Long Hair Knows No Age Limits -- Or Does It? (PHOTOS)

At one point in time, you likely knew these lyrics to "Hair" by heart:

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair...

But having hair "long as God can grow it" was a '60s thing, right? Aren't Post 50 women (and men) supposed to go to shorter lengths and sport hairstyles that supposedly flatter our changing (wrinkling?) faces, minimize our multiple chins and de-emphasize our receding hairlines and diminishing eyebrows. Who says?

That's old school thinking, according to hair stylists. Post 50 women today clearly haven't given up their longer locks -- and we don't mean just those who live in the celebrity spotlight and travel with stylists at each elbow.

For some tips on how to maintain healthy long hair, Huff Post50 turned to Oprah's hair stylist, Andre Walker:

Try to stay away from color treatments if you can.

If you are coloring your hair because it is gray, try using a color product that doesn’t contain ammonia or peroxide. Semi-permanent colors coat the hair and last four to six weeks. This type of color works best on gray hair or hair you want to darken because it doesn’t lift hair color, it only coats.

Resist using heated styling tools more than once a week.

I know that is a tall order, but the difference in your hair's health will be clearly visible. If you must blow-dry, try to keep it off the highest heat setting. It may take a little longer, but you will cause less damage.

When hair is long, it can become heavy and flat, and with age, you lose body.

Be sure to put body back into the hair with volumizing products like styling foam, mousse, or root-lifting spray.

Layers are a great trick for long hair on older women.

Layers will add some body and bounce to the hair, so have your stylist cut some long layers, or layers that frame the face -- anything to keep the hair from looking long, heavy and flat.

Try to extend the number of days between washes, as hair can be damaged during washing.

If you must wash every day, use a high-quality moisturizing shampoo and conditioner every time. Keratin shampoos and conditioners are also great, as they put back the protein that is depleted from hair strands. Our hair is made of keratin protein, so it is great to give the hair back what it has lost.

Use regular oil treatments.

They can really make a difference in hair’s health, improving softness, strength and shine. I personally love Argan Oil because it is light, easy to use and it absorbs instantly into the hair, creating amazing shine.

Clip-on hair extensions are really great to help add thickness and length.

They are relatively affordable and easy to use, and the best part is they aren’t permanent, so you can use them every day, or if you just want to experiment and have some fun with new looks.

Pay attention to your diet.

Believe it or not, your diet plays a large role in the health of your hair and overall appearance. Foods rich in Omega 3’s, such as salmon, flaxseeds and walnuts, should be a regular part of your diet because they are proven to support scalp health and prevent dry scalp and dull hair.

Meet some post 50 women who sport long do's!

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• Belinda 54, Côtes d'Armor, France

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Belinda_Mullinix"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/689906255/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Belinda_Mullinix">Belinda Mullinix</a>:<br />I've earned the right to wear my hair as I see fit, WITH the grey apparent, I love my longer length. Short hair makes me look old and I don't FEEL old, thank you!

• long hair

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/themadmanmark"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/aol_profile_img/4185075.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/themadmanmark">themadmanmark</a>:<br />I never knew that over the age of 40 I still would like having long hair I have had it for many years now.

• Growing it out!

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/CalGalRoyale"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://i.huffpost.com/profiles/391672-tiny.png?20110916163522" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/CalGalRoyale">CalGalRoyale</a>:<br />I've welcomed the aging process since I've become incredibly fit. Why not let my locks grow long and "youthful like" along with the rest of my body!!

• Mary Pedersen 60, New York

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/frspirit7"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/frspirit7">frspirit7</a>:<br />Mary Pedersen 60, New York

• Brenda, 62, Washington state.

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/smenow"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/1418507399/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/smenow">smenow</a>:<br />62 and loving my long, layered hair.

• Long and Blond after 50

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Youngestdaughter"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Youngestdaughter">Youngestdaughter</a>:<br />I decided to grow out my hair and color it blonder on the eve of turning 50. I am still growing it and will be 51 next month.

• Daughter (37), Granddaughter(3) Grandma(69)

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/mommymar"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/mommymar">mommymar</a>:<br />We all love our long hair!!

• Long Locks Are About Your Hair & Style, Not Your Age

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/theladyscribe"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/theladyscribe">theladyscribe</a>:<br />I am the jewelry artist behind LongLocks HairSticks (longlocks.com) and have had and will have long hair for the rest of my life. Healthy long hair and personal style are what should determine if you can pull it off, certainly not your age. And I don't agree that one should dye one's grey, either! This photo was taken a couple months ago. I am 52.

• Fauzia Osman

  "Of course, women at any age are beautiful with long hair. This pic was taken when I was 52. Let's not be ageists here!" Fauzia Osman

• Linda Krause

  Linda Krause is 57 and loves her long hair.

• Kitty Massara

  Kitty Massara, 55, of Omaha, NE.

• Kitty Massara

  Kitty Massara, 55, of Omaha, NE.

• Debby Parker

  Debby Parker, 52, of Wellington, FL.

• Margaret Yeaw

  Margaret Yeaw, 64, of Point Pleasant, NJ.

• Mary Nelsen

  Mary Nelsen, 57, of Omaha, NE.

• Ann Massara

  Ann Massara, 64, Omaha, NE.

• Meredith McKenzie

  Meredith McKenzie, 59, of Altadena, California.

• Julianne Moore

  Julianne Moore, 51.

• Jane Seymour

  Jane Seymour, 61.

• Sissy Spacek

  Sissy Spacek, 62.

• Goldie Hawn

  Goldie Hawn, 66.

• Holly Hunter

  Holly Hunter, 53.

• Christie Brinkley

  Christie Brinkley, 58.

• Vera Wang

  Vera Wang, 62.

• Jerry Hall

  Jerry Hall, 55.

• Andie MacDowell

  Andie MacDowell, 53.

• Madonna

  Madonna, 53.

• Rita Wilson

  Rita Wilson, 55.

• Franca Sozzani

  Franca Sozzani, 62.

• Michelle Pfeiffer

  Michelle Pfeiffer, 53.

• Iman

  Iman, 56.

Comments

[ggcdm2]

05:07 PM on 03/31/2012

I have a friend who is 72 and has a marilyn monroe type of hair style. It is blonde-white. I think she looks ridiculous. She is too old to manage it. Sometimes she can't go places because her hair hasn't been washed, she says. I have a much shorter do, and I can wash mine in the shower, blow it dry and GO. She still rolls hers up and walks around with it in curlers a lot of the time. I have told her to get it cut shorter and layered so she can get out more. But she refuses ! She thinks it makes her look glamorous. She is always reaching up and adjusting those blooming curls !! She just looks like an old lady with a bunch of fluffy, curly hair. How can I get her to cut it so she will have a normal look for a 72 year old woman? Replies are welcome !

[liz 2parrish]

06:55 PM on 11/06/2012

mind your own biz!!!!!!!!!

[liz 2parrish]

07:03 PM on 11/06/2012

mind your own biz--it's her head not yours!!!!

[Red Russet]

03:11 PM on 03/29/2012

Grey grizzled hair is horrible on women. Unless you have thick beautiful white, white hair, you look like Haggatha. Good coloring is important, you have to get someone who knows what they are doing. Do not do it yourself. It must have many tones to look natural. Light brown and blonde tones look best with older faces. 95% of older women color their hair, they can't all be wrong.

[gneep]

05:03 PM on 03/28/2012

anything is better than the "Hair Helmet" It looks ridiculous. I do however understand that it is easier to take care of.

[ninjacb]

03:29 PM on 03/28/2012

i have always had long hair. and now that i am older i wear it in a braid and that pretty much takes care of that. but there is not a day that goes by that i do not receive a compliment on how beautiful my hair is. i think it is the grey and not so much the braid they are complimenting me on.

[PDXSW]

06:59 PM on 03/27/2012

The key to wearing long hair - really, at any age - is condition, and this applies to both men and women who wish to wear their hair long. Keep it trimmed so there are no ragged ends; keep it shiny with regular brushing; wash it every 2-3 days, and don't don't don't color it.

Hair coloring looks unnatural in almost all cases, but especially as we age. With age, our eyebrows and facial color fade, exaggerating the contrast between the aging face and the artificial hair color. Maintenance of colored hair is a nightmare because roots start showing almost immediately after coloring, and year after year of coloring makes hair brittle.

I want to reiterate for the men out there who wear their hair long: brush it. A man with beautifully maintained long hair is attractive; a man with thin, unbrushed, unwashed, uncared-for hair just looks like a smelly burned out Dead Head. If you're going to go the route of long hair, make it an asset, not a detraction.

[KitLyne]

09:33 AM on 03/26/2012

Why are all the pictures of long dyed hair? I'm sick of coloring my hair. Recently I decided to heck with it. I cut my long colored hair off, and I'm letting it go gray. It's short now, but I'm going to grow it back to the shoulder length I had when I colored it. I just didn't want to have that "line in the sand" look while I waited for it. After coloring for the last 10 years, I was surprised to find that my hair isn't as gray as I had hoped it would be, but it's shiny and healthy so I think I'll love it when it grows back out. I'm 52 and I might even grow it long enough for a pony tail again.

[Gregg-O]

05:08 AM on 03/26/2012

I love women with long hair, I think it's a guy thing, I love women that stopped coloring their hair. What really bug's me is the 50+ men with the 12 strand 6" long ponytails !!!! Give it up guys, I had long hair too, BITD, but unless you have a full head of it now, get rid of the tail...makes you look...desparate.

[Shadow Diver]

07:54 AM on 03/25/2012

I know there are some, especially younger women, who love to change their hair and cut it short. As a guy I hate it and I a middle aged guy it seems that some women, especially those who are out of shape and that is a lot at my age, cut their hair off to just kind of quit being feminine. Like a fighter throwing in the towel. My wife is mid-50's. She has long hair and is still beautiful and still gets hit on by younger guys (when I was young this was a problem, now I find it complimentary :) ). If she wants it out of her face or if she wants to change her look she has numerous ways of putting her hair up that are very attractive.

[JD Salinger]

12:25 PM on 03/24/2012

Why no mention of men in their 50's (or any age) with long hair?
I think most everyone looks good with long hair as long as it's well kept.
Plus, by your 50's you have certainly earned the right (as if you need it) to buck conformity and present yourself any way you like. If someone takes issue with it, the problem is theirs.

[ginadeoliveira2008]

05:51 PM on 03/27/2012

Well said Mr Salinger.

[joebtfsplk]

10:58 AM on 03/24/2012

I'd bet that dye jobs are pretty prominent among those seen here.among. Why not follow some whose hair color is a matter of maturity not out of a dye bottle.
Our daughter-in-in law has shoulder length hair that is silver gray and its natural color is gorgeous, especially under stage lights when she performs in a local symphony orchestra. It is simply stunning yet I saw no evidence of similar hair in any of your samples.

[babybates]

12:19 AM on 03/24/2012

I just wish my hair looked like Kathleen Sebelius' hair. I think she has the coolest hair. I'm afraid mine will never be white like hers, but it has gotten so fine that I'm afraid that I'd damage it if I bleached it out. I like my own "highlights from God", but I've always loved white hair (and I'd like to have it while my face still looks relatively young at 51).

[Roland Drummond]

12:15 AM on 03/24/2012

Personally, I can't stand it when a woman chops off all of her hair. I understand that it is a preference, and that is mine. My wife is 50 and has long hair. Too bad I can't post her pic here! She looks 35!

[da3703]

11:33 PM on 03/23/2012

I see older women with long hair who look better that way than short. Besides, if you look back years and years ago almost all grandmothers wore long hair but put it up in a bun or something unless at home but it was still long. Ladies, don't let age stop you, the worst thing is extremely short and curled to the scalp.

[isisreptiles]

09:06 PM on 03/23/2012

I'm in my later 50s and have hair down to my bra strap. I have never liked short hair and I'm not going to wear it that way just because I've reached a particular age.

But whether or not an older woman can wear long hair attractively depends on the hair itself, how it's styled, and the wearer's face.

I disagree about the semipermanent colors without peroxiide or ammonia. You will not get a good result if you have significant gray, and these colors don't last any time at all. They do not last the 4 to 6 weeks the article states. More like 2 weeks.

[Brenda Starr]

10:12 PM on 03/23/2012

Being a bit beyond the "later 50s" myself, I have found that if my hair is long enough for a proper chignon, I can always come off as "age appropriate" if I absolutely have to.

[cdchicago]

08:56 PM on 03/23/2012

This is some kind of cruel joke, right? When a woman is truly beautiful, age, hair and most other factors do not matter. I was at the wing place here recently and passed a who man about 60 who had nearly no hair at all and long elegant ear rings. Man, it was Sinead O'Connor short and pearl handle gray. She was breath taking. if your hair doesn't work the first time, find a second hair dresser before you cut your last chance to look like Goldie Hawn or Juliette Moore as they mature. Remember, guys love long hair over high heels and lip stick above most everything else on women.