It can be tempting to celebrate your 40th birthday with a day under the duvet with your favourite book and a tub of something sugary, but your fabulous forties are a brand new era for your hair.

You may have noticed some changes in your hair as you get older - for example, postpartum hair loss, thinning hair or grey hair. However, your forties are a superb decade to experiment, try a flattering new colour or an exciting, eye-catching cut. Here’s our pick of modern, easy-to-care-for styles and cuts for women over 40.

Textured bob

If you’re looking to lose some length and freshen up your look, a chin-length bob featuring subtle layers can add movement, texture and dimension. Adding layers prevents the hair from appearing flat, creating a fuller look, and you could even add balayage or a money piece to add some eye-catching, multi-tonal colour.

To boost texture and volume, apply a thickening mousse to your roots and mid-lengths, then tousle with fingers for a natural, relaxed finish.

Choppy pixie cut

Don’t fear the pixie cut - it’s come a long way since its 1970s heyday. A short, edgy hairstyle with uneven, choppy layers throughout, the choppy pixie cut’s deliberate unevenness adds depth and creates the illusion of thicker hair.

Use lightweight styling products to define and volumise layers and provide a textured, tousled appearance.

Long layers with barely-there waves

Medium-length hair styled with cascading layers and gentle waves reduces unnecessary hair weight and allows natural waves to form, which adds body and movement.

If you already have mid-length hair, apply a volumising mousse to damp hair before blow-drying with a round brush to enhance volume. Finish with a large-barrel curling iron to create soft waves.

Sleek mid-length cut

The key to keeping this cut looking elegant and polished is in the styling. A shoulder-length, sophisticated style with minimal layers, a sleek cut with subtle volume can be achieved by blow-drying with a round brush to lift and bolster your hair’s natural volume.

Use a few spritzes of a root boosting spray at the roots before styling to add lift and prevent your hair from lying flat.

Shaggy, tousled bob with a fringe

To get this look right, you’ll need naturally-wavy hair that’s already fairly thick. The shaggy layers create a tousled, voluminous look, while a choppy fringe adds dimension and frames your face.

Use a thickening spray to define your layers and provide a boost of natural-looking volume and texture.

Tapered pixie cut

To take off some length gradually, a tapered pixie is perfect for people who already have mid-length hair and want to experiment with a change in length.

Characterised by short sides and a back cut shorter than the top, the longer top layers add volume, while the tapered sides provide a sleek silhouette.

Side-swept fringe

If you already have a fringe, consider growing it out to get a side-swept fringe. This cut looks especially lovely if you already have a side parting and you ‘switch’ sides throughout the day to keep your hair’s natural volume.

A side-swept fringe is cut longer and swept to one side, blending seamlessly with the rest of your hair. Pair with a volumising hairspray to keep your fringe in place without stiffness.

Layered shoulder length cut

If you have long hair that needs a cut to get rid of split ends and damage, a shoulder length style with multiple layers throughout is a perfect, low-maintenance choice. The layers add movement and prevent your hair from looking flat, enhancing texture and volume.

Our PROfiller+ range can help with adding the look and feel of additional thickness for ready-to-wear, natural-looking volume.

Blunt cut with a fringe

A straight-across cut with a full, straight-across fringe is a flattering, modern cut for people with medium-thickness hair that needs a cut to update their look. This cut’s blunt ends give the appearance of thicker hair, and a no-nonsense straight-across fringe adds dimension by framing the face.

A few drops of a lightweight smoothing hair serum keeps your style sleek and frizz-free, adding shine and providing heat protection.