50 best hairstyles for women over 40

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Nicole Kidman Whimsical Waves

The good thing about the whimsical waves that Nicole Kidman, 47, rocks is that they can be created with any number of hair lengths. If you have longer hair, tie it up and tuck it under, leaving plenty around the sides to soften the face. If you have short hair, just pin the hair back and leave longer sections at the front hanging down.

It doesn’t matter what you do with the back of your hair, whether you choose a French knot, scraggy bun or smooth chignon, but with a bit of backcombing and some volume powder added at the roots, you can achieve thicker hair styles. It’s easy, breezy to look at, and just as simple and fast to recreate. It can also be used to flatter a large number of face shapes!

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Lena Headey Grown-Out Pixie

The pixie cut was all the rage recently, and a lot of women over 40 are looking for a way to grow the look out, without it looking to shabby.

Lena Headey, 40, gives you the perfect example of how a pixie cut should be grown out, with longer bangs pushed over to one side, and tousled waves throughout the bottom of the layered ends. With a bit of styling wax and a round brush to help the shape when drying, this look is easily suited for both daytime and nighttime events, and the right amount of make up will make the difference between the two. Tone down the eyes during the day and, just as Lena Headey has here, play up the eyes for a great dramatic look!

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Halle Berry Layered Razor Cut

Let’s be honest about this, Halle Berry, 47, never gets her hairstyle wrong, does she? We’ve never seen a style or cut on this woman that we haven’t positively fallen in love with, and the layered razor cut she went for recently really was stunning.

It’s been razor cut in a geometric way, allowed the side-swept bangs to cover just one eye. It’s a great way to show off delicate features, and if you’ve got pretty awesome cheekbones, this is a great cut for you.

Hair straighteners can be used here to give the top of the hair a super sleek look, or use them in a curling motion to give the hair some definition. You could even fake a mohawk style here for a more up to date and edgy look. A bit of wax warmed between the fingers is all it takes to give it a bit of definition.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Jenny McCarthy Graduated Sharp Bob

We simply adore Jenny McCarthy’s, 41, new bobbed look, and it’s a real edgy look for a woman with personality! You could try this look with many colours too – Jenny rocks the bombshell blonde, but this would look great in brunette and red tones with the right complexion.

Jenny has a strong jawline with a long face, and the chin-length cut really helps to break things down. The side parting helps to soften the look, and there are slight layers added to the ends to give it a bit of volume. Throw in some volume powder and give it a good rub through the hair when styling and you’ll get the oomph in the roots like you see in the picture here.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Dannii Minogue Pixie Cut

The ‘other’ Minogue sister is another classic example of a woman that rarely gets her hair wrong and with this adorable pixie cut, you can show off her beautifully chiseled cheekbones, and beautiful big eyes. If you’re a fan of your eyes, side swept bangs such as this is the perfect way to show it off, and the pixie cut with short-back-and-sides tends to work better on heart shaped faces. If you’ve got a particularly long face or a large forehead, you’ll need less volume and fewer products, and if you have a rounder face, something that adds a bit more volume on top is the right look for you.

That’s the thing about short hair – with very few products and tools, you can achieve a multitude of looks. Is it time to go shorter?

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Naomi Campbell Power-Woman Bob

We already knew that Naomi Campbell, 44,  was a power-woman and if her latest haircut is anything to go by, she knows it too! This looks just screams a woman in control, and the longer bangs really do her heart-shaped face justice.

You’ll need to straighten the hair a lot to get this look so when you add your finishing serum, make sure that it is one that pumps moisture back into the ends of your hair. The bangs will take fairly regular maintenance to stop them being annoying and getting in your eyes when you go for the longer styles, but if you love to play up your eyes, they might just be the perfect thing to work hand in hand.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Minnie Driver Long, Tight Curls

When you have such a square face shape and rugged jawline as Minnie Driver has, getting a feminine and romantic style can be hard work, especially when you get above a certain age. This 44 year old sure shows you how to do things in style however, and she shows you how to do natural glam with these tight, long curls.

Her hair has been scrunched with a curling activator spray or gel and left to dry natural. a wide-tooth comb will help you to get rid of any knots, and some wet look gel will then help to keep things in check throughout the day. It’s natural and simple – the perfect thing for a such as strong face shape!

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Sandra Bullock Sweeping, Polished Hollywood Curls

This look just screams with Hollywood – it would appear that Sandra Bullock always gets it right.

If you have long and medium to thick hair, this is a look that will work perfectly for you. The preparation work is the most important part of getting this look right. When the hair is still wet, you will need to add plenty of volume-boosting products, and you’ll need some sort of gloss-based product in order to keep it in place. With either medium or large curling tongs, simply curl it to the side, making sure the back of the hair is sleekly slicked in the one direction, and set everything with hair spray. If you can hide a couple of grips in the back of your hair before the curls start, you’ll thank yourself for it later!

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Debra Messing The Fiery Redhead

Let’s face it, opting for a fiery red look can be somewhat overwhelming when you’re over a certain age, but the fiery red hair showed here by Debra Messing is such a beautiful shade, it would be a shame not to have tried it at least once in your life.

You will need to take into account that red hair does take quite a bit of maintenance and regular re-colouring, but you can achieve a multitude of looks with it, and cover a multitude of sins. You don’t need to worry about those greys when they are a fiery red colour, do you?

This look has been achieved on Debra Messing by plenty of backcombing to the roots, and then the ends of the hair have been pulled in and pinned, with the crown of the head lightly tousled with the fingers to give it some volume!

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Cate Blanchett Deep Parting, Brushed-Out Vintage Curls

Thin hair will make this look a breeze so if you’re one of those woman that can’t seem to find volume, this is the perfect look. For medium to longer length hair, large-barrelled curling tongs or large heated rollers will help you to achieve the large waves in this look – you simply pull them into a side parting, sleek down the top with some finishing product, and brush the curls out to give you this vintage-curl look that is so hot in Hollywood right now.

Cate has quite the pronounced forehead and an oval face shape so if you have a rounder to long face, this is a great look for you. It does have a tendency to make round faces look rounder so if this is you, make sure you keep the look a bit longer.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Catherine Zeta-Jones Modern Farah-Fawcett Flicks

She’s such a beauty, isn’t she? Even now at 44 years old, she still rocks it like a professional. Her hair here just screams sophistication and Hollywood glam, and can easily be achieved with a large barrel curler used all over the lower half of the hair. Keep the parting simple and in the centre, and add some additional curls around the face to frame it, and you have the perfect look. Just make sure that you keep it all in check with some heavy-duty hairspray if it’s going to be a good night.

This is a look that can suit many face shapes. Catherine has quite an oval shaped face, but with looser, longer curls, it could even frame a square or round shaped face too.

It’s one of the easiest looks there is for long hair in your 40’s!

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Jennifer Aniston Straight, Layered, Long Hair

It’s a good look, isn’t it? Let’s face it, Jennifer Aniston hasn’t put a step wrong in the hair aspect of life ever in her life. She gets it even better now she’s in the Big 40-club, and the even better news is that this is one of the easiest hairstyles to achieve, especially if you have fine and wispy hair.

She’s had a few layers thrown in, and some caramel and blonde highlights to add more depth to thin and fine hair. Her chiseled jawbone works well with the face-framing layers, and with a bit of volume backcombed into the back of the crown, it’s a look that just takes a few minutes to get right. You don’t even need to use your hair straighteners if you dry your hair while brushing it with a paddle brush at the same time!

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Kristen Wiig ‘Big Transformation’ Bob

What is it with celebrities cutting all their hair recently? It seems like everyone is having a go at the bob again. Kristen Wiig is just one in a long line cutting off their tresses, and just like you could, she’s nailed the look completely.

She has completely transformed herself from the girl with the wavy-blonde locks in Bridesmaids, to the short browny-red flicked out bob you see today. We’ve found the easiest way to achieve that little flick is with your hair straighteners and some hairspray, and the rest of the hair is kept relatively natural, making it a breeze to maintain.

Just ask for a choppy chin length bob when you go to the hairdressers, and get them to throw in razored layers on one side of your bangs too. You’ll need a good dry-end serum to keep things looking this sleek.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Pamela Anderson Blonde-Bombshell Pixie Cut

We’re used to seeing Pamela Anderson with long, blonde tresses but very recently the 47-year old actress went for the chop well and truly and lopped off most of her hair! She looks so glamorous with the Sharon-Stone replica cut, and you could pull this off too if you have delicate OR large facial features. You shouldn’t opt for a look this short if you have a strong chin or jawline however – it might end up making you appear more masculine.

This look is super easy to take care of band suits almost all hair types – you literally wake up in the morning and throw some gel or wax through it. There’s no need for straightening, curling tongs or anything like that. Plus you can even achieve the tousled look just by messing things up with your fingers.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Kate Garraway Blunt Bangs

The British TV presenter has had her fair share of hairstyles over the years, but we think this one is a beauty and is perfect for many women over 40. Sticking with the theme of bangs and we think that Kate’s are to die for. Although  not many of us can pull off a look quite this severe, but if you’ve got an oval-shaped face, you can definitely rock it!

It’s going to take some work to keep things sleek, and just like Amber’s ‘stand-out’ bangs, you’ll probably find that hair straighteners will become your best friend, along with the hair dryer and large barrel brush to give it that slight curve that looks so great.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Sarah Jessica Parker Wavy, Ombre Long Hair

She’s the Queen of style… Haven’t you seen Sex in the City? She’s the girl that always gets it right and with every single one of the hairstyle she’s rocked over the years, we’ve fallen that little bit more in love.

This look is our favourite Sarah Jessica Parker look so far. The 49 years old actress and fashionista has gone for one of the most in style looks the year, and given it that little bit of a mature spin to make it more acceptable.

The darker roots look natural and clean, and the grown-out bleached blonde looks effortless. With the help of a braid overnight, your damp hair could easily drive into these large-curled waves, and if you’ve got thick hair, you’ll probably find that a tiny bit of hairspray is all you need to finish it off.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Christina Hendricks Little Red Bob

Red is a colour that suits ladies of a certain age and just like Christina Hendricks has here, the little red bob might just be the perfect look for you.

Everything is very soft and floaty with a softly cut bob with razored layers at the end, and the bangs have been left a tad longer and directed to one side to romanticise the look.

The ‘Lob’ or long-bob as people better know it as, is a really easy to maintain hairstyle thats both super fun and effortless to play up or down. You still have enough length to chuck it back in a cute little ponytail, yet you can curl it with the help of barrel curlers and a bit of hairspray, pin it up with bobby pins, leave it straight and sleek with a finishing spray, and more.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Shania Twain Super Log & Extra Glam

She might be 48 years old now but Shania Twain is still one hell of a hottie. Just look at her beautiful, long, gleaming mane in this picture. She’s a prime example of how you CAN pull off longer hair over the age of 40 and for that, we salute her!

You can achieve this look with some good quality hair extensions if you don’t already have long hair, but if you have naturally long and wavy hair, this look is perfect for you. Just add a bit of plume with some mousse, and let the hair dry in large, heated rollers and you have about the right look for the length of the hair. The front of the hair can be easily flicked out using a large barrelled curling tong, or even a round drying brush.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Thandie Newton Medium, Straight & Side-Swept

Thandie Newton is new to the 40-club but this 41 year old beauty isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. The heart shaped face really suits the straight, simple style, and the side-swept bangs help to slim down that enlarged forehead.

The look is a very simple one to achieve. You simply give the hair s parting slightly off of centre, sweep the bangs across your forehead, straighten ands finish with a glossy serum. Thandie has slight layers around her face in this picture, but if you have a rounder face shape, leaving these layers out will help to lengthen the face, rather than make it appear rounder.

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Gwyneth Paltrow Loose, Low Bun

Gwyneth Paltrow has a classically sure shaped face which means longer lengths framing the face really help to soften off those square edges. She tends to suit long, sleek and straight hair better because once again, it helps to thin down the face, and this is exactly the look she has achieved here.

Straightening irons would have been used to flatten the hair, and the majority of it has been pulled back into a lazy, loose bun at the nape of the neck. Longer tendrils have been pulled forward at the front, and with the right amount of sheer makeup, this has the potential to be either very casual or very smart, deepening on what occasion you need it for!

Hairstyles for Women Over 40: Emilia Fox Windswept & Wavy

The reason we loved this Emilia Fox hairstyle was because of how versatile it is. You can achieve this look with any length of hair too. If it’s short, you simply pin it back. If it’s long, you circle it round into a small chignon, and then pull out sections of the front to muss things up a bit.

If you have longer hair, you will find that this look is easily achieved by curling the top layer of hair first. Shorter hair can easily be tousled with fingers and finishing wax.

Better suited to oval face shapes, this windswept and wavy look is easy to achieve, and easy to maintain, in all number of shades of colour too.