Long hair over 50?

[Madam Bijoux]

I'm 72, and my hair is almost waist length.

 

[marymm]

IMO, any age can rock long hair, but I do think some people's hair characteristics and haircare preferences may make long hair not possible or less practicable. For example, my older sister has very fine, thin hair that just cannot grow past her shoulders. Another sister has a healthy head of hair but doesn't like spending time on it; she finds long hair to be a hassle.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I always let my hair dry naturally never use the blow dryer
I just lightly dry it with a towel then comb it then just wait
my hair is one of the few things i get complimented on, i never go to the hairdresser and i use shampoos and conditioner from the supermarket - what ever is on special
I think back at all the stress it used to cause me when it was short
I wear it up or down but when i was working i tucked it up under a baseball cap
its so fine it all fits

 

[lilmosun]

I'm 60 and until very recently have always had longer hair (i.e. past my shoulders).

Unlike @marymm 's sister, I felt long hairs was easier. I only had it cut once a year, routine was just wash and comb - no blow drying/styling.

And while others like @AprilBaby grew their hair due to Covid, I did the opposite and had it all cut off into a bob. It hasn't been this short since 3rd grade. I think part of it was wanting a change and feeling like I had control over something in this crazy time. As I told my hairdresser who was surprised by the request "No one is going to see me for awhile and by then it will grow back".

 

[monarch64]

As long as my hair stays attached to my head it's not getting cut short. And if it does start falling out I'll shave it and wear long wigs. I give zero you-know-whats about who thinks it's age-appropriate.

 

[kenny]

I say, everyone should do whatever they want.

I avoid commenting on any woman's appearance, positive or negative.
But since you asked, IMO some women look good with long hair and some not.
Again, IMO.

You didn't ask, but IMO all men look bad with long hair.
Also you didn't ask, but I don't put much effort, or stock, in my hair, clothes, and general appearance.
It doesn't matter much to me, beyond being clean and presentable for work.

 

[stracci2000]

IMO all men look bad with long hair.

I disagree

 

[AprilBaby]

I disagree

 

[GliderPoss]

No age limit! Go for whatever you love & suits you. In fact I wish MORE women would keep their beautiful long hair in older age. A lot of older women with very short, masculine style hair cuts here which I feel has almost the opposite effect desired....

 

[LemonMoonLex]

As long as I don't ever look Mormon (no offense lovely Mormon people!) I will continue to have hair past my t!ts! That includes as I age and grow white & gray

I also made an oath to myself to make friends with my wrinkles and will never have botox/filler done & never have.

I'm excited to grow to a ripe old age, & I want to show the world that I'm resilient and have survived this long.

I love seeing older women who have made peace with their ageing and choose to flow with the tides of time & not back pedal against it. It's hard because we do live in a world that prizes "hotness" above beauty when hotness is fleeting & is just about sexual fertility but beauty lasts a lifetime and radiates from the soul outwards.

There is something so refreshing in just accepting yourself as you are, and the things you don't find beautiful.

Letting it all go and instead of trying to turn back time, engaging in healthy rituals that nourish your mind, body, & soul.

 

[Yelena]

Thank you @moneymeister ❤

I remember I tried convincing my mom to color her hair over a decade ago. I’m so glad she didn’t listen. The gray suits her. And now I’ve stopped coloring my hair (over a year plus now) and while I don’t love the color I’m hopeful it will go more gray soon.

I’m 55 and I wear my hair either in a ponytail or half back half down.

There really are no rules. When I was 20 I never would have dreamed I’d be wearing a ponytail at 55 lol.



Excuse the raggedy ends. I haven’t had it cut since last January.

Missy you and your Mum look fabulous with your long hair

 

[Yelena]

As long as I don't ever look Mormon (no offense lovely Mormon people!) I will continue to have hair past my t!ts! That includes as I age and grow white & gray ❤

I also made an oath to myself to make friends with my wrinkles and will never have botox/filler done & never have.

I'm excited to grow to a ripe old age, & I want to show the world that I'm resilient and have survived this long.

I love seeing older women who have made peace with their ageing and choose to flow with the tides of time & not back pedal against it. It's hard because we do live in a world that prizes "hotness" above beauty when hotness is fleeting & is just about sexual fertility but beauty lasts a lifetime and radiates from the soul outwards.

There is something so refreshing in just accepting yourself as you are, and the things you don't find beautiful.

Letting it all go and instead of trying to turn back time, engaging in healthy rituals that nourish your mind, body, & soul.

+1

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Until a year or so ago, I had super thick, wavy (ropey + undulating) auburn red hair, of mid-thigh length. I’ve never owned a hair dryer or flat iron. Previously I’ve grown it out, donated it, and grown it out again, over and over. Due to an early cruel-hair-stylist-induced trauma, I insisted on long hair and avoiding the salon as much as possible, usually to the chagrin of my mother, who spent huge amounts of time and money endlessly maintaining her 2” style.

Last year I cut off about 28” thinking it was time to ‘grow up and get professional’ and for a moment there, I really believed it was a good decision. It wasn’t. The cognitive dissonance of looking at myself in the mirror and being unhappy with the fraudster looking back at me, was awful. I decided to grow it back out, of course. It’s now BSL (bra strap length) and I’ll be satisfied once it reaches my waist. Anything further will be a bonus.

So now. I’m about to turn 50 (imminently), and I’ve noticed overall thinning and of course, much of my red is gone. I don’t like being beige (not quite blonde, not really grey, something in the middle as most redheads will attest), but mostly I miss the length and I miss the thickness. As I continue to age (I hope) and it continues to thin, I’m going to have to make some decisions.

Of course, hair that’s ‘right’ for each of us will be different, but in addition to the fundamental need for self-recognition, the issue of authenticity in self-expression is under-appreciated. It would be out of character for me to have short hair. Like false advertising, I suppose. The visual language of contemporary hairstyles communicates ideas that are simply untrue of me (sassy, breezy, chic, polished, elegant, in-step, of-the-moment, avant-guard, and so forth)... these are simply not who I am. My hair matches Me. I hope for every person that this would also be the case for them.

This is why I disagree with the idea that women should (fill in the blank), whether long hair on little girls, short hair on older women, blah blah blah. We will be criticized whether we conform to social norms or not, either way, and someone will feel the right to pass judgement upon us, in ways that men neither expect nor tolerate. All this is to say, do what you love, yes, but most of all, do what feels authentic to who you really truly are, whether pixie or lady godiva.

 

[Yelena]

One person’s definition of long hair might be another’s definition of short hair.

I think you can have long hair at any age as long as you like the way it frames your face. It’s about knowing yourself and asking the advice of a talented and trusted hairdresser if you need to. Personally I look better with either hair that is very short on the sides, with some volume on top (hello styling products) or with a long bob as a minimum length. I need to minimise volume at the sides because I have a bit of a round face, so long hair is great for me. I will continue to wear it long when I pass 50 because I will still have a roundish face. Maybe one day I will get sick of all of the maintenance and cut it really short. Or perhaps I will just refuse to...

“...go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

Long hair after 50? Bring it on. Most of all be true to who you are.

 

[Made in London]

Please wear your hair in the style that makes you happy and makes you feel good. All those rules were thrown out the window many years ago.

I am happy to hear that all "those rules" went out the window many years ago!

 

[Yelena]

I say, everyone should do whatever they want.

I avoid commenting on any woman's appearance, positive or negative.
But since you asked, IMO some women look good with long hair and some not.
Again, IMO.

You didn't ask, but IMO all men look bad with long hair.
Also you didn't ask, but I don't put much effort, or stock, in my hair, clothes, and general appearance.
It doesn't matter much to me, beyond being clean and presentable for work.

Sorry I disagree. Some men do look very good with long hair, but then we are all entitled to our opinions and I respect your right to have one that differs from mine.

 

[missy]

Until a year or so ago, I had super thick, wavy (ropey + undulating) auburn red hair, of mid-thigh length. I’ve never owned a hair dryer or flat iron. Previously I’ve grown it out, donated it, and grown it out again, over and over. Due to an early cruel-hair-stylist-induced trauma, I insisted on long hair and avoiding the salon as much as possible, usually to the chagrin of my mother, who spent huge amounts of time and money endlessly maintaining her 2” style.

Last year I cut off about 28” thinking it was time to ‘grow up and get professional’ and for a moment there, I really believed it was a good decision. It wasn’t. The cognitive dissonance of looking at myself in the mirror and being unhappy with the fraudster looking back at me, was awful. I decided to grow it back out, of course. It’s now BSL (bra strap length) and I’ll be satisfied once it reaches my waist. Anything further will be a bonus.

So now. I’m about to turn 50 (imminently), and I’ve noticed overall thinning and of course, much of my red is gone. I don’t like being beige (not quite blonde, not really grey, something in the middle as most redheads will attest), but mostly I miss the length and I miss the thickness. As I continue to age (I hope) and it continues to thin, I’m going to have to make some decisions.

Of course, hair that’s ‘right’ for each of us will be different, but in addition to the fundamental need for self-recognition, the issue of authenticity in self-expression is under-appreciated. It would be out of character for me to have short hair. Like false advertising, I suppose. The visual language of contemporary hairstyles communicates ideas that are simply untrue of me (sassy, breezy, chic, polished, elegant, in-step, of-the-moment, avant-guard, and so forth)... these are simply not who I am. My hair matches Me. I hope for every person that this would also be the case for them.

This is why I disagree with the idea that women should (fill in the blank), whether long hair on little girls, short hair on older women, blah blah blah. We will be criticized whether we conform to social norms or not, either way, and someone will feel the right to pass judgement upon us, in ways that men neither expect nor tolerate. All this is to say, do what you love, yes, but most of all, do what feels authentic to who you really truly are, whether pixie or lady godiva.

Agree with everything you wrote. My heart goes out to you @PreRaphaelite and I get it. I. too, am experiencing thinning hair but for me this has been happening over the past 7 years or so gradually. Due to menopause but probably more so due to thyroid issues that I seem to be unable to get under better control and low ferritin. Now my thinning hair is way more evident and I, too, have decisions to make.


Like @Yelena though I have definitely embraced acceptance over these past 7 years. It is a learning process and a work in progress always but I realize if I don't accept it what other options do I have? Like @monarch64 I think when the time comes I will shave my head and wear wigs. I already have a bunch of wigs I bought over the past few years but have not yet worn due to not yet needing them. But I am ready when I do. Only because I don't believe I will like my appearance with a bald head. This is for me and no one else. I don't feel pressure to conform to society's approval or societal norms or to what others think of as attractive. I do what makes me feel good. And if rocking a bald head will do that then that is cool too. Only time will tell how I feel and one day at a time. It's the best any of us can do.

Beauty is from within. I know this. And I feel at peace despite all that is happening with my health and I know I will be OK. You will too @PreRaphaelite.

Hugs to all the lovely people here who are struggling with something. Life is challenging but it is worth it. And no matter one's physical superficial appearance one must always remember true beauty is from within and you are worthy of loving yourself and being kind to yourself. Always remember that.

(((Hugs))).

 

[missy]

As long as I don't ever look Mormon (no offense lovely Mormon people!) I will continue to have hair past my t!ts! That includes as I age and grow white & gray ❤

I also made an oath to myself to make friends with my wrinkles and will never have botox/filler done & never have.

I'm excited to grow to a ripe old age, & I want to show the world that I'm resilient and have survived this long.

I love seeing older women who have made peace with their ageing and choose to flow with the tides of time & not back pedal against it. It's hard because we do live in a world that prizes "hotness" above beauty when hotness is fleeting & is just about sexual fertility but beauty lasts a lifetime and radiates from the soul outwards.

There is something so refreshing in just accepting yourself as you are, and the things you don't find beautiful.

Letting it all go and instead of trying to turn back time, engaging in healthy rituals that nourish your mind, body, & soul.

I feel as you do @TheGarnetGirl but also support those who wish to do fillers and botox etc. I know it is nt one size fits all and whatever makes someone feel good works. Like you though I am more than happy to have the opportunity and privilege to grow old wrinkles and all. Thinning gray hair etc. I just want to be able to grow old with my dh and in relatively good health so we can enjoy life. Accepting oneself, superficial flaws and all, is a beautiful thing.

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Thank you @missy for your kindness, as ever. Your positive energy is the gravity that keeps all these disparate satellite posters connected into a family.

And @Yelena thanks for the poetry! I was just talking about Dylan Thomas to a friend today when I admitted that I’d like to move to Wales. There’s no such thing as coincidence, perhaps?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I say, everyone should do whatever they want.

I avoid commenting on any woman's appearance, positive or negative.
But since you asked, IMO some women look good with long hair and some not.
Again, IMO.

You didn't ask, but IMO all men look bad with long hair.
Also you didn't ask, but I don't put much effort, or stock, in my hair, clothes, and general appearance.
It doesn't matter much to me, beyond being clean and presentable for work.

Im with you!
My hair once got really damaged - i used this silly product called Sun in to bleach it - it was just as hash harsh as peroxide
Anyway i had to get in cut short
One hairdressers cut whole the other sickly sweet it up while i cried.
It had to be layered which i hated
When i went to work the next day one of the younger men said
Look we have a new boy working here

 

[Yelena]

Im with you!
My hair once got really damaged - i used this silly product called Sun in to bleach it - it was just as hash harsh as peroxide
Anyway i had to get in cut short
One hairdressers cut whole the other sickly sweet it up while i cried.
It had to be layered which i hated
When i went to work the next day one of the younger men said
Look we have a new boy working here

What an awful thing to say.

 

[MrsBlue]

My natural hair looks a lot like this so it needs a bit of length to help weigh it down. Short hair is not an option.

 

[susiegrneyes]

I agree with everyone else. My mom is 68 and has hair a few inches past her shoulders. Honestly I can't imagine her without it.

 

[missy]

Im with you!
My hair once got really damaged - i used this silly product called Sun in to bleach it - it was just as hash harsh as peroxide
Anyway i had to get in cut short
One hairdressers cut whole the other sickly sweet it up while i cried.
It had to be layered which i hated
When i went to work the next day one of the younger men said
Look we have a new boy working here

Dear @Daisys and Diamonds know this says everything about them and nothing about you. It is why, when confronted with people who behave meanly or rudely, I (generally) ignore. It speaks volumes about them and says nothing about you and no need to waste any energy on people who behave like this. I am sorry you experienced this. (((HUGS))).

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Dear @Daisys and Diamonds know this says everything about them and nothing about you. It is why, when confronted with people who behave meanly or rudely, I (generally) ignore. It speaks volumes about them and says nothing about you and no need to waste any energy on people who behave like this. I am sorry you experienced this. (((HUGS))).

Thanks dear Missy
he was young and i was a cheap laugh
he left soon after
the boy who replaced him used to hun duelling banjos when i came in in the morning because i came from down south
It was not easy for me when i first moved to Wellington
I was 26 and my then boyfriend's mum treated me like a child because i hadn't been to university
I had never been im a place where it mattered where i had been to schoop before
It wasn't until i 5 years latter and i went to work in a community full of migrants and first generation NZers i felt excepted

 

[MMtwo]

My son is 28 and on the autistic spectrum. He lives with us in an apartment downstairs. I am not sure if he will always need support.

It has been his long held opinion that at a certain age, women chop their hair off in a sort of beauty surrender, as in, "It is of no use anymore". He told me this in earnest at dinner about a year ago.

After I went short, I came home and he said good naturedly, "I see you raised the white flag of surrender".

HAHAHAHAHA

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

What an awful thing to say.

The few ladies i worked with were nice though
Men can be such horrible creatures
I have a worse story !
I used to be the mother of the nails and nuts and bolts at my last job
the nuts and bolts are generally greasy and dirty
Once when putting them away i scratched my face and it got infected
It looked dreadful - like Mt Vesuvius terrible - a huge mountain of green pus on my check umder my eye (a very difficult place for a bandaid)
I should have called in sick

Anyway my regular customers (mostly men and builders) were either being polite and not saying anything or else sheaeing stories of their own gross work related injuries, and my workmates in my dept were also being kind
But i had to go up the front to send a fax (we worked in a long neglected by head office timber/ hardwear shop in a country village with the worst and very unreliable internet speed)
Anyway the people up the front who worked with Joe public/ Mr DIY, were usually nice but one of the older men went on and on about how disgusting my face looked and how could i stand it - i should go home
the fax machine was behind the counter and there were customers i did not know being served who could hear and see us
If the floor could have opened up and swallowed me i wish it could have
the girl i worked with turned up just in time to hear it and rescue me or i would have started crying
So at 45 i got my first 'acne' scare but i didn't care - i was just glad it healed up and after that everytime i got dirty hands at work id go wash them

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

My son is 28 and on the autistic spectrum. He lives with us in an apartment downstairs. I am not sure if he will always need support.

It has been his long held opinion that at a certain age, women chop their hair off in a sort of beauty surrender, as in, "It is of no use anymore". He told me this in earnest at dinner about a year ago.

After I went short, I came home and he said good naturedly, "I see you raised the white flag of surrender".

HAHAHAHAHA

Its good he has a sence of humour ...and you too

 

[MMtwo]

Its good he has a sence of humour ...and you too

I bet laughter keeps us younger than anything else.

 

[MMtwo]

The few ladies i worked with were nice though
Men can be such horrible creatures
I have a worse story !
I used to be the mother of the nails and nuts and bolts at my last job
the nuts and bolts are generally greasy and dirty
Once when putting them away i scratched my face and it got infected
It looked dreadful - like Mt Vesuvius terrible - a huge mountain of green pus on my check umder my eye (a very difficult place for a bandaid)
I should have called in sick

Anyway my regular customers (mostly men and builders) were either being polite and not saying anything or else sheaeing stories of their own gross work related injuries, and my workmates in my dept were also being kind
But i had to go up the front to send a fax (we worked in a long neglected by head office timber/ hardwear shop in a country village with the worst and very unreliable internet speed)
Anyway the people up the front who worked with Joe public/ Mr DIY, were usually nice but one of the older men went on and on about how disgusting my face looked and how could i stand it - i should go home
the fax machine was behind the counter and there were customers i did not know being served who could hear and see us
If the floor could have opened up and swallowed me i wish it could have
the girl i worked with turned up just in time to hear it and rescue me or i would have started crying
So at 45 i got my first 'acne' scare but i didn't care - i was just glad it healed up and after that everytime i got dirty hands at work id go wash them

Good thing you had someone there to support you. I hope the mean mister felt bad.