Hair length and age: At what age should women stop wearing hair extensions and keep shorter hair?

This week’s hair help question comes from a reader who is curious about hair length and age and wondered at what age women should stop wearing hair extensions or if certain hair lengths are more suitable for specific aged women.

Dear Deirdre, I have a question regarding hair length and age. At what age should women stop wearing hair extensions and keep shorter hair? I want to wear hair extensions for New Year’s but don’t want to look like an older woman trying to be young?

Thanks to the madness of the holidays, two weeks have gone by without offering hair help and beauty advice to readers’ emailed questions. However, this week’s question comes from a reader, client and dear friend, who wanted hair extensions for New Year’s Eve, especially after reading about thinning hair advice here.

Desirie is not only a client and avid reader of Ask the Pro, but also a close friend who at 41 looks 25. While sewing and highlighting natural temporary hair extensions to match her hair color for the upcoming New Year’s Eve annual celebration at her home, she became nervous that the length of the hair extensions might make her appear a tad ridiculous at her age, and an article revelation was born.

As friends should always be honest, not hurtful, when another asks how something looks or makes them appear, I was utterly and completely sincere in my answer. The hair length of Desirie’s temporary extensions was quite appropriate for her age for many reasons.

There are no rules for hair length and age, although, all women and men for that matter, should adhere only to one rule in beauty, hair and fashion, which is everything in moderation as we age. However, with 40 the new 30 and Desirie looking almost half her age, hair length for her is not an issue. 40 plus women such as Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman and the over 50’s like Dana Delany have longer hair that is suitable to their face shapes and for special occasions, such as award shows, performances, and New Year’s Eve galas, celebrities will add some extra hair length thanks to hair extensions to change up the look, regardless of their age.

At what age should a woman cut her hair? Again, there are many factors to consider to that answer. How young does the woman actually look? Are there physical limitations that prohibit aging women from styling the hair? Does the woman have scars, jowls, wrinkles or deformities that require camouflage?

Long, stringy, unkempt gray hair may make a woman appear older than she is and a nice haircut, dye job and style will take years off. Less is always more and everything in moderation. Over 40 women should not wear a Snooki poof, but then again, neither should Nicole Polizzi.

I do hope this answer was not too vague for those of you questioning your own hairstyle, hair length and age, but if an exact age is needed to determine hair length, then my professional suggestion is when women near the 60 mark, it is time to shorten the length of the hair to the shoulders and/or above, always keeping the hairstyle modern and flattering.

For Desirie’s question regarding hair length and age, the answer to her specific concern is “Go On with your Bad self girl! You look hot; certainly not 41 and the length of your hair extensions was trimmed to an appropriate place, not too long, not too short.” We sewed in clips making the hair extensions temporary, perfect for a fun night like New Year’s Eve. I guarantee the young girls will be jealous of the sexy mama with the long hair ringing in the New Year.