Over the course of my career, I’ve noticed a distinct divide in how women think and talk about length—and more importantly, how they prioritise it.
There’s a tipping point that seems to occur somewhere between the ages of 35 and 40. It’s not absolute—there are always exceptions—but the pattern repeats often enough that it’s hard to ignore.
In women under 35, particularly in their twenties, the aesthetic preference for long hair tends to take precedence over everything else. They sit in the chair and tell me, almost word for word: “I like it long. I want to keep the length.” There’s rarely much nuance. Even when they admit frustration—how long it takes to style, how it tangles, how they’re always throwing it up—the desire to keep the length still wins out.
It’s not vanity, and it’s not superficial. It’s often a byproduct of youth, of aspirational identity, of growing into an evolving sense of self shaped by visual culture. The idea of cutting it—even slightly—can feel like stepping away from an ideal they’re not quite ready to let go of.
But somewhere in the late thirties, that internal script starts to shift. Aesthetic preference doesn’t disappear—but it starts getting weighed against other priorities: effort, practicality, environment, maintenance, life stage. Hair becomes less about how it looks and more about how it functions.
Some of this might align with the maturing of the brain’s reasoning systems (the frontal lobe is said to fully develop around the late twenties to early thirties), but the behavioural shift is unmistakable. Women begin to make decisions that are less reactive, less tied to identity, and more in step with actual life demands.
I suspect that’s one of the reasons we culturally associate shorter cuts with older women. It’s not about giving up. It’s about recalibrating. Rebalancing. They may still like long hair in theory—but what they want isn’t always what they’re willing to maintain. That’s not defeatist. That’s clarity.
Of course, there are always outliers. I have clients in their sixties with hair past the bust—often uncoloured, textured, and worn with intent. They’re not chasing youth; they’re inhabiting a different archetype entirely. Wise, grounded, self-defined. These women tend to stand slightly outside trend cycles altogether, and the result is often quietly powerful.
But for most, there’s a natural evolution. The need for aesthetic signalling gives way to lived priorities. What once felt non-negotiable—“I have to keep it long”—matures into a quieter question: “What feels right for me now?” That’s not just a style decision. That’s growth. And that’s always welcome in the chair.