15 Hairstyles Women Over 60 Should Avoid If They Have A Round Face

Finding the right hairstyle after 60 can be tricky, especially when you have a round face.

The wrong cut can make your face appear fuller and accentuate signs of aging instead of giving you that youthful, slimming effect we all want.

I’ve spent years helping women discover hairstyles that truly complement their features, and I’ve noticed certain styles that consistently work against round face shapes in our golden years.

Here are the cuts you might want to reconsider next time you visit your stylist.

1. Chin-Length Blunt Bob

The classic chin-length bob with no layers creates a horizontal line that sits right at the fullest part of a round face. This draws attention to facial fullness rather than minimizing it. The sharp edges frame your face like a picture, essentially outlining and emphasizing roundness.

Many women choose this style thinking it’s low-maintenance and classic, but on round faces, it creates a bowling ball effect. Without angles or layers to create dimension, your face appears wider and fuller than it actually is. Instead, consider a longer bob that falls below the chin with some subtle layers or an asymmetrical cut that creates vertical visual interest and draws the eye downward rather than across.

2. Full Straight-Across Bangs

Heavy bangs cut straight across your forehead create a horizontal line that visually widens your face. For women with round faces, this style emphasizes fullness rather than creating the illusion of length we’re typically after. Straight bangs also cover forehead space that could otherwise help balance your facial proportions.

When combined with the natural fullness that often comes with age, these bangs can make your face appear even rounder and heavier. Many stylists recommend avoiding this particular style after 60 if you have a round face. Side-swept bangs or curtain bangs that frame the face can be much more flattering alternatives that add definition rather than width.

3. Tight Uniform Perm

Remember those tight, uniform perms popular in the 80s? They’re particularly problematic for round faces after 60. The uniform curls create a circular frame around an already round face, essentially doubling down on roundness. The tight curls add width to the sides of your face exactly where round-faced women don’t need extra volume.

This style can also look dated, adding years rather than creating a fresh, modern look. If you love curls, opt for looser waves with varied curl patterns instead. Longer, softer curls that start below the chin create vertical lines that elongate rather than widen the face, giving you that youthful look without sacrificing texture.

4. Bowl Cut Disaster

The bowl cut might be making runway comebacks, but it remains one of the least flattering cuts for round-faced women over 60. This style creates a perfect circle around your already round face, essentially framing and highlighting its roundness. With no layers or angles to create dimension, the bowl cut sits like a cap on your head.

The uniform length around the entire face creates a harsh horizontal line that visually cuts across your face at its widest point. Stylists consistently warn against this option for round faces at any age, but particularly after 60 when facial fullness can already be a concern. If you prefer short hair, angled pixies or textured crops offer much more flattering alternatives.

5. Short Layers With Rounded Volume

Short layers that create rounded volume around the crown and sides of the head might seem like a good idea for adding height, but they actually work against round faces. The extra volume at the sides creates width exactly where you don’t want it.

Many women mistakenly think that adding height at the crown will elongate their face. While height helps, when it’s combined with roundness and volume at the sides, it cancels out any slimming effect. The mushroom-like shape that these layers create mirrors and amplifies facial roundness. For a more flattering short cut, look for styles that keep volume on top while staying closer to the head at the sides.

6. Slicked-Back Ponytail

Pulling your hair straight back into a tight ponytail exposes your entire face without any softening frame. For round faces, this creates a spotlight effect that emphasizes facial fullness and can highlight jowls or neck laxity that often develop with age. The severe nature of this style can also accentuate any asymmetries or signs of aging.

Without face-framing pieces to create shadows and definition, your face appears at its fullest. Many women choose this style for convenience, but it’s worth taking the extra minute to pull out a few strands around your face. If you love the simplicity of a ponytail, try a looser version with height at the crown and some face-framing layers left free.

7. Center-Parted Flat Hair

Center parts can be tricky for round faces, especially when combined with flat, straight hair that hugs the sides of your face. This combination creates a perfect symmetry that emphasizes roundness rather than creating the illusion of length or angles.

Flat hair without volume at the crown or layers to create movement tends to accentuate fullness in the cheek area. For women over 60 with round faces, this style can make the face appear wider and fuller than it actually is. Many stylists suggest avoiding this particular combination if you have a round face. A slight off-center part with some volume at the roots or soft layers can make a world of difference in creating a more flattering frame for your face.

8. Rounded Pixie Without Texture

A pixie cut can be fantastic for women over 60, but not when it’s rounded and lacks texture. Round-faced women need angles and definition in their haircuts to counterbalance facial fullness. A rounded pixie without texture essentially follows the same circular shape as your face.

The uniform shortness all around creates a helmet-like effect that emphasizes rather than minimizes roundness. Many women choose pixies for ease, but the right pixie makes all the difference. Look for versions with longer pieces on top, some asymmetry, or textured ends that create visual interest and angles. These elements will help create the illusion of a longer, more defined face shape.

9. Ear-Length Curls With Side Width

Short curly styles that hit at ear-length can be problematic for round faces, especially when they create width at the cheek and jaw area. The horizontal line created at the widest part of your face draws attention to fullness rather than creating a slimming effect.

Curls naturally create volume, and when that volume sits at the sides of a round face, it amplifies width. For women over 60 who may already be dealing with some facial fullness, this style can make the face appear even rounder. If you love curls, consider longer lengths that fall below the chin or shorter styles with height on top and less width at the sides. The key is creating vertical visual interest rather than horizontal expansion.

10. Short Curly Bob Without Structure

A short curly bob that lacks structure or shape can overwhelm a round face. Without strategic cutting to create angles or movement, curls tend to expand outward, creating width exactly where round faces don’t need it. This particular style often results in a triangular shape, with more volume at the bottom than the top.

For round faces, this inverted triangle emphasizes fullness in the cheek and jaw area, which can be particularly unflattering after 60 when facial contours may already be less defined. Many women with natural curls simply let them do their thing, but strategic shaping makes all the difference. Ask your stylist for a curly cut with more volume on top and less at the sides to create a more flattering vertical emphasis.

11. Outdated Pageboy Cut

The pageboy cut, with its distinctive rounded shape that curves under at the bottom, creates a perfect frame that follows and emphasizes the roundness of a full face. This retro style features a curved line that literally traces the jawline of a round face, highlighting rather than minimizing fullness. For women over 60, this dated style not only emphasizes roundness but can also age you significantly.

The uniform length and lack of layers create a heavy, helmet-like effect that lacks the movement and lightness that more mature faces benefit from. If you appreciate vintage styles, there are better options that offer more flattering lines. A modern bob with subtle layers or an asymmetrical cut provides retro flair without the unflattering rounded shape.

12. Heavy Side-Swept Bangs

Heavy side-swept bangs that cover half your face might seem like a good way to slim a round face, but they actually create imbalance. These overwhelming bangs draw attention to facial asymmetry and can make your face appear even rounder on the exposed side. Many women choose this style thinking it hides signs of aging, but it often looks like you’re hiding behind your hair.

This can project insecurity rather than confidence, which is never flattering at any age. The weight of these bangs can also drag down your features, emphasizing rather than minimizing signs of aging. If you love bangs, try lighter, more transparent side-swept versions that blend into layers around your face for a more balanced, flattering effect.

13. Ultra-Short Crop Without Lift

An ultra-short crop that lies flat against the head without any lift or texture creates a problem for round faces. This style essentially follows the round contour of your head, emphasizing rather than counterbalancing facial roundness. Very short cuts without volume on top eliminate the opportunity to create the vertical lines that help elongate a round face.

For women over 60, this can make the face appear fuller and draw attention to any sagging that might be occurring along the jawline. Short hair can absolutely work for round faces, but it needs strategic texture and height. Ask your stylist for a short cut with longer pieces on top that can be styled upward to create lift and the illusion of length in your face.

14. One-Length Hair Hugging the Face

Long hair all one length that hangs straight down and hugs the sides of your face creates a curtain effect that emphasizes roundness. Without layers or movement, this style draws the eye horizontally across the widest part of your face. Many women keep their hair long as they age, thinking it’s more youthful.

But one-length hair that lacks shape or movement can actually add years to your appearance, especially after 60 when hair often thins and loses volume. If you love longer lengths, add long layers starting around chin level to create movement and frame your face more flatteringly. These layers can be styled to curve slightly inward at the cheeks, creating the illusion of more defined facial contours.

15. Teased Crown With No Face-Framing

Creating height through teasing at the crown can help elongate a round face, but when done without any face-framing layers, it creates an unbalanced mushroom effect. The volume sits only on top while the sides hug the roundest parts of your face. This popular style from decades past can look severely outdated and add years to your appearance.

The stark contrast between extreme height on top and flatness at the sides actually emphasizes facial roundness rather than minimizing it. If you like volume at the crown, pair it with soft layers around the face that start at cheekbone level or below. This combination creates a more balanced frame that draws the eye upward and inward rather than outward at the fullest parts of your face.