Short Hair

I guess there’s a variety of reasons I personally (and it IS just personal) don’t think older ladies look good with long flowing hair unless like my friend it’s put in a more sophisticated ‘up’ style Grey thin hair can look witch like Hair sometimes gets thinner or finer when older so not such a good look Then you have the arthritis/ joint problems that sometimes mean hard work to get arms up to do a lot of the longer styles
I think shoulder length is the longest for older ladies but again it’s only personal so not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings if they have long hair that suits them
I went short in my 40 s and love it it’s so easy to look after I m not crew cut short, but choppy short, i wash it every day in the shower a quick dry and a tousle with a bit of texture cream five minutes work and I often get complements and asked where I go to get my hair done You do need a good hairdresser though short cuts are a lot harder than longer

It`s easier to look after! Not much styling, drying, keeping tidy generally, though obviously it needs cutting more often and, as BlueBelle says, you need a good hairdresser.

If you look anything like me, in older years your face (and other parts!) tends to sag and I find a short choppy cut lifts my look.

I had waist length hair for decades. Then I hit 40 and decided to go shorter . Shoulder length now. Up to the individual I guess!

I agree Suzette1613 and Bluebelle. I spend €12 a month on a trim from my lovely hairdresser and wash it every other day, pull a comb through, leave it to dry then a fingertip of glosser smooth the ends.

I’m fortunate to have gone from dark to gunmetal with more silvering around my face and use a blue shampoo once a fortnight to stop any yellowing.

I have a friend whose hair is well past her shoulders but she always wears it in a tight bun except when she goes to bed and I don’t really see the point.

Whenever I go swimming and am in the hairdryer section of the changing room it's very noticable those who have very, very short hair can literally shake it dry, like a dog does when it comes out of the water, absolute minimal fuss, none of the faffing about that makes drying longer hair so tedious. My husband doesn't like very short hair on women and although I'm my own person I do take his views into account up to a point. I had it shoulder length for many years, I wouldn't want it that length now in my mid 60s. Presently it's just below my ears in a bob. slightly layered, not what could be described as long though. When I wash it I tend to do the whole blow dry, heated brush on the ends palava which is a fag, but looks good afterwards. I still have quite thick hair so it takes a while.

Hair length is a personal preference, I thik an elfin face and defined jaw is essential to carry off a very short [Judi Dench] style.

I'm 65 and mine's long - I've had it very short in the past and found it more of a nuisance to style than just fastening it up in a messy bun. I do keep threatening to have it cut but chicken out once I'm in the chair

As BlueBelle said thin grey hair is not an attractive look. I have never been blessed with a good head of hair and now it's quite sparse. Keeping it short makes it look thicker. I do envy those people who have thick bouncy hair. It's very much a personal thing, some people look good with longer hair if it is well cut.

I have shoulder length hair and i agree with Pantglas2 about what is the point if you are putting up every day. But I too never wear mine down it is always in an 'updo'. The reason being it is so easy to deal with. When i worked it was short and i went to the hairdresser every six weeks to keep it in shape. Once i retired i let the layers grow out and find it so easy to deal with now. I dont even need a mirror, just a brush and a clip and i am done. I use to have to wash every day and blow dry as when i got up one side was always sticking up and refused to lie down. It was such a faff every day, maybe thats why your friend wears her hair in a bun.

Mine was medium length but then cancer hit. After the chemo it came back very dry and totally unmanageable for a while so I went shorter and kept it that way. On the whole it's easier to manage which I like. I sometimes feel the urge to go even shorter but am not quite brave enough. I don't care what others think of it.

I always had long hair until my second child was born when I had it cut short. It is naturally wavy and very easy to keep smart. Any minute I am expecting it to drop out after chemo so will see how or if it grows back.

Personally I think it is a disappointment when you see a lovely long head of hair from the back and when it turns round the face is old.

I've always had my hair very short.

I recently decided to grow it as I thought I would be able to do more interesting things with it. I looked like a witch! A trip to my hairdresser a few days ago and it's all gone and I feel so much better.

The Judy Dench style suits most older people whereas the longer witchlike styles are ageing. Can't stand the wrapped up or bun styles that religious people wear.

Dragonfly that's a 1690.
16 from behind 90 in front.

TerriBull...I could have written your post!?

To answer the OP, I think the main reason why some women go for the Judy Dench look is for ease of maintenance.I would rather have the maintenance though than such short hair.
I do agree though, that once past a certain length it can look ‘witchy’.

My hair is long. I like to be able to wear it in different styles for different occasions. At home it's usually just pinned back at the front. For formal occasions I wear it up and try to look elegant.

I've only been to the hairdresser 3 times in my life and have come away disappointed. DH trims it for me now when it gets too long.

I have no desire to have the same hairstyle as my peers - they all look much alike. However, I am thinking that it's time mine was shoulder-length again, just long enough to pin up if I want to but not so long as to be 'witch-like' (thanks, kircubbin !!)

I have dark brown (no grey!) rather fine hair and I wear it long.

The problem for me with having it short is that it requires a skilled hairdresser to cut it well, as it is so fine and flyaway. As someone else has said, when it was short I would wake in the morning with one side sticking up in the air and it was the devil's own job to get it to go where I wanted it to go.

I am a lazy soul and faffing about with potions to try and make it stay where I wanted it and all the blow-drying etc was definitely not how I wishes to start each day.

I have a fringe; and never wear my long hair loose - I plait it (one or two), tie it in a 50's pony tail, create a scrappy twist up in my head etc. It is so easy and no "products" needed. I can also do my hair without the use of a mirror - I often do this if it starts to fall out. Work of a second and no faff!

I am not good at posh - and smart hairdos are simply not me.

As I have said on this site before my hair is nipple length, and this initiated a discussion as to length of nipples!

To address the OP's point - I do agree that people seem to get to a certain age and cut their hair short as some sort of rite of passage - look folks, I am middle-aged now!! . I too have often wondered why this is.

My hair is thick, curly and grows sideways like Crystal Tips so I try and keep it full round the face but not long. I have it trimmed and coloured once a month.

I have had a bob for years and recently let it grow a bit longer so now it flicks up on my shoulders and I love it. I wouldn't have it in this style if my hair was grey but it is medium brown (well that's what it says on the box!).

My own hair is quite long but seeing as it is almost totally grey I am sure that I don’t fall into the 1690 brigade ? I am sure however that on windy days when it’s not tied up it does take on a witchy appearance.

My hair has been very short on and off since my 20's so nothing to do with age. Whatever length it is it's washed every day in the shower. Of course it's so much easier to dry and style when it's short, just towel and some matt clay unlike when it's a long bob and have to blow dry and straighten etc. I have arthritis and struggle to wash my and dry my hair but still do it daily. My hair has never looked witchy as it's very dark brown and although fine I have masses of hair, that's very sleek and shiny and always falls back into place like a good cut should. My hair is shorter than dame judi's and has a style tbh I don't particularly like hers, it suits her but it can look a mess at times.

Entirely agree about long grey hair, but am even more puzzled by the insistence of the young on having very long Alice in. Wonderland hair. Seems to me very un-woke .

Old people's hair is often thin and thin textured. If this sort of hair is worn long it looks straggly and wispy. If the hair is cut the head shapes the lie of the hair and helps it to not look so straggly and wispy.

I think short hair frames the face, I’m quoting my hairdressers comment here. I totally agree. I’m growing mine just below chin level always have mine choppy with layers but in dif variations be it style or colours

I cut my hair when I was young, about 23, and have just always kept it short. It’s a messy pixie, with a longish side fringe. I dry it with my fingers and then rub in wax to mess it up. Still aren’t ready to go grey tho , it’s brown with some chunky toffee coloured highlights. So, although it’s short I still enjoy doing things with it.