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"The 10 Best Haircuts for Women in\\nTheir 50s\\nThese hairstyles are glossy. They&amp;#39;re flattering. They&amp;#39;re cool. The best haircuts to get in your 50s happen to be short, medium-length, and long cuts you&amp;#39;d want at any age (with a few strategic tweaks here and there). We promise, there&amp;#39;s not a single matronly style in the bunch.\\nSharon Stone\\n\\nSome supershort haircuts look severe and harsh\u2014two adjectives not usually associated with the fountain of youth. That's why this soft cut is so appealing. \\\"There's just the right amount of wispiness, so it's a little messy with a modern edge,\\\" says hairstylist Kattia Solano of Butterfly Studio Salon in New York City. It's also versatile: \\\"I like that it's a little longer around the ears; it gives her the choice to style it a little shaggier, or she can tuck it behind her ears.\\\"\\nAngela Bassett\\n\\nAngela Bassett's short haircut is the anti-short short haircut: There is absolutely nothing predictable about it. \\\"This cut works on all hair textures, and it's going to draw attention to your eyes, but also to everything else\u2014your ears, your nose, your jawline,\\\" says Solano. \\\"Adding a short, side-swept fringe can make it a little more wearable\u2014and looks really cool\u2014but it's still going to be a daring cut.\\\" One other bizarro but important factor to take into account: \\\"This cut only works on certain head shapes,\\\" she says. \\\"If you have a flat head, like I do, it's going to make the top of your head look square, and no one wants that.\\\" But if you're willing to go for it, get Bassett's cool, spiky look by mussing up your hair with your fingers as you blow-dry, then do a little damage control: \\\"Short cuts like this tend to get really puffy after they dry, so pop a baseball or knit cap on for ten minutes to calm it,\\\" says Solano. Finish by rubbing a dime-size amount of pomade between your fingers and working it through the top layers to spike-ify them. Solano likes [Shu Uemura Art of Hair Yokan Craft Texturizing Melt](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/hair/hair-gel/2013/shu-uemura-yokan-craft) for creating the effect. \\\"It makes the hair piecey and has some hold, without being heavy or greasy.\\\"\\nJodie Foster\\n\\nJodie Foster, congratulations on your Lifetime Achievement Award\u2014and also, on achieving the perfect bob. \\\"The A-line shape and length make this bob so stylish,\\\" says Solano. It's ideal for fine or thinning hair (it gives limp hair instant shape) but also works on medium hair. (Just stay away if your hair is thick\u2014it'll look too puffy.) Ask your stylist to cut blunt ends with a razor. \\\"That gives you a softer line than scissors, which tend to make bobs look like a broom,\\\" says Solano. And see how this bob hits right under Foster's chin? That's key. \\\"If you go even an inch longer, the cut starts to look matronly,\\\" says Solano. \\\"But you could add long, side-swept bangs, if you want to soften up the look.\\\" To style the cut, prep damp hair with a volumizing mousse on the roots (Solano likes [K\u00E9rastase Age Premium Mousse Substantive](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/hair/mousse/2013/kerastase-mousse-substantive)) and a dime-size amount of anti-frizz serum on the length (try __L'Or\u00E9al Ever Pure Smooth Frizz Free Serum__), and then blow-dry straight with a paddle brush.\\nMichelle Obama\\n\\nObama's longer, more modern take on the traditional bob is First Lady conservative without being stuffy or aging. \\\"Have your stylist cut the back a tiny bit shorter than the front, with long, angled layers around your face,\\\" says Solano.\\nMadonna\\n\\nRemember when collarbone-length hair was old-fashioned? Here's one really good clue that that's not true anymore: Madonna is wearing it. \\\"Her long, textured bob and loose waves are so much cooler than that old-school shoulder-length hair that's smooth and voluminous and coiffed,\\\" says Solano. \\\"She has lots of uneven, piecey layers, which make this cut work\\u00ad\u2014but go easy on them if you have fine hair.\\\" Another helpful tweak that really holds true for all of these styles: \\\"One of the biggest changes I see in the 50s is that the hair starts to thin around the hairline,\\\" says Solano. \\\"Switching to a side part can do a lot to hide your hairline.\\\" To create Madonna's beachy texture, mist on a heat-protectant spray, like [John Frieda Frizz-Ease Heat Defeat Protective Styling Spray](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/hair/heat-protectant/2013/john-frieda-heat-defeat-protective-styling-spray) (don't skip that step, since hair becomes weaker with age\u2014sorry, Madge), and wrap the middle and ends around a one-inch curling iron. Finish by spritzing on a beach or saltwater spray (try [Oribe Apr\u00E8s Beach Wave and Shine Spray](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/hair/2012/oribe-apres-beach-spray)) and shaking out your waves with your fingers.\\nMichelle Pfeiffer\\n\\nIf your hair is naturally wavy, this cut is going to work in your favor. \\\"It's what I like to call the no-layer cut,\\\" says Solano. What does she mean by that? There are \\\"invisible layers\\\" cut into the hair that are so subtle, they're barely noticeable in the finished style. \\\"They give the look some softness and keep it from looking too perfect, overdone, or dated,\\\" she says.\\nJulia Louis-Dreyfus\\n\\nLow-maintenance ladies, listen up: \\\"This is a really great length because it sort of styles itself,\\\" says Matt Fugate, a stylist at the Sally Hershberger Downtown salon. \\\"It's automatically going to have movement because it's going to break on your shoulders.\\\" It's also a great way to [transition your way out of a bob,](http://www.allure.com/hair-ideas/2014/how-to-grow-out-your-haircut) he says.\\nJulianne Moore\\n\\n\\\"I always admire how Julianne Moore makes this length work\u2014it's long without overdoing it,\\\" says Solano. \\\"The key is that her cut is really clean and defined, which looks sophisticated.\\\" If you have fine or medium hair, ask your stylist for delineated layers from your collarbone down, with blunt ends. [If your hair is thick,](http://www.allure.com/hair-ideas/2015/how-to-deal-with-thick-hair) adding soft layers on just the underside of the back of your hair (with scissors, not a razor) will thin it out just enough that you can still go for a blunt bottom. Sleek, uniform ends are particularly helpful if you're experiencing any thinning at the crown: \\\"That's another common change, and the worst thing you can do is to add lots of layers in the back to try to create fullness,\\\" says Solano. \\\"You're better off keeping the back sleek and adding more layers in the front to create volume around your face and help detract from the crown.\\\" For Moore's soft and supersexy wave, start by prepping the length of damp hair with a nickel-size amount of lightweight leave-in conditioner. It'll help tame flyaways and add smoothness and shine (not to be a downer, but that's especially important after menopause, when your scalp produces less of the natural oils that do just that). Solano likes [K\u00E9rastase Nutritive Nectar Thermique.](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/hair/2010/kerastase-nutritive-nectar-thermique) Blow-dry your hair straight with a big, round brush, and then wrap the middle and ends around a one-and-half-inch curling iron. \\\"Grab large sections of hair so you get big, soft waves,\\\" says Solano. Go over the finished style just once with a boar-bristle brush, and your waves will be even softer and glossier.\\nAndie MacDowell\\n\\nVoluminous hair looks youthful (duh). But you might be surprised that it's not all about the roots. \\\"The fullness is concentrated toward the bottom, so [her hair] looks thicker,\\\" says Solano. \\\"I think a lot of women obsess about getting height at the crown, but this is actually more youthful.\\\" To get this look, ask your stylist for a long, layered haircut with subtle angles around your face, advises Solano.\\nDemi Moore\\n\\nMoore's nearly waist-length hair is really, really long (and also kind of risky) no matter how old you are. The key to pulling it off and making it look youthful? \\\"It's all about the health and thickness of your hair,\\\" says Solano. If your hair wouldn't naturally grow this long, she recommends [extensions.](http://www.allure.com/hair-ideas/2014/guide-to-hair-extensions) \\\"They'll give you that fullness and health.\\\" Then ask your stylist to cut into them at the bottom, adding youthful pieciness. \\\"I wouldn't want to see her with superstraight, blunt Cher hair,\\\" says Solano. \\\"The lightness at the bottom is what makes this look fresh.\\\" She recommends a razor haircut to remove the bulk and weight from the hair at the ends."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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