You may be over 50, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still be stylish! Medium hairstyles are always in because they’re the perfect length – not too short or long.
As women age, many tend to go shorter for the low maintenance, but also because there is a plethora of fashionable styles to choose from. With or without bangs and no matter the color, there’s a great medium hairstyle for every woman over 50.
Most Suitable Medium Hairstyles for Women Over 50
Depending on your face shape, there are a few tips for finding the right shoulder-length hairstyle. You’ll need to consider what kind of maintenance you want – the more volume you want, the more time you’ll spend styling.
If you have a round face or a large forehead, you will want to consider a medium hairstyle with side or curtain bangs for framing. You can browse the styles below or try a hairstyle app to experiment with styles before choosing.
1. Side Parted Wavy Hair
This gorgeous medium length haircut features soft waves and a boost of volume thanks to a heavy side part.
Ideal for: Square, diamond, or heart shaped face
How to Style: Use your fingers to comb in a heavy side part, then run a little curl cream through your mane. You can scrunch the hair for extra volume.
2. Low Pigtail Braids
Braids have no age limit, so even women over 50 can rock the look. Use neutral hair ties to secure or be colorful with bright shades.
Ideal for: Any face shape.
How to Style: After combing in a middle part and parting hair into two sections, loosely braid each section, making sure to secure them over the shoulder where they’ll be visible.
3. Feathered Haircut with Bangs
If you have lifeless medium length hair that needs a little shaping up, opt for feathered fringe and face-framing layers. They’ll help to emphasize your natural hair texture and give a youthful look.
Ideal for: Square or heart-shaped faces.
How to Style: Ask your stylist for long layers and feathered bangs. Use mousse to encourage voluminous texture up top. When you’re in a hurry, you can use a blow dryer to seal your style.
4. Medium Ginger Curls
Over 50 and still have thick hair? A medium haircut with minimal bangs is trendy and keeps curls healthy.
Ideal for: Oblong or oval face.
How to Style: Work in curl cream with fingers to prevent frizz and enhance curls. Trim a small section of side bangs.
5. Thick Medium Hair with Waves
These gorgeous medium-length waves are great for women over 50 with strong bone structure.
Ideal for: Square or heart-shaped faces.
How to Style: Ask your stylist for long layers, then comb in a partial side part. With a curling wand, create waves and brush them out with fingers to soften.
6. Side-parted Ponytail
A side-parted ponytail is simple but stylish, and a less harsh option for women over 50 with medium hair.
Ideal for: Square face.
How to Style: Use a brush or your fingers to part your hair off center, then into a ponytail at mid-height. Secure with your favorite hair tie.
7. Half Ponytail
Anyone can do this super cute half ponytail hairstyle. It’s especially great for women over 50 with a long face, because the half updo can make your face appear shorter.
Ideal for: Square or rectangle face shape.
How to Style: Finger comb for a casual style or use a comb and styling product to make a smooth half ponytail secured at mid height. Loosen face-framing pieces.
8. Over the Shoulder with Waves
If you love your curls or waves, bring them to the front with an over-the-shoulder hairstyle. It’s a flattering style for older women!
Ideal for: Oval or round face.
How to Style: Emphasize natural texture with a little styling cream or create texture with a curling wand. Use mousse or gel to style the hair over one shoulder.
9. Vintage Half Up Hairdo
Looking to give your current hairstyle a vintage vibe? Try this super cute but glam half up hairstyle for medium hair.
Ideal for: Square or heart shaped face.
How to Style: Trim bangs short and curl the ends a bit for softness. After filling your mane with ringlets, loosely gather the top half and secure at mid-height.
10. Medium Hair with Thin Bangs
If you have bangs you love, there’s no need to give them up. But you can style them in a way that makes a hairstyle look refreshing and youthful.
Ideal for: Round face.
How to Style: Cut hair to shoulder length, part slightly off center, and fill your mane with large soft waves. Trim in wispy, thin bangs so they come halfway down your forehead.
11. Shaggy Hair with Bangs
A lot of older women love retro shaggy hairstyles because it creates lots of movement. Try it with bangs for flattering face-framing.
Ideal for: Any face shape.
How to Style: Ask your stylist for lots of feathered layers and bangs that cover eyebrows. Use a little mousse and a round brush to make voluminous locks up top.
12. Highlighted Side Parted Hair
Blonde highlights bring light to the face, while medium-length wavy hair is flirty and feminine.
Ideal for: Oval face.
How to Style: Add blonde highlights throughout your mane, then part your hair off-center and scrunch in a styling cream.
13. Blonde Ponytail with Bangs
Even women over 50 with medium hair still love rocking a good old ponytail every now and then. This high pony gives a peppy, youthful look.
Ideal for: Any face shape.
How to Style: Finger comb hair into a high ponytail and secure with a scrunchie or short, colorful scarf. Comb out short bangs for softness around the face.
14. Fine Hair with Side Bangs
Not sure what to do with your medium fine hair? The answer is easy: side bangs!
Ideal for: Round face.
How to Style: Ask your stylist to cut in a thick side bang. Neatly brush your hair, and use a blow dryer if you want bangs to swoop in a certain direction.
15. Layered with Thin Bangs
Cut off those rounded angles of your face by adding wispy bangs and lots of soft layers.
Ideal for: Oval or round face.
How to Style: Add long layers, scrunching in curl cream for texture. Trim in wispy bangs that graze eyebrows.
16. Medium Hair with Middle Part
This medium haircut features natural hair color that blends into light blonde. A center part keeps the style simple while the slightly curled ends maintain style.
Ideal for: Round, diamond, or heart-shaped face.
How to Style: Comb in a middle part and use a blow dryer or flat iron to subtly curl ends.
17. Thin Hair with Side Bangs
Medium layers help with flattering face-framing and expertly complement women over 50 with glasses.
Ideal for: Oval or oblong face.
How to Style: Add short, choppy layers and textured body at the crown.
18. Curly Gray Hair
No need to keep buying box dyes when your hair starts to turn gray. This salt and pepper medium hairstyle is great for showing off thick curly hair.
Ideal for: Heart or square face.
How to Style: Scrunch in curl cream to tame shape and prevent frizz. Add face-framing layers on one side.
19. Medium Thick Hair with Side Bangs
Switch up face dimension and distract from a wide forehead with soft side bangs.
Ideal for: Round or diamond face.
How to Style: Add soft, straight side bangs and large waves to your mane from mid-way on down.
20. Curly Hair with Bangs
Women over 50 will love these piecey bangs and thick texture in their medium hair.
Ideal for: Round face.
How to Style: Cut in jagged bangs and straighten for contrast with a thick, curly hairstyle.
21. Straight Hair with Thin Side Bangs
Asian women over 50 tend to have thin, straight hair. Switch your style up easily with side bangs.
Ideal for: Round face.
How to Style: Have your stylist add in side bangs and long layers. Comb neatly and wear naturally!
22. Straight Blonde Hair with Bangs
A round or curvy face shape can look gorgeous with a medium length haircut. You may be over 50, but play with a light shade of blonde and medium bangs to feel youthful again.
Ideal for: Round face.
How to Style: Opt for a complete blonde dye job or heavy blonde highlights. Cut in short bangs and finger comb for soft style.
23. Long Straight Bangs
One of the best medium style contrasts for women over 50 with fine hair is filling the body with loose or tight curls and pairing them with straight sleek bangs.
Ideal for: Oblong or oval face.
How to Style: Cut in long bangs that come past the eyebrows and straighten them. Add in a few wavy sections in the rest of your hair.
24. Side Parted Asymmetrical Cut
No need to distract from your oval face shape at age 50 – this low-maintenance hairstyle is great for older women on the go.
Ideal for: Oval face.
How to Style: Ask your stylist for an asymmetrical haircut. Comb in a side part and use styling cream to bring out any natural texture.
25. Medium Length Natural Hair
Women over 50 with natural black hair should embrace their texture and keep locks healthy by letting them flow free on a medium hairstyle.
Ideal for: Oval face
How to Style: Work in a leave-in hair cream to protect your natural locks. Use fingers to style hair away from the face.
26. Straight Hair with Side-Swept Bangs
For a lot of Hollywood stars, simplicity is a key to good looks. Take this hairstyle on Nicole Kidman for instance. Women over 50 can ace this medium hairstyle anytime.
Ideal for: All face shapes.
How to style: The simple lob with side bangs and slightly curled on the tips look breathtaking. A hairstyle like this can also serve as a great trick for ladies with a slightly bigger forehead. One other benefit is that it matches great with bright hair colors such as red or caramel.
27. Brunette Balayage Hair
There is nothing strange or wrong about wanting to look special on a special occasion.
Ideal for: Heart and square-shaped faces.
How to style: If you have a medium length haircut, then a great option for a special evening would be this hairstyle for over 50 that includes big curls at the ends of your hair and side-swept bangs. Match it with a gorgeous dress and you are sure to be the most elegant and sophisticated lady of the night.
28. Golden Blonde Hair
You have straight layered blonde hair and you don’t know what exactly to do with it. And you don’t always have to do much because you can’t really go wrong with straightening it. A classy way to style medium blonde hair for older women over 50.
Ideal for: Round and oval-shaped faces.
How to style: To add a bit of volume, you can tease it slightly and tuck a strand of hair behind your ear and sweep the bangs to the side. Who would have thought that it can be so simple?
29. Natural Afro Hairstyle
Having an afro is a gift. Many women tend to forget that sometimes and are not ready to embrace it. But those spiral, untamed curls just look magical.
Ideal for: All face shapes.
How to style: If you decide to proudly wear them, don’t just leave them as they are. They are natural, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t require nurture and care. There are many products that you can use for styling them and maintaining their shape and shine.
30. Half Up Half Down Style
We could all sometimes use a few quick solutions for a bad hair day. Even if it’s not necessarily bad, busy women know how hard it is when you’re trying to get work done and you’re hair is falling over your face and getting in the way. A gorgeous way to style medium length hair for women over 50.
Ideal for: All face shapes.
How to style: Take two strands from the sides and tie them at the back so that you get the hair away from your face and still look great.
31. Long Beach Waves
This one is one of those medium length hairstyles that are suitable for any woman over 50. It is also suitable for any occasion. It is romantic and it will let your true inner gentleness come through.
Ideal for: All face shapes.
How to style: For an everyday occasion you can leave it a bit messier and for a night out you can use some hair products to make every hair stay in place.
32. Platinum Blonde Highlights
Chunky highlights create specific texture in the hair and look amazing when done properly. Always match hair color to the hairstyle.
Ideal for: Oval, heart, and square-shaped faces.
How to style: If you have or are planning to get highlights like these, you should consider wearing them with your hair straight and cut straight just below shoulder length. We also suggest to part your hair in the middle.
33. Teased Hair with Curled Tips
Attitude is a very important part of everyone’s personality. And everybody likes to see strong, proud and confident women. And your fashion and hairstyle choices can certainly help bring out that confidence and sophistication. Perfect shoulder length hairdo for over 50 years old.
Ideal for: Square-shaped faces.
How to style: A good idea for a blowout is to curl the edges of your hair outwards and to then tease gently the rest of the hair so that it doesn’t lose its volume. Don’t forget to use a little bit of hairspray to hold the hairstyle in place.
34. Cute Perm
Tight curls are kind of a statement. And they are great for women who don’t want to have to worry about their hairstyle every single day. A spiral perm is a good idea for a permanent solution when it comes to good medium length hairstyles for over 50.
Ideal for: All face shapes.
How to style: You can experiment with bangs. Bangs that are shorter than the rest of the hair give the overall hairstyle dimension.
35. Medium Layered Hair with Bangs
You won’t be able to resist this youthful medium hairstyle with bangs for older women.
Ideal for: Oval and heart-shaped faces.
How to style: Straighten your hair with a hair straightener.
36. Shoulder-Length Curly Permed Hair
Big curls can also good really good on women over 50 with medium length hair. Especially if they are completely natural. A perm is also a great solution if you are looking for large bouncy curls.
Ideal for: Heart and square-shaped faces.
How to style: The curls are also great for busy women who often feel like they have to be at ten different places at once and don’t have time for standing a front of a mirror and fixing their hairstyle every day, so there is no need to style at all.
37. Lilac Hairstyle
For ladies that are bold and daring, this hairstyle is a dream. Hair color is a great way to show your creativity.
Ideal for: Square and oval-shaped faces
How to style: Opt for an uneven bob that is longer on one side and shorter on the other. Gently curl the longer side and leave the short side straight and smooth.
38. Curls and Baby Bangs
Curls and bangs are very charming. The two combined may be great for ladies over 50 with oval-shaped faces and higher foreheads. Bangs will make the forehead look visually shorter and curls will be so flattering for the face shape.
Ideal for: Oval and triangle faces.
How to style: Use a styling brush to style your bangs in whichever way you prefer, as well as some hair products.
39. All Natural
The best advantage of medium hairstyles for over 50 is that it doesn’t require much attention.
Ideal for: All face shapes.
How to style: A medium shoulder-length haircut will look good no matter how you style it.
40. Blowout on a Thick Layered Haircut
If your face consists of harsh lines or it has a square shape, try this classy shoulder-length haircut for over 50.
Ideal for: Square faces.
How to style: Cut bangs to chin-length and curl them slightly inwards, creating a round shape around your face. The rest of the hairstyle can be left straight and simple.
41. Sleek Low Bun
A simple bun is sleek and elegant. Of course it’s in our picks for medium length hairstyles for women over 50.
Ideal for: Oval and round faces.
How to style: Use some wax to make the hair sleek and roll it into a simple low bun.
42. Curly Hair with Side Part
This is a shinier and more toned down version of an afro. This is a perfect mid-length hairstyle for older women.
Ideal for: All face shapes.
How to style: Use some wax or spray to set your curls.
43. French Bangs and Curled Ends
Women over 50 who have very thick medium hair are often envied by other women. So it’s very hard to believe that thick hair is not that easy to tame and maintain.
Ideal for: Square and oval-shaped faces.
How to style: Curl hair at the tips and add thick bangs.
44. Orange Brown Hair
This mid-length hairstyle for over 50 year old women speaks for itself.
Ideal for: Round-shaped faces.
How to style: Make really gentle waves, a part on the side, combined with nice bright hair color.
45. Long Beach Waves and Highlights
Beach waves and highlights are the ultimate trick of all women over 50 who look much younger for their age. An effortless and relaxed medium length hairstyle is a great choice for women over 50.
Ideal for: Oval and heart-shaped faces.
How to style: Apply some hair foam or a styling product on your hair while it’s still wet, and while you’re blow-drying it work it through with your fingers.
There’s a variety of gorgeous medium hairstyles for women over 50. Grab a cup of coffee and a phone and make your next hair appointment!
FAQs
Yes, bangs are quite versatile and have no age limit. It’s all about finding the right fringe style for your face shape.
This is a matter of personal preference, but a medium hairstyle is universally flattering and many older women find the length easy to maintain.
Yes, and it’s actually encouraged because of how versatile and style-friendly the length is.
To prevent yourself from looking drab, avoid hairstyles without shape or with blunt cuts as they’ll appear too harsh.