Is a short bob a good hairstyle over 60?

Should you go for a straight short bob after 60?

Bobs are popular again these days.  But as we age our hair changes and so do our faces.  Is a bob a good choice of hairstyle for us older ladies?

I can’t tell you if a short bob is right for you because we are all different.  But I thought you might find it useful to see how I made the decision to have my fine hair cut into a shortish, straight, unlayered bob at 74.

This is the first of four short posts with videos about my bob haircut, color and style. I tell you my worries, what I really want and how things worked out.

In this first video I’m asking my hairdresser, Alison, for her advice on what style will best work for my type of hair and my features.

The before look

I usually have mid-length to longish hair.  It is naturally very straight and fine. 

But over the years wearing my hair loose has stopped looking as nice as it used to.  I have prominent cheekbones and my lower face has fallen in.  Having a straight line at the sides of my face seems to emphasize the lack of plumpness in my cheeks which makes me look drawn.

If I wear my hair loose, I spend time styling it into waves with my heated wand or flatiron (straighteners).  But a couple of years ago I noticed my hair got easily frazzled especially at the front.  And this has happened despite using conditioning treatments.

So, I mainly wear my hair drawn back off my face and held in a messy bun, a plait or just a pony-tail.

This helps to make the top half of my face the focus so the lines in my cheeks and the natural downward droop to my mouth don’t attract quite so much attention.

My worries about a short bob restyle

Will I be able to style it without frazzling it with heated tools?

Will I still be able to pull it back if I have no time for styling?

Will it look very flat and severe?

If I get shape through layers will these need a lot of work to keep looking good or will my hair just look shapeless and wispy without the hairdresser?

Deciding on a straight bob

Alison suggests that wearing my hair back is rather severe.  So I decide not to hold onto that as my ‘safety zone’ anymore!

She thinks a shorter length will help to solve the problem of straight hair dragging down my features and I agree.

Shorter hair will make it easier to get more volume in my flat hair too.  I wrote a post about getting volume into fine flat hair which you might want to look at too.

I know Alison does a great style with layering a bob at the back to give shape.  But she thinks I will find it too difficult to style the back every day (well, she’s right!).  And she advises against too much layering on fine hair as sometimes this makes the hair look even thinner.

So we decide to go for a sharp straight cut to about the jaw line.  And I’m already thinking I might come back to get an extra inch off it if all goes well!

If your hair is similar, follow me as I get my hair cut, colored and styled in the next three short posts.  It could help you decide if a blunt straight short bob is right for you.

I’ll also give product suggestions at each stage.

If you’re looking for other ideas for an easy-to-manage restyle and you’re well over 50 read this post: 25 Flattering Easy-care Hairstyles.

Next step, Post 2: How to improve the color of older mousey hair.