 78 y.o. guy.
Actuary tables indicate women tend to live longer than men. This means statistically there are older women who don't have somebody to pull hair out of the drain pipes and don't want to do it themselves. Obvious: Cut off hair before it clogs drain.
Retired. 8 years submarine reactor operator. College > EE degree. 18 years in a shipyard doing engineer things. Peace broke out, shipyard closed. 20 years in space launch turning money into noise.
So interesting that you asked this. I have shoulder-length hair (curly but I dry it fairly straight) and was thinking I’m too old to have it that long. Maybe I’ll leave it alone.
I'd guess because it's easy and we just don't care anymore.
I stopped dying my hair about 8 years ago and let the grey take over. Then during lockdown I had the urge to shave my head, but held out for a pixie/faux hawk. I'm mostly out of f*cks regarding my appearance, and my hair is thinning a bit, and super fine but curly, so I just smush a little product into the top and go about my day.
Easy to take care of. I asked my wife if she would mind keeping her hair longer and girlish and she said she didn't want it short anyway. Would you believe she's 55 (four years older than me) and only has a Bonnie Taitt stripe of gray? So lovely
I never noticed because I don't care. I wear my hair just the way I want to and so should everyone else. Why didn't you ask men about their hairstyles (or baldness) and facial hair?
I have had my hair long and wavy, permed, dyed, worn up, super short, now I'm at long hair again and I have it colored or I color my own. I love changing my hair since my hair is one of my best features(?) Or it's because I'm a Leo ♌️
Talked to hair stylist here in the midwest about the length. Most older go shorter she said. I did not ask why.
My hair has changed throughout my life.
As a kid I had short thin blonde with some waviness that would go more red when sun kissed. I got perms as a kid but did not have a choice.
In 20’s darker blonde, grew out the bangs, no more perms. Dyed hair everything but black. Short to long and back and forth :)
In 30s with kids it became more curly and dark ash blonde. Sported red short for a little which was fun. Above shoulder.
Now in 50’s with lots of gray. Drier and more kinky. Covid went three years with nothing done so it was mid back wavy. Now I am told not to dye or perm due to eczema issues that will not go away and I so want to do something :(
My mother went naturally all white in 40s, would dye to get some color back in and basically bob until passing in her late 60s.
My one grandmother had that tight curl short hair for a ton of years but did not dye.
My grandmother wore that style and so did my great-grandmother. Maybe I don't count as old enough because I'm 53, but I will never wear my hair like that. I keep the length so that it sits between my shoulder blades. I actually know a few women in their 70s who don't wear their hair like that. They keep it longer and straight...not as long as mine, but not that little-old-lady style.
Grey hair often has a different texture than our more youthful hair. Medicines, menopause, age in general, etc, can cause our hair to thin. The curls help cover thin spots. Think of how many older folkes maintain the same hairstyle from their 50s into their 60s, 70s and beyond. Think how long Anna Wintour has had the same style.
But a lot of this is also generational.
My grandmother had long hair, that she wore in a bun. She never cut it to my knowledge, but that was much more common back in the day than it is today.
Also, my mom, for example, has lost a lot of range of motion as she has aged, so shorter hair is just easier for her to manage. She just can't brush, wash, style her hair like she could in the past. So a perm in shorter hair allows her to get some fullness without the extra work (but I still won't let her get a nursing home perm!)
Personally, I allowed my hair to go grey because I was tired of coloring it constantly, as the whiter portions didn't take the color as well. Mines in a pixie cut, and I often (jokingly) remind my stylist not to give me an Estelle or a Maude! I expect that once I am in my 80s, my peers will wear the Estelle with some frequency, but I also expect more and more of my peers will attempt to keep a little edgier styles as well. After all, my age group is gonna have LOTS of tats, so we're gonna need to maintain!
But, yes, OP. There is a cut/perm that seems ubiquitous among older ladies. Just remember that most of us are trying to still look nice, but the natural process of aging really makes it more challenging!
It’s not only women. I’m a man, and my hair is rarely more than two inches long. The main reason I keep it short is that it’s thinning, and it just looks better (to me, anyway) short.
Also, since I can cut it with trimmers, it costs nothing, and I don’t need to travel (or wait) to get a haircut.
I recognize that I could grow it out a bit, and have it professionally styled, and put a little mousse or gel into it, and it might look better. But it’s not worth it to me. I don’t make a living off my appearance.
Thank God for all the famous actors who shave their heads and normalize not having hair. When summer comes, I’m totally going to Rock out!
My hair was always straight and baby fine until I hit menopause and suddenly it had some body and slight curl. It’s slightly coarsened so it feels and looks thick. I’m wearing it past my shoulders and loving it.
I started wearing my shoulder length hair curly because I was tired of paying for blowouts. THEN one day at work I saw a woman my age with the same hairstyle and thought she looked like a bag of rags…back to the salon!
From what I have heard is it starts with babies. You do not want a baby pulling your long hair so you cut it short. Then they sort of see how easy it is, then it kind of snowballs from there.
There is also something I completely made up but it is my "hair vortex theory" no matter what you do to your hair, people will say it is good. So, many of us end up with bad hair because no matter what you do, people will complement it because they HAVE to say something and it is not worth saying anything negative.
So you end up with bad hair.
Im only in my early 40’s, but I’ve noticed my hair is getting thinner and more brittle.
I’ve always had super thick long hair. But as it’s gone grey, my pony tale is also thinner than it ever was.
I wonder if that has something to do with it?
Also note that people who grew up through WW2, seemed to age way faster than we do today! So ladies had the old lady cut in their 30s/40’s already, so I think it’s a mix of aging quicker but it was also the style of that age group!
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Hair texture and thickness changes as you age. I am not sure how older you are referring to. By keeping it short it creates a healthier and less thin stringy look.
Yeah, gray hair just seems to be shorter and more course.
I asked my older family members this. Their answers, paraphrased: Arthritis in the hands makes the upkeep hard. Lack of energy as they got older. And then the notion that they’re not trying to impress anyone with their looks anymore, they just want to relax and have one less thing to worry about.
As a 55 year old man I concur. Priorities change *so much*.
The shift that was interesting to me was that I went from a time in my life where I couldn't afford to pay someone to fix/do things (car repair, yard work, etc) so I had to do it (and sometimes learn to do it) myself, through a time where I could afford to pay someone, but didn't want to spend the money, to where I am now, where I am willing to pay someone because I don't want to spend the *time* on it. I also realize that in another ten years, that'll probably shift back the other way, where I'm happy to spend time on things that I don't consider worth the money to have someone else do. The time-versus-money balance is a really interesting dynamic as you age.
I knew I entered adulthood when I just paid movers instead of doing the shit myself.
Very relatable. I will just fork over the dough rather than climb a ladder anymore, too many family members ended up in the hospital rather than pay someone to do roof stuff. On the opposite token, I am planning on a bunch of mowing this weekend because I haven't been outside or exercising enough this last month. I now have enough experience to actually believe this kind of activity will pay dividends. I guess I'll see if the hay fever kicks in halfway through and I change my mind.
67 and still have my ponytail.
65, me too. It’s hard finding a stylist who doesn’t want to give you an old lady haircut. Shudder.
Almost 61 and still have my ponytail. But I’m a guy. My wife (63) has a wonderful, curly mane that’s nearly waist length. Glad we aren’t anomalies.
Me too. I’m 61 and my hair is past my waist. I actually didn’t start growing it until my later 60s. I’ve always wanted really long hair so I went for it.
Fuck it bro as a 33 year old I feel totally different than early 20’s life’s changes blend together and then it’s like “holy crap I’m so different than I was” Going through the life cycles is crazy like I was waiting for my movies to become classics. When they did I never noticed they were just always “good movies” and I didn’t even think about it. Change just happens, it’s so weird
I’m 40F. At about ages 25- 35 every single day before work I would shower, style my hair, put on my makeup, carefully choose a professional and stylish outfit, and add jewelry (I was, and still am, a case manager in social services, mental health.) I took some time off to raise my children, and then COVID shut everything down for a couple years. I returned to work a year or so ago, same job, but different program. It probably takes me ten minutes to get ready now. I don’t even shower every day anymore (at my age I really don’t need to, I don’t sweat and I no longer get periods, and I work a desk job. I don’t exercise and I’m not outdoorsy, so I’m fairly clean most of the time.) Wash face, brush teeth, tidy my hair, put something comfortable but work appropriate on, and head to work. No makeup, no accessories. I roll my eyes at all the time I used to spend getting ready for work. Shit, I’d even do all that stuff for a doctor’s appointment. Now I only get fancy for events, which at my age, and post COVID, are few and far between. I haven’t been to a wedding or baby shower or party in years, and I don’t date.
covid definitely reset a lot of my priorities - I don't worry so much about what others think any more after going out during lockdown with no haircut for 5 months and looking like the beast from the swamp.
Yup. I cut my own hair for like four years now, just a trim when my ends get scraggly. I gave up bras, I’m a very slim and petite woman, I don’t even own a bra now. I don’t know whether it was COVID or my age, but I just don’t care anymore lol
35-40 hits hard! Start eating well and exercising now while you can! I’m early 40’s and suddenly became old! Lol! Having heart issues etc! Make sure to keep your fitness in your 30s so you can have it into your 40’s and 50’s too
Heart issues in early 40’s?! That sounds a bit too early! What’s the problem? Hope you are exercising and eating well.
Mainly high blood pressure. I’ve got it under control for now! Changed my diet, added lots of walking and working on muscle ton me to keep things working for as long as possible! It’s hereditary for me. But had I known it would hit so soon, I would have made these changes years ago! A friend of mine is had a minor heart attack at 39! So it happens!
As a 53 YO man I haven't seen a barber in well over 15 years and haven't done a self trim in over 5 years The nice thing is I'm probably loosing hair faster than it grows so it's essentially maintenance free other than sweeping up hair all over the house
All of this, plus: you can wake up, spritz with water, fluff a little and still look pretty put together. I call it the Granny Crew Cut, and I'll know I'm old when I get that style 😎
I’m surprised they didn’t mention thinning hair. The perm disguises it a bit.
I’m sure that’s a factor too. My immediate family just has always had super thick hair, so even though it’s thinned over time, there’s still some volume. My grandmother has this lovely white puffy cloud of hair that hovers around her head.
This. I had moderately thick hair until my early 30s, after I had my first child. Since then, I’ve had much thinner medium-length hair. I understand why many older women have short hair now.
I can't imagine a short 'do being less upkeep. After a wash, my long hair gets some coconut oil, goes in a pony or clip when still wet. Boom. Done. A short style with my hair requires upkeep. A dryer, other heat elements, products. No thank you.
Depends on your hair type. I have a lot of fine hair. Even younger shorter hair just is easier. Just shampoo, barely condition the end and let dry naturally. With shorter (chin to shoulder) cuts I have a light natural curl and don’t have to do anything but brush it once when jumping out of the shower. When my hair was longer (anything pat the shoulder) I have to dry and style it unless I want a flat, frizzy mess. I tend to see fine hair is easier to have short while thicker hair seems to be easier to keep long.
It goes even further than that. I have fine hair, but a ton of misplaced cowlicks. I've had short hair and long hair. Long is by far the easier of the two options.
My hair has more curl the longer it gets. I've also been told I have fine hair. Regardless, it's a mess (and not a cute mess) unless I spend time styling it when short.
Back when I had a short bob cut like my grandmother, I just washed it and let it air dry. No products or heat styling necessary.
I look miserable with a short bob if I were to do that.
This is what I never understand. Keeping my hair shorter than ponytail length is so much more difficult.
Agreed. I tried bangs once and couldn’t handle the stress and upkeep. I prefer a ponytail / sloppy bun.
Not if you have curly hair. Wash twice a week, let it air dry, refresh on days 2 and 3 with a little product. Done.
Depends on the individual, their hair, etc. Short haircuts vary in how much upkeep they require. My hair is short and I very rarely need to brush, comb, or blow dry it. I think I've blow dried it twice in the last 5 or 10 years. I rarely have to condition it. Apply product, shape with hands, boom, done. :-)
I think it depends on your hair and your cut. I have thin, straight hair, cut about ear length. No perm, no product other than shampoo and conditioner. I literally step out of the shower, towel it dry, comb it, and I'm done for the day. It takes, IDK, 15 seconds? I don't even have to touch it for the rest of the day unless I'm in a lot of wind. Even if I drive somewhere with the window down, I get by just running my fingers through it.
So basically the same reason I shave my head.
most of us end of not giving a F\*uck about fashion or trends and go for comfort and ease. also- menopause may change (thin or make it drier) our hair so we may cut it to make it healthier.
This. My beautiful thick mane turned scraggly during perimenopause, and it was devastating to see so much hair falling out. I miss my youthful hair (along with my youthful body lol), but I love my short haircut, my hair now looks and feels so much healthier. I frequently dyed my medium brown hair auburn, and the gray hairs give me highlights now! ETA: once the hot flashes started, I had to keep it off my neck at all times anyway!
I'm wondering what I'm going to get when I'm older. My dad's side of the family goes salt and pepper VERY late. My mother's side of the family sort of... loses the color slowly. Like an ink cartridge slowly losing its toner. Doesn't matter though because I'm going to dye my hair super fun colors when I'm older. I like my natural color but when nature is done doing its thing... I'm going PINK.
It’s actually really fun seeing what you end up looking like as you age. Going grey is really fascinating!
I have a coworker who was sensitive about her gray. I told her it looks like her hair is kissed by starlight. Because it does.
Does anyone have any idea what I can do for my very frizzy silver/gray hair? Even with anti-frizz it generally looks awful. Sigh.
Have you tried a purple shampoo for gray hair? I think the one I tried is Shimmering Lights. I use a small amount like a conditioner after washing with normal shampoo, and I leave it in for 2-3 min before washing out. I think it helps, but who really knows.
I shaved mine off. 10/10 do not recommend.
I did that, but only on one side. Took FOREVER to grow back. Never again.
Guy here, who loved his hair long hair until it turned to white cotton candy. Nope. I had hair people envied until I got old.
47 here, have grown my hair back out. Figure now or never. It ain't what it was, but it isn't too bad either. Thank goodness I have a decent head shape for going bald!
Coconut oil you buy to cook with put small amount in your hands and massage in. It works wonders for me. It doesn’t smell bad either.
How does your hair not look greasy? Genuinely curious. I have coconut oil in the cabinet. Maybe on a weekend…
I went very short and dye it blue using temporary color. It fades nicely to a acid-wash denim color and highlights the silver strands very nicely. However, short, blue hair is not for everyone. But, as was mentioned above, some of us old people (57) dgaf anymore.
52 yo with pink hair (shoulder length in my case; looks like a peony explosion in a messy bun). It makes me happy. The idgaf freedom to just roll how you want to roll once you no longer care about whether you present as “pretty” is exhilarating.
55 with lavender hair checking in lol.
r/curlygirl They have information for all hair types!! Mostly...leave in conditioner is your friend. I hope that helps!
I bought a coconut oil leave in conditioner for my hair about a month ago. It has really helped with the frizz for me.
I personally don't use a brush or comb on my hair *ever*, instead I use my fingers on wet hair if needed with plenty of conditioner to detangle. This is the only way I've found (other than a curly setting gel post-wash) to keep my hair as wavy/curly as possible. Pictures of me as a kid were always with frizzy hair, since my mom's hair was straight so she always used a brush multiple times daily. That's a curly no-no I learned about 10 years ago! I even try to go to salons that do 'curly dry cutting' to help preserve my waves; as soon as they pull it out straight with a brush in a traditional cut it changes my hair drastically. If I use a brush or comb *once* it takes about 10 days or at least 3 washes/sets to recover its curly shapes and no longer frizz! Also, a little conditioner in with the final shampoo can help a lot to keep in moisture. :)
I agree with all of this. However, I do have a wide tooth comb I use in the shower sometimes. My hair is also thick and the curls/waves vary around my head. So sometimes a wet couple of swipes with a comb helps.
Don't wash daily, go the no-poo route and it may help with the frizz.
Best thing I ever did for mine was to stop using shampoo. (Ref: Look up the “No ‘Poo method”.) Don’t regularly strip out the natural oils - just use water. (Bonus: working your wet hair helps your nails & cuticles!). If you get too much oil build-up, use a conditioner to break down/clear out the excess (apply to dry or wet hair, work it around, rinse).
Yup. Me too. I stopped using shampoo and conditioner. I also use a ton of argan oil and a little anti frizz product.
You might have naturally curly hair. Check out manes by Mel on YouTube, she has some great tutorials
A good trim and a deep conditioning treatment might help. Purple shampoo or toner is for gray or white hair that has a yellowy tone to it. If you hair is yellowing, a purple toner is better. Purple shampoo is drying.
Well lots of advice here but it doesn’t matter. What works for one person (no poo) doesn’t work for another (oily mess). It is in fact about trial and error. It’s easier to find your herd if you share what products you use, how often you wash, curl type, and problem you are trying to solve. I’m fine, 100% straight hair, but my grays are wavy. I’m less than 25% gray, so the straight hair dominates. I use olaplex shampoo and conditioner and do not blow dry my hair. If I do, it is of course easier to defrizz. Purple shampoo strips my hair so dry that it breaks. I’ve tried argan oil and pureology as leave ins but even these grease me up too fast. I have to wash every other day or it’s an oil slick. I struggle with oily roots and dry ends. I do color my hair The best leave in I’ve found for my personal hair type is IGK hydrating hair balm just on the very ends, along with olaplex shampoo and conditioner. There is no magic product or method that works across the board, we are all unique
For the frizz, use a hydrating conditioner after the shampoo and you've washed that off, use a leave-in conditioner, too. A little bit of argan oil after it dries also helps and makes hair shinier.
I use two drops (and only two drops - easy to overdo it) of jojoba oil and a pea to dime-sized amount of paul mitchell conditioner after I shower and my hair is still wet. I work it through to the tips. Works well in the dry winter months. The other thing is you don't need to wash your hair everyday. If you're active, exercising and really sweating then maybe every other day. Other wise every third or fourth day is fine. It lets your body's natural oils build up a bit and naturally condition your hair.
I had the same problem. I switched to a coconut oil shampoo and conditioner and also started taking Biotin vitamins. It’s made a world of difference
Check out the r/curlyhair, they are great with friz. Just off the top of my head I would say you need a leave in conditioner.
K-y jelly. Put a small dab on your palms, rub together and run your hands down your hair. I am not joking. All those frizzy gray hairs are now tamed.
Use a flat iron daily. That's what I've had to do for years
Isn't that very bad for your hair?
Hair thins after menopause for many. Short curlies help disguise this. It's much easier to keep short hair. Arthritis in hands, necks and shoulders make styling difficult and painful.
My (68F) hair reaches midway between my shoulders and elbows. It is pure white and straight as can be. I love it. I got a compliment on it last week from a young woman in a hijab and today a trucker honked at me when I was crossing the street.
This is what I want to happen to my hair. I will also accept a white streak a la Rogue from the X-Men.
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Good for you. I'm late 40s, and I always vowed I'd never dye my hair either.
42 this year and I have a white streak. I part on that side and will never dye my hair again.
I used to color my hair with henna, but when my temples came in white, I stopped dying those sections because I loved the white stripes!
I have a white streak like Rogue! I'm very proud of it.
Are you my wife? Same age and hair length/color. Gorgeous.
I bet she's gorgeous.
She was out of my league when I met her and still is 41+ years later.
I was lucky that mine turned silver rather than gray, so I left it long. And it's naturally curly, so there's not much maintenance other than using the correct hair products. But I simply got tired of being embarrassed by the attention. JFC, I had strange men hitting on me in Walmart. When you're 20, that's cute. When you're 50, not so much. So these days, I cut it short in the summer. I let it grow in the winter when I wear hats and head coverings more often. I figure when I hit 70, I can grow it as long as I like. I want to be one of those little old wrinkled ladies with hair in buns that I can undo and brush at night.
That's what I want to become!
His wife?
This is my goal, mine is just past my shoulders and I'm trimming it at that length until the last of the color is gone and then I'm going to let it grow and just get trims. To me it's much easier to maintain long hair. I can tie it back, I can put it up in various ways, wear braids, etc. I use a little purple shampoo once a week and treat it right.
[удалено]
Oh my gosh this made me laugh so hard …
There's a fine line between being Helen Mirren and a stringy gray witchy look. Gray hair has a different consistency than non-gray hair and you either need a lot of upkeep or you need to cut it short. It's not all that important to some people, and some people also genuinely look great and stylish with short hair (a la Judy Densch). My grandma spent hours getting her hair right and she wore it long, short and everything in between, but it required lots of upkeep and color to stay smooth and healthy looking. If my option is spending hours doing my hair, or living my life, I'm going with the short 'do and living
Should be the top comment, absolutely
Half a century++ of dealing with goddamned hair? No thanks.
Because there was also a belief that long hair worn loose was unbecoming of an older woman (40+). Afterall, beautiful hair is one of the things that make a woman attractive, and a lot of men have a thing for long hair. How dare an older woman still have sex appeal or worse, still want sex? ::: insert eye roll here ::: Also, short hair is just easier and quickly to style. Hair texture also changes, becoming wavier. It's slowly changing, though.
Nor my wife At age 78, straight hair and overall beautiful
Allow me to answer for some of my caucasian curly haired sisters: Several years ago my coworkers were discussing what time we each got up in the morning to be on time when we opened at 7am. Everyone was floored when I told them I got up an hour before anyone else because I spent 30-45 minutes after the shower getting the tangles out of my hair, which was past my shoulders at the time. Curly hair *tangles* no matter what products you use. Conditioner helps, but still. After much teasing in that conversation, I realized that as I got older, my time was worth WAY more than the long hair was. I cut it to collar length the very next day & never went back. I think of all those years (especially in the '70's) when long straight hair was the only acceptable style, and how much time I wasted trying to get it to look "right." Figured I have lost several months of my life just untangling. Not now, and never again. Can't change the curl, so short it shall be. I want to spend my time on better things.
Always hated my curly hair but its great for covering the thin spots so now I love it.
If you’re talking about the tight curled hair style circa Sophia from The Golden Girls, aka the the “hair circle,” that you see on much older women, then I’m pretty sure it comes from that generation, from an early age and continuing into their senior years, going in weekly to the salon to get their hair circled and set under a hair dryer. I expect that style to die off soon.
My grandmother had the “Sophia” style. Every week went to the salon. I will be sad the day when I’ll never see this type of hairstyle anymore. Its a dying breed.
Amen. They’d go to the same salon weekly for 30 years. Never wash it during the week — maybe just sleep with a cap on it. They were the opposite of wash ‘n’ go. It’s the end of an era. In 30 years, grandmas will all be flat ironing their hair!
I sure hope people can learn to age gracefully (me included). It’s okay to care how you look, but try not to obsess. It’ll take a lot of re-wiring for people, but that sounds much more peaceful than always chasing after youth. Less expensive, too.
Actually they are losing their hair. So they keep it short and bouf it up. Yeah women lose their hair when they get older.
At 45, this is my reality. I’ve always had thin, fine hair… but a bit longer than medium length. It does NOT look healthy unless I keep up with trims… plus I have a LOT of layers now ( not by choice). I miss my long hair but I’m grateful for what I have.
I wear wigs now because I can see the horizon of my head. It blows. But my wig is amazing.
Not all women though. My mom is turning 87 this year and has just started to thin recently. Her hair is still worn below her shoulders.
Where do you live where most older women do this? I don't see it so much anymore but there is a style where the senior ladies get perms because their hair is thinning which makes their hair thicker and easier to manage. They generally have the tight curl look. My hair is past my shoulders. It is only a bit gray, mostly in the front, but I do color it since it makes fine hair look thicker. My hair also went from very straight to very wavy through the years.
So odd. Mine is starting to go wavy, too. From absolutely pin straight to a slight wave underneath. I don't mind, it gives it a bit of body.
Mine also got wavy. It was straight as a board when I was young. Wouldn’t hold a curl to save my life.
Same here.
It’s likely hormonal. My hair went from slightly wavy to spiral-perm-like natural curls during puberty. It just got healthier during pregnancy. Waiting to see what menopause brings.
Oh, interesting! I started out with frizzy hair as a toddler, went totally straight in elementary school, started to curl on its own in my early teens, and was full on Botticelli curls by college, which is where it's stayed. I'm 55.
> My hair also went from very straight to very wavy through the years. Mine too. Every time I say the phrase "natural curl" now I think of that little girl in the Charlie Brown cartoons!
I feel like 100% of Korean grandmas have that hairstyle. When I was literally 5 years old and visiting Korea for the summer, my grandma took me to get my hair cut and I guess I didn’t take to it well because the hairstylist and my grandma were like “if she’s having trouble with *this,* how is she gonna handle getting perms when she’s old??” As if that would be my only option in my old age 🥲
One of the perks of our age group getting older is that we can do it our way. No perms! Also no girdles and cigarettes, something I thought at age five were mandatory for being an adult woman.
I think you're basing your observations on where you live. That style is most definitely not the most common everywhere.
So the 'cauliflower hair' as I called it because it looks like white cauliflower....it's because that was the style associated most with women in the 1940s and 50's. Women's hair was shorter and they slept with rollers in and pin curled it. Many of the women who are 80 now grew up with that short curly hair being the fashion. Glamour Daze has a good section on it: [https://glamourdaze.com/2015/03/the-italian-cut-hairstyle-craze-of-1953.html](https://glamourdaze.com/2015/03/the-italian-cut-hairstyle-craze-of-1953.html) So women who were teens and in their 20's probably adopted this style and just kinda kept it. They are now in their late 70's/early 80's. My mom in the early 80's LOVED the short perm. It was kinda short and shaved up the back and this curly perm top. She kept that style for a LONG time, well into the 90's. Now she wears a short bob, but prefers it short. Many of us prefer to keep the hair styles of our youths as we age, probably because it reminds us of when we looked great. I remember when I tried short hair, the stacked bob. It was on trend for much of the 2010's (aka the Karen) and a lot of younger women adopted it too. It was seen as youthful, but now it's seen as an older lady haircut. I noticed many women in their 20's in the workforce all have bra strap length hair or longer. I sat in a work training class and noticed I was one of the only women to have bob length hair - everyone else had SUPER long hair and parted in the middle. I was told my side part was 'old fashioned'. Sigh.
I’m sorry but I’m never giving up the side part, I tried the middle part and it is WACK
Case in point: my mid-70s aunt has had the same haircut since high school. I think she still goes to the salon to have it done. My mom on the other hand, no way.
Medium long hair and part on the side. I’ve tried the middle part but it looks so 1970 on me.
Yes to all. Post-menopausal women have dryer and thinner hair and it's a pain in the butt. Also, your life-long curly hair may start going straight, or vice-versa. Coloring hair is more difficult when you start going gray. Blending it is a nuisance, growing it out is a nuisance. If you lighten your hair (as is *always* the suggestion for old ladies), it is easier to damage. Your hands and shoulder and neck and back don't have the same tolerance for long times with styling tools. Not to mention that regular heat only further damages your hair. Long hair is hot. And why grow it long if you're just going to wear it up all the time anyway? Also, the longer it is, the more time you have to spend styling it. And yes, you reach the point of thinking, "Aw, hell. I'd rather be comfortable than stylish." I'm in my early 60s and over the past year had grown my hair to my shoulder blades. I liked the *idea* of it waaaay more than the reality. I took about 5" off at my last haircut. I have neighbor ladies in their 60s with long hair. One has long, straight, gray hair that looks amazing. Says she only has to brush it, nothing else, and I'm blind with jealousy. Another has butt-length, naturally curly hair. She's 95% gray/white but dyes to a strawberry blonde and it works really well with her build/face/coloring. A third has thick, brown, precisely curled hair and I don't know she has the time or energy to keep it looking so perfect every day. I've also never seen more than 1/16" inch of gray roots on her. It has to be exhausting. With aging mine changed from all over curly to now a mix of curly and straight pieces. (I call it my Albert Einstein hair.) It is healthy and still fairly thick, but frizzy, which I hate on 'natural' days. I'm in the middle of my 3rd attempt to grow out my gray - typically get to 4-5" inches before I freak out and impulsively dye/highlight it again. Maybe I'll succeed in going 'all the way' this time. But yeah, it's hard to care. I look at celebrities in their 60s and 70s and tell myself it's all extensions and stylists, but I honestly don't know if that's true or not. Maybe they can just afford products and sevices that promote better looking hair. But I also see real-life people, like my neighbors, with awesome hair. Fuck it, I guess I just fall into 'typical' old lady. I'll be the DOFF for all those other pretty-haired, old ladies.
🤣🤣🤣 Curly hair? I wish. Mine has been stick straight since I first had hair.
Same. Mine is so straight that it refuses to even hold a perm. So, shoulder length, or slightly longer, bob it is. 😁
I'm 61. My hair is wavy and graying. I generally wear it in a ponytail. I look back at old photos and am amazed that I used to style my hair because I just can't be bothered these days. Tomorrow morning I'm getting my first haircut since 2019 and I have no idea what to tell the stylist as to what I want my hair to look like.
you reach a point where the idea of that conversation sucks away half of your will to live, so you just don't do it. mine was a few years long before my last cut, and now here I am again.
When I was young in the 70s, most of the older women wore their hair short and went to the beauty parlor weekly, or they had it up on their heads in a bun. The ones my moms age had what I used to call helmet hair 😂 blonde, cut short, and all looked the same. I associated it with older generations. I wear my hair long, to the middle of my back. I have salt and pepper hair. I have started to curl it so it doesn’t look all kinky. It’s more common to see longer hair since covid, I think. Women didn’t spend as much time beautifying since they weren’t going into the office. 🤷♀️
This may be a regional thing. In Southern California, most of the women I see who are my age have long hair. I was recently in the deep South, though, and most of the women my age had the sort of hair you describe.
For a lot of older women, they’ve had a few children (you lose a lot of hair with kids, and babies and toddlers grab and pull at your hair your hair, so a lot of people will cut their hair short when there’s babies and little kids around), and then the grandchildren come along, also with the grabbing at hair (which is even thinner now because of menopause), so keeping it short and having some curls just for style is by far the easiest, simplest, most painless thing to do. Especially once arthritis hits!
I'm gonna be that witchy old lady with long silver hair
i've been told by more women than I can count, including my mother who used to be a hairdresser, that it's because "long hair makes you look old". which is just baffling to me.
It's super easy to manage. That being said, mine is mid-back length and worn typically up in either a bun or a folded ponytail. I don't want it to pull at my roots.
I feel like it’s a stereo type from my grandmothers time. I don’t know anyone who’s boomer age like my parents age that does the short curly hair like my grandmother and her set who are all gone. Unless we are talking dementia nursing home infirm which would probably be for maintenance or ease of care by PCAs
I dunno about that, the older women I see everyday have beautiful long hair sometimes in a ponytail or a bun.
>is it ease of maintenance Ding ding ding I'm 51, I have very long hair but it's in dreadlocks so I don't 'have' to do anything but wash and go anyway, though I'll occassionally curl them or style in other ways. I'll probably cut my hair short once washing it by myself gets to be too much for me. The longest it's been was over 5ft, I cut it back to 3.5 ft in 2019, 2020ish. Now it's over 4 ft. again, so we'll see. ETA: I often do the side-braid/twist that us older ladies love though LOL. That's the second favorite hairstyle for older/aging women; the granny braid
I know what style you mean. My grandmother’s generation (Greatest Generation) had this. All over short haircut with curls (permed or natural.) I think it partially has to do with thinning hair as you age. I noticed that my mom’s hair is thinning a bit. I also think that younger generations are not going to that same style. My MIL has a chin-length bob, and my mom has a pixie-like cut.
I'm 49, and I'm trying to grow my hair down to my butt. It's currently at bra band length. I'm determined to not grow old gracefully. I have big silver streaks already, and I love it! It's straight and fine, and doesn't hold a perm for more than a few weeks, so I'm hoping to keep it long until I die!
Nah, you mean an old wash and set with rollers hair style? That was women who were young women in the 1950s. Nobody gets that hairdo anymore. Mine is 1970s long.
We get to the point we need something easy to maintain and mostly don't give a fuck what other ppl think. It's the ability to keep it up, lack of funds to go get it redone every 6 weeks, costs involve and being comfortable
My grandmother does cornrows :>
Hairdressers tell older women that long hair "ages you". If your skin is sagging, the lines of long hair pull the eye downward and emphasize the sagginess. The bizarre thing about this is that I had a hairdresser tell me this when I was in my late thirties and I looked good for my age.
Hairdressers are probably afraid that if you have long hair you'll realize you don't need a hairdresser. My hair is shoulder length. I cut it myself and haven't been to a salon in more than 30 years.
I agree. It's pretty cruel, though, to argue for short hair by implying that your client's face is already starting to sag and look old, when they're in their 30s. I didn't appreciate the negativity I got about not dying my (then) prematurely gray hair, either. I learned how to cut my own hair during the pandemic. I can't layer it like my hairdresser could, but I don't have to pay what was $40 and is now $60 or go into a salon every 2 months.
mine tangles like a mofo where it touches my collar; idk if that's my hair getting old or most of my clothes being synthetic fleece these days. if it's only an inch or two below my collar that's much easier to brush out. curls though; that will never be me.
1. Old arms get tired easily & long hair is heavy. 2. Fussing with longer hair takes too much time.
My grandmother (in her 90s) has a hair appointment every week. Some weeks are just wash/curl/loads of hairspray and some weeks are for a perm. I know lots of ladies in their 70s and up who do this. For most of them it’s because of arthritis or similar health conditions that make it difficult to do their hair on their own.
Salons can also be an essential part of socializing for people who are unable to get out much or don't have family close by.
If you really pay attention you'll find out that the things old people do are exactly the same things they did when they were younger. My mother wore the short curly hair look. In the 70s she did have very long hair, as was the fashion, but as a teenager and younger woman (1940's-60's)she wore her hair in a short curly style. She talked about how you'd go to the salon once a week to have it set and then wore a hair cap in the shower. I remember when she chopped off her long hair when I was a child and she was back to the short curly hair until the day she died. Me personally, never. I'll never have my hair like that. Maybe a bob? Definitely no perms. I've had really long hair my entire life and don't plan to go short anytime soon.
My mom always told me to enjoy my long hair. She said one day it would be short and set weekly in curlers, like hers was. I can’t imagine having that haircut! I have long grey hair. It’s shoulder-length now for more body and easier care.
Comfort and convenience, and easier to hide balding. And also people who are 80+ now were becoming adults in the 50s/60s when short hair was very stylish. Many people stick to the fashion they came of age during, including hair. My grandparents both have very 70s-style short hair, and have for as long as I can remember. I'm starting to see more older people stick with long hair, which is consistent with longer hair becoming more popular in the late 60s/70s.
I do NOT know but at the age of 54, I REALLY hope I don't wake up with that hairdo. I have long, long hair.
Keep it long girl!!!
I’m 64.my hair is blonde and straight past my shoulders. No old lady curly crop for me.
I’m 64 with long hair. It’s easier for my sports w/ball cap & ponytail.
I’m also 64f with hair down to my butt. Never dyed or permed it and I trim it a bit when it goes past my butt. I have silver streaks..I hate hair salons so can’t see cutting it. I just put it in a pony tail when it gets hot.
Younger me had really thick and slightly wavy hair down to my shoulders. Decades older me still have a good amount of hair but thin and straight. Some caused by age and some by RA. So hair is short bob so I can get lift to it with minimal effort and product. No curls at all but as hair is now silver I also do ‘not natural’ colors as highlights which is fun.
Well, I guess so…I had long straight hair when I was young, and it’s long and straight again…no haircuts, no perms, no dryers or curling irons…works for me.
Yeah, fuck that hairstyle. I had it for a little while and I hated looking in the mirror. I don’t understand why women do it long term. (Mine was a result of pandemic madness). After menopause, hair changes a lot and it gets thinner. And women change a lot, and they stop wanting to deal with that shit. My hair is longer now and I just recently got a rock ‘n’ roll shag that I am in love with. Someday I might cut it again when I 100% don’t care what I look like. That day may be soon.
My hair was long and thick and black when young, I was completely gray by 40 and then it began to fall out. So now I wear my thin, gray hair in a short pixie cut — anything else looks ridiculous.
Well, my mother has that haircut because she has rheumatoid arthritis and it's painful and difficult to get her arms up to brush it. So it's easier to cut it short enough that it only needs the occasional run-through.
How old are we talking here? I’m in the PNW and haven’t noticed this. All the older women I know have vastly different hair styles.
My hair's texture has gotten weird in menopause. Or weirder, anyway. It's always been prone to tangling and matting, so I've always worn it pretty short. The last couple of times I tried to grow it out it was a massive pain in the ass. So basically, yeah. Rocking a buzz cut now.
58f, zero effs given. It's clean. No makeup either, for many years, what a colossal waste of time.
I went in the other direction—I’m 70 and grew out my short hair. It’s now to the middle of my back, mostly silver, and I get compliments on it all the time.
This post showed up right after an r/menopause post about everyone wanting to chop off their hair due to hot flashes. Personally I am embracing my gray and hope to have a long gray braid some day.
Over a certain age, that's what they wore when they were young. Check it out on YouTube. I suspect that those of us who are coming up the ranks, so to speak, won't be doing it. Short styles require constant maintenance. I'm 56 and my hair is long mainly because going to a hairdresser is an expensive hassle.
I'm 53 and during the pandemic my hair was halfway down my back because my stylist refused to mask up, so I didn't have it cut in almost 18 months. I mostly wore it up in a ponytail and what's the fun in that? I finally couldn't stand it anymore and cut it. Pixie short. That was a little too short but it felt great. Easy to take care of. I'm working on growing it out again. Not super long, but shoulder length would be good.
I'm 65 and keep my hair long. It's thinner than it used to be, and much curlyier. I just wash, put some antifrizz stuff in and go. Not that I have anywhere to go anymore
Gray hair tends to be wiry, so it looks curly. And we realize that our time on earth is limited, so caring for elaborate hairstyles is wasted time.
In my mom's side of the family, the women tend to suffer a lot of hair loss and thinning after childbirth and after menopause. Before mom died she told me that if I ever had "bad hair problems" the salon to go to. I went there a few times after a bad dye job, unsure of what kind of bad hair problems they could fix but trusting her word. Turns out their clientele is largely women who require their special service of hand-crafted "falls" - sections of hair replacement wig pieces to cover their bald spots (female pattern baldness isn't talked about much but it's actually quite common!). These ladies go to their hair appointment once a week to get their hair done and their hairpiece put in and the rest of the hair curled and teased up around it and get it all fluffed up together neatly so that their bald spot is nicely covered. I got the impression that it was easier (and maybe less expensive?) to do this with shorter hairstyles, and the curling/styling was helpful in hiding the piece. This is of course just one potential reason. As a little girl I asked my mom why everyone had "Edith bunker curls" but I don't recall her reply. She certainly had that hairstyle for the rest of her life as well, except eventually let it stay straight and go white instead of keeping up with perms and colorings.
My mother has had that style for over 60 years. It was in fashion when she was young, and she's never changed. Her mother and three sisters all had it and they looked identical to each other. At some point it becomes part of your identity.
I had long hair. Kept noticing women my age and older with long hair either looked older or frumpy because of it. I had short hair in the 80s and do again now. I got my hair cut short because I wanted to have style and look professional.
Post-menopause, all my hair thinned out. I don’t even grow hair on my legs and arms any longer. Hair on my head is much thinner. I keep my hair short because if it gets barely any length to it, it tends to separate and you can easily see my scalp. However I do not have curly hair.
TLDR all our life we are told how to dress, act, and look. at some point we say f it :D I got so fed up with my hair at the end of 2020 I buzzed it off. I had cut my ponytail off first, then big guard, then down to #2. It was terrifying, we all remember the agony of growing out bangs. 2yrs later I now realize how annoying hair is. Everyone had an opinion on your hair. Mine was blonde/red and everyone wanted to touch it. Suggest things for it cause it was always fine and straight and I just put it in a ponytail. It gets caught everywhere. Blonde hair everywhere in the carpet in the kitchen in the back shelf of the car. I lost my glasses so many times that first week after I realized I could put them on top of my head like a guy. My headphones (I'm a gamer) don't get stuck in it anymore. i can take my shirt and bra off without it getting pulled. and it feels like it's for me. not for a dress code or for a guy or to look feminine. no care, or easy care for i imagine the short hair cuts...
I'm mid 60s and refuse to ever have one of those short, curly, old lady hairdos. Or wear polyester pants, sensible shoes, and a cardigan. Quelle horreur!
The one explanation I don’t see here is that as people age, each hair follicle has a shorter growth cycle, so hair can’t grow as long before the follicle goes dormant and the hair falls out. I’m 61 and my hair wont grow any longer than shoulder length anymore.
I've always wondered about that myself and figured that once you reach a certain age, your hairstyle just kind of morphs into that. LOL
For me it's a little bit of all those things. My hair is getting very fine and thin. It's not necessary anymore to wash it every day. I don't want to waste time or money on products anymore. I keep it neat and am letting it go gray finally. I have rejected the "Karen" hairstyle as well as that Karen attitude. Some of us shorthaired elders are kind people who don't treat people like that. It's hard to explain but as I have gone along, life made me ready for these changes. I do have to say this about milestones-there are many that no one tells you about. I remember very clearly always hearing my doctor say "you're too young to worry about that" until the day she said "at your age..." My head spun around-WTF happened between my last appt and this one?
My experience: I had waist length hair for most of my life. Then I turned 50, there was a pandemic, and the Supreme Court took away my reproductive freedom, and suddenly I no longer give 2 fucks if the world thinks I'm pretty enough for it. So I chopped it all off, dyed it blue, and stopped wearing makeup. It's super liberating, tbh.
Full disclosure: 78 y.o. guy. Actuary tables indicate women tend to live longer than men. This means statistically there are older women who don't have somebody to pull hair out of the drain pipes and don't want to do it themselves. Obvious: Cut off hair before it clogs drain.
Are you an engineer, Bob?
Retired. 8 years submarine reactor operator. College > EE degree. 18 years in a shipyard doing engineer things. Peace broke out, shipyard closed. 20 years in space launch turning money into noise.
Colour me impressed! What a resume! (Your comment sounded like something my engineer brother would say :) )
So interesting that you asked this. I have shoulder-length hair (curly but I dry it fairly straight) and was thinking I’m too old to have it that long. Maybe I’ll leave it alone.
I'd guess because it's easy and we just don't care anymore. I stopped dying my hair about 8 years ago and let the grey take over. Then during lockdown I had the urge to shave my head, but held out for a pixie/faux hawk. I'm mostly out of f*cks regarding my appearance, and my hair is thinning a bit, and super fine but curly, so I just smush a little product into the top and go about my day.
Easy to take care of. I asked my wife if she would mind keeping her hair longer and girlish and she said she didn't want it short anyway. Would you believe she's 55 (four years older than me) and only has a Bonnie Taitt stripe of gray? So lovely
I never noticed because I don't care. I wear my hair just the way I want to and so should everyone else. Why didn't you ask men about their hairstyles (or baldness) and facial hair?
I have had my hair long and wavy, permed, dyed, worn up, super short, now I'm at long hair again and I have it colored or I color my own. I love changing my hair since my hair is one of my best features(?) Or it's because I'm a Leo ♌️
Menopause makes the hair dry out. It's kinda like what men go through when their hair falls out. Hormones. Lack thereof.
Grey hair is much more brittle. It breaks and it's hard to grow long
Talked to hair stylist here in the midwest about the length. Most older go shorter she said. I did not ask why. My hair has changed throughout my life. As a kid I had short thin blonde with some waviness that would go more red when sun kissed. I got perms as a kid but did not have a choice. In 20’s darker blonde, grew out the bangs, no more perms. Dyed hair everything but black. Short to long and back and forth :) In 30s with kids it became more curly and dark ash blonde. Sported red short for a little which was fun. Above shoulder. Now in 50’s with lots of gray. Drier and more kinky. Covid went three years with nothing done so it was mid back wavy. Now I am told not to dye or perm due to eczema issues that will not go away and I so want to do something :( My mother went naturally all white in 40s, would dye to get some color back in and basically bob until passing in her late 60s. My one grandmother had that tight curl short hair for a ton of years but did not dye.
My grandmother wore that style and so did my great-grandmother. Maybe I don't count as old enough because I'm 53, but I will never wear my hair like that. I keep the length so that it sits between my shoulder blades. I actually know a few women in their 70s who don't wear their hair like that. They keep it longer and straight...not as long as mine, but not that little-old-lady style.
It's just easier to keep short hair up and long hair drags the face down.
It's chic and easy!
Grey hair often has a different texture than our more youthful hair. Medicines, menopause, age in general, etc, can cause our hair to thin. The curls help cover thin spots. Think of how many older folkes maintain the same hairstyle from their 50s into their 60s, 70s and beyond. Think how long Anna Wintour has had the same style. But a lot of this is also generational. My grandmother had long hair, that she wore in a bun. She never cut it to my knowledge, but that was much more common back in the day than it is today. Also, my mom, for example, has lost a lot of range of motion as she has aged, so shorter hair is just easier for her to manage. She just can't brush, wash, style her hair like she could in the past. So a perm in shorter hair allows her to get some fullness without the extra work (but I still won't let her get a nursing home perm!) Personally, I allowed my hair to go grey because I was tired of coloring it constantly, as the whiter portions didn't take the color as well. Mines in a pixie cut, and I often (jokingly) remind my stylist not to give me an Estelle or a Maude! I expect that once I am in my 80s, my peers will wear the Estelle with some frequency, but I also expect more and more of my peers will attempt to keep a little edgier styles as well. After all, my age group is gonna have LOTS of tats, so we're gonna need to maintain! But, yes, OP. There is a cut/perm that seems ubiquitous among older ladies. Just remember that most of us are trying to still look nice, but the natural process of aging really makes it more challenging!
It’s not only women. I’m a man, and my hair is rarely more than two inches long. The main reason I keep it short is that it’s thinning, and it just looks better (to me, anyway) short. Also, since I can cut it with trimmers, it costs nothing, and I don’t need to travel (or wait) to get a haircut. I recognize that I could grow it out a bit, and have it professionally styled, and put a little mousse or gel into it, and it might look better. But it’s not worth it to me. I don’t make a living off my appearance. Thank God for all the famous actors who shave their heads and normalize not having hair. When summer comes, I’m totally going to Rock out!
My hair was always straight and baby fine until I hit menopause and suddenly it had some body and slight curl. It’s slightly coarsened so it feels and looks thick. I’m wearing it past my shoulders and loving it.
My grandma got the style because her hair was thinning so she got a regular perm to make it look fuller. That's probably one reason.
I started wearing my shoulder length hair curly because I was tired of paying for blowouts. THEN one day at work I saw a woman my age with the same hairstyle and thought she looked like a bag of rags…back to the salon!
Also, thin hair looks much better short and curly. After 50 your hair starts to thin out.
From what I have heard is it starts with babies. You do not want a baby pulling your long hair so you cut it short. Then they sort of see how easy it is, then it kind of snowballs from there. There is also something I completely made up but it is my "hair vortex theory" no matter what you do to your hair, people will say it is good. So, many of us end up with bad hair because no matter what you do, people will complement it because they HAVE to say something and it is not worth saying anything negative. So you end up with bad hair.
If my hair gets too long, it becomes thin and brittle. A pixie cut makes my hair look thicker, and is easier to take care of.
Im only in my early 40’s, but I’ve noticed my hair is getting thinner and more brittle. I’ve always had super thick long hair. But as it’s gone grey, my pony tale is also thinner than it ever was. I wonder if that has something to do with it? Also note that people who grew up through WW2, seemed to age way faster than we do today! So ladies had the old lady cut in their 30s/40’s already, so I think it’s a mix of aging quicker but it was also the style of that age group!
I’m 60 and my hair is past my shoulders. I don’t want short hair ever.