10 hair changes that make women look younger overnight

You don’t need a haircut to grow out for six weeks to look younger, as changing the way your hair sits or even getting the right cut can change your whole face.

Lightening the frame

Having thick hair of one length tends to stop looking good after a while, and it’s more like your locks are simply sitting there. It’s even worse around the cheeks. That’s why you should try breaking it up with a few shorter layers near the cheekbones and jaw.

You don’t need to take off too much of the length or anything. No, just enough to break up that heavy curtain and give you more movement when you turn your head. It stops your face from being boxed in by two solid slabs of hair. A simple change, but the effect can be huge.

Moving the dividing line

It’s true that center parts can be clean. It’s also true that they don’t look great when your hair is flat at the roots, so try shifting that line slightly off-center. It’ll give one side more of a lift and help the front to fall at a softer angle.

It also means that your face won’t be split into two perfect halves, and that’s great for making you look a little younger. Don’t think that you need to make it a huge swoop. Simply move the part an inch or so, and see the changes happen.

Opening up the fringe

Blunt bangs do look great sometimes. The problem is, they’re a strong line straight across, and that can bring out the wrinkles on your face. You should try getting curtain bangs instead, as these are much softer.

That shape leaves more of your skin visible, and it’ll pull more attention toward your upper face, rather than creating a solid block of hair. That’s not all, though. It’ll make your eyes look more open and make your whole hairdo look a little less severe.

Losing some of the length

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having really long hair. The real issue comes, however, when you let the ends get thin, or your hair’s weight pulls everything flat at the roots. Both of these age you massively. That’s why you should cut it up to collarbone length instead.

It’ll remove quite a bit of that drag, but without you needing to go really short. Leave enough length so you can make a ponytail or loose waves. When you cut your hair this way, you’re allowing your hair to sit higher and move more easily. The extra bounce will make you look a lot younger than if you have long hair sitting there, doing nothing.

Raising the fullness

Most women know how great volume can be for their hair. Volume in the wrong place, though, can actually have a negative effect on your look, especially when the volume sits near the ends. Hair like this widens around the shoulders and lower face. That ages you.

Try moving your fullness toward the crown of your head, as it’ll give people’s eyes a different shape to follow, and that can make you seem younger. A bit of root lift will stop the top of your hair from looking collapsed. Then your whole face will look more awake. Just a round brush, a couple of rollers, or even blow-drying the roots upward is all you need.

Brightening the front

You could try dyeing your hair a lighter color, sure, but that takes time and may not always turn out so great. Try restricting it to a few lighter pieces near the face. Yes, a small change like that can transform your entire look without you needing to go completely blonde.

The trick is to keep these highlights fine and close to the existing color. Pay particular attention to the hairline and front layer, as those sections sit beside the cheeks, eyes, and forehead. They’ll catch the light right where your face is, making your complexion look brighter and less flat.

Letting the hair bend

One of the big benefits of having poker-straight hair is that it’ll give you a very clean finish. The main problem, however, is that having each section ironed flat makes the style look thinner and more rigid. That’s where loose bends come in handy.

These bends will bring back some much-needed movement to your hair, but you won’t need to turn it all curly. Simply put one soft curve through the mid-lengths and another near the ends. Then you’re done. Having a bit of unevenness can make your hair seem fuller and less severe around the face. There’s also the fact that it’ll move when you do, that helps, too. 

Breaking up the edge

A bob cut sure does look nice. There’s just something about how the ends hit right at the jaw that looks so great. But the problem is, it can also make your face look more angular than it really is, which ages you. Take some weight out of those ends.

You could try using layers, for example, or including some slightly chipped-in ends to improve things. Adding a lot of bend to your bob can make the cut look lighter and younger. The hairstyle is still there. The difference is that the hard border under your face has gone.

Let the curls loosen

There’s something about having tight, perfectly wound curls that can start looking a little too ‘done.’ It usually happens when you curl every section exactly the same way, and it can make your whole look seem a lot older. Don’t let that happen to you.

Try using bigger curls instead, as these often look softer and less formal, giving your hair a lot more movement. It’s not a difficult fix, either. Just get a wider curling iron and use larger pieces of hair. Make sure you don’t curl right to the ends. Then, mess them all up a little with your fingers so that the curls sit around your face, rather than looking stiffly arranged.

Loosening the bun

There’s one kind of hair bun that requires three hair ties and a brush. That’s the exact one you need to loosen, as pulling every strand of hair flat will expose the hairline. It stops your face from looking soft, and that’s only going to make you look a lot older.

You can still have a bun, of course. But maybe try going for a lower one with a slightly puffed crown and a couple of pieces near the temples. That’ll look younger because it’s not as rigid or as vacuum-sealed to your head.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.

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