Long, one-length hair may be a simple, versatile look. However, according to a hair expert, it may not be ideal for women over 50.
Hairstylist Justin Hickox said that while the style is "beautiful", women over 50 "should not be wearing it".
Justin explained that there's one "massive problem" with long, one-length locks - they do not fully accentuate the best bits of a woman's face.
He said that women accentuate their best attributes - and conceal their potentially less desirable ones - with their clothes. For example, a fitted dress can accentuate a woman's figure more than a baggy dress.
Long, one-length hair does not accentuate the face in the same way that layered hair does
YouTube / Justin Hickox / GETTY IMAGES
According to the hair guru, the same can be done with our hair. Justin said: "For our hair, the way we can achieve that is through layering, whereas with clothing you achieve that through tailoring."
He argued: "One-length hair can be beautiful, but at the end of the day, it just doesn't have the ability to accentuate things about our face in the way that a free-flowing dress doesn't have the ability to accentuate someone's frame."
Despite the expert's dislike of long, one-length hair on middle-aged women, he told viewers that if they feel "amazing" with that style, they should just ignore him.
However, those who are keen to try a new look can create texture around the face with strategic layering and take years off in the process by making the face appear lifted.
While layering may be the solution to many hair problems, the expert revealed that some women are afraid to take the plunge. Women may fear that layers will make their hair look choppy, thin, or unbalanced.
But, the expert said they can avoid this with the right know-how before they head to the hairdresser.
Justin told women to draw an imaginary line between the recession of their hair and the occipital bone (the main bone of the back and lower part of the skull) to find the parietal ridge. He said: "Everything below that should almost be one length."
The expert reassured women that this hack will "take them a long way into getting layering that is done correctly".
Another problem women can face when they take the plunge and get layers is that they have too much chopped off at the top in an attempt to reduce flatness. Rather than create a voluminous, youthful look, they end up with a "mushroom"-esque style.
However, this can be avoided by paying close attention to the length of your hair at the top of your head and the length of your hair under the occipital bone.
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When done correctly, layering can lift and frame the face
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Justin told women over 50: "If you actually grab a piece of hair from this bone and you lift it straight up as high as you can lift it, then grab a piece of hair from the top of your head and lift that all the way up, those top layers should never be shorter than the hair coming up from your occipital bone."
For those who want to experiment with layers without going the whole hog, the hair expert recommended just layering the hair in the front.
He said that it not only "grows out really easily", it also has "a lot of movement and shape in the front".
Women can also take years off their age with a hairstyle that "lifts everything". The "effortless" look is great for women over 40.
