20 Flattering Plus Size Haircuts for Women Over 50

How to Choose a Plus Size Haircut After 50

These five details shape almost every good cut for a fuller face:

• Put the lift at the crown. Height on top adds length to the overall outline of your face. Fullness at the cheekbones adds width, so ask for layers that start at the crown while the sides sit closer.
• Let the ends fall past the chin. A line that stops right at the jaw draws the eye straight across the fullest part of the face. Ends 1 to 2 inches below the chin, or a short cut with a tapered nape, give a longer line.
• Try a side part. An off-center part creates a diagonal that breaks up a round outline. If you have worn a center part for years, start by moving it just 1 inch to one side.
• Choose long face-framing layers over blunt weight. Pieces that start at the lip or chin line lead the eye up and down. A heavy one-length cut at the jaw does the opposite.
• Plan on 10 to 15 minutes a day. Volumizing mousse at the roots, a round brush and a light texture spray cover most of these looks. If your face is also round, our guide to haircuts for women over 50 with a round face goes deeper.

1. Tapered Pixie With Crown Height

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A pixie looks great on a fuller face when the height goes on top. Ask for 2 to 3 inches at the crown, a close taper at the nape and short sideburns near the ears. You get a lifted oval shape that shows off your neck and your earrings.

Style it with a quarter-size puff of mousse at the roots and blow-dry upward with your fingers. It takes about five minutes, and a trim every 5 weeks keeps the taper crisp.

Best for: thick or medium hair and round or heart-shaped faces.

2. Side-Swept Pixie With a Long Fringe

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Long bangs swept across the forehead give a short cut a strong diagonal line. Keep the fringe 4 to 5 inches long so it reaches past the outer corner of one eye. Behind it, the sides and back stay short and neat.

This version suits women who want short hair but feel too exposed in a classic pixie. Smooth the fringe over with a flat brush while you blow-dry, then set it with a drop of styling cream.

3. Piecey Textured Crop for Thin Hair

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Thin hair often looks fuller when it is cut shorter and choppier. Point cutting through the top creates separated, piecey ends that read as texture. A matte paste worked through dry hair adds grip without weight.

Keep the crown a little longer, around 2 inches, so it falls over any lighter spots on top.

Stylist tip: if you notice new or sudden thinning, see a dermatologist before you change products. A good cut improves the look, but it cannot tell you the cause.

4. Short Wash-and-Go Shag

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Soft razor layers all over make this the lowest-maintenance cut on the list. The shag shape builds volume at the crown and lets the sides fall in loose, broken pieces. On natural waves, it air-dries into shape with a scrunch of curl cream.

Ask for the shortest layers at about 3 inches and the back to stop just above the collar. Bangs can be wispy or skipped.

Styling time: 5 minutes on air-dry days, 10 with a diffuser.

5. Glasses-Friendly Short Cut With Neat Sides

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Frames add a horizontal line, so the haircut should not add another one at the same level. This crop keeps the hair above and behind the ears short and close, so the arms of your glasses sit cleanly. All the volume stays on top, about 3 inches long, brushed up and slightly to the side.

You will find more frame-friendly ideas in our guide to haircuts for women over 50 with glasses.

6. Stacked Bob With a Tapered Nape

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Short layers stacked at the back create a rounded lift behind the crown. The front angles down and finishes about an inch below the chin. From the side, the line runs on a diagonal, which keeps the shape from looking boxy.

Blow-dry the back with a small round brush, rolling under, then smooth the front flat.

Ask your stylist for: a graduated bob with a tapered nape, front pieces 1 inch below the chin and a side part.

7. Asymmetrical Bob With a Longer Front

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One side falls longer than the other, usually by 2 to 3 inches. The longer side sits on your part side and sweeps past the jaw in a strong slant. It's a modern choice for women who like a cut with a little edge.

Fine and medium hair both work here. Very curly hair can too, as long as the stylist cuts it dry.

8. A-Line Bob That Ends Below the Chin

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An A-line bob is shorter in the back and longer in front, with the front ending about 1.5 inches past the chin. That extra length carries the eye down past the jaw. It also frames the neck instead of cutting across it.

1. Apply a heat protectant and rough-dry until the hair is mostly dry.
2. Use a large round brush to smooth each front section forward and slightly under.
3. Finish with a flat iron on the ends only, keeping the crown soft.

9. Soft Wavy Bob With a Deep Side Part

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Loose waves that start at cheekbone level add movement without puffing out the sides. A deep side part sends more hair over one eye and creates an angle. Keep this bob long, landing between the chin and the shoulders.

Make the waves with a 1.25-inch curling wand, wrapping the middle of each section and leaving the last inch straight. Rake through with your fingers, not a brush.

Best for: medium to thick hair and anyone who likes a softer, undone finish.

10. Silver Bob With Wispy Curtain Bangs

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Gray hair shows every shape clearly, so a cut with soft edges reads well. Curtain bangs split in the center and sweep out past the cheekbones, framing the eyes. The bob itself falls about an inch past the chin with light, invisible layers.

A purple shampoo once a week keeps silver bright. Add a shine spray on top to give gray strands more glow.

11. Textured Lob With Face-Framing Pieces

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A lob that grazes the collarbone gives you length to play with. Face-framing pieces start at the lip line and angle outward, opening up the face. Point-cut ends keep the hemline soft and moving.

This cut is easy to wear straight one day and wavy the next. Sea salt spray and a quick twist with a flat iron give it texture.

Styling time: 10 minutes straight, 15 minutes with waves.

12. Collarbone Lob With a Flipped End

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A small outward flip at the ends adds a playful, polished feel. Because the flip sits at the collarbone, any width it creates stays well below your face. That keeps the eye moving down toward your neckline.

Roll the ends outward with a medium round brush during the last minute of drying. A light hold spray keeps the flip from relaxing by lunch.

13. Medium Shag With Crown Layers

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The medium shag has plenty of movement and grows out gracefully. Layers start high at the crown, so volume sits on top. Through the sides, the pieces stay longer and wispy, so the outline never turns round.

It looks best with natural texture. Diffuse wavy hair, or let it air-dry with a curl cream.

Ask your stylist for: a medium shag with crown layers, side pieces that fall past the chin and a soft, point-cut hem.

14. Shoulder-Length Cut With Long Side Bangs

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Long side bangs act like a built-in diagonal. They start at the part, sweep across the brow and blend into layers that end at the chin. The rest of the hair rests on the shoulders.

Pin the bangs back on hot days or when they grow too long. A quick fringe trim between full cuts keeps the sweep in place.

15. Shoulder-Length Cut With Beveled Ends

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Beveled ends curve slightly under, so the hair hugs the neck and shoulders instead of flaring out. The stylist angles the hemline underneath to create that soft turn. It looks polished with very little work.

On straight hair, the bevel forms almost by itself during a rough blow-dry. A paddle brush on the last pass smooths the top.

16. Curly Lob Shaped Longer in Front

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Curls can look wide and round when they are cut to one length. Shaping the front longer than the back keeps the outline more oval. A curl specialist cuts each curl dry, so you see the shape as it will really live.

Use a leave-in conditioner, a curl cream and a diffuser on low heat. Lift at the roots with your fingers while the curls dry.

Best for: 3A to 3C curls and anyone who wants fullness below the cheekbones rather than beside them.

17. Long Layers Starting at the Chin

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Long hair looks lovely on a plus size frame, especially when the first layer starts at the chin. These front layers create a long, open frame around the face. Behind them, the rest falls past the shoulders with gentle, tapered layers.

Keep the ends healthy with a trim every 8 to 10 weeks. Thin, see-through ends make long hair look tired faster than anything else.

18. Long Layers With Swept-Back Front Pieces

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Front pieces brushed up and back open the forehead and show the full face with confidence. The cut keeps long layers through the back, with the shortest front piece near the cheekbone. A little root lift at the hairline gives the sweep its shape.

Blow-dry the front sections backward over a round brush, then mist with flexible spray.

Ask your stylist for: long layers, cheekbone-length front pieces cut to sweep back and point cutting on the ends.

19. Long Waves With a Deep Side Part

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Big, loose waves with a deep side part keep long hair from hanging flat. The part adds lift on one side, and the waves fall in a long vertical line. It's a polished choice for dinners, events or any day you want more glam.

Curl 2-inch sections away from your face with a large-barrel iron. Let them cool, then brush through gently.

Styling time: 20 minutes.

20. Long Layered Cut Worn Half-Up

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Half-up styles put volume where it helps most: at the crown. Gather the top section from temple to temple, twist it once and secure it with two crossed bobby pins. Leave a few face-framing layers out.

This style works on long layers of any texture and keeps hair off your face on busy days. It also stretches a blowout into day three.

How to Add Crown Volume at Home

A little lift at the top makes almost every cut on this list look better. Here is a five-minute routine:

1. Spray a root-lifting product onto damp roots at the crown only.
2. Flip your head forward and rough-dry for two minutes, pushing the roots up with your fingers.
3. Set two or three large Velcro rollers at the crown while you do your makeup.
4. Remove them, flip your part to the side and finish with a light texture spray.