I’m a 41-year-old mom and tried the ultimate anti-aging cut by chopping off 2 inches of my hair
As celebrities cut their long locks in an attempt to turn back the years, mum-of-one Sarah Morton, 41, a writer from South London, is braving a bob in the hope of looking younger and sexier.
While wandering down the street recently, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a shop window.
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Nothing about this particular day was unusual, but I barely recognized the person looking at me.
Wild and tired, with my thin, tangled hair falling limply over my shoulders, I suddenly felt very, very old.
How did this happen? I looked at least ten years older than my 41 years.
Feeling a little sick, I rushed home, turned on my laptop and frantically googled “how to look years younger”.
If you ignore the vast majority of websites telling you to go under the knife—or eat more broccoli—one of the best outcomes was cutting your hair.
So I started doing some research.
It seems like celebrities are falling over themselves to get the chop right now, with Selena Gomez, Lily Collins and Rihanna opting for this winter’s hottest haircut: the trusty bob.
But could shaving off my long locks really shave years off my age?
A recent social media craze asked whether celebrities looked better with long or short hair, using AI to create the before and after styles.
Most agreed that the stars in question – including Adele, Sarah Jessica Parker and Demi Moore – looked a lot younger with a bob.
So if a shorter ‘do can work its magic on A-listers, I wondered if it could also work wonders on an exhausted 41-year-old mom like me.
Could it be that if I shaved two inches off my locks, I would look five years younger?
Research shows that shorter hair is the preferred length for the majority of women over 40. Hairstylist and advanced technician Charlie Illi from London’s Brooks & Brooks salon believes this is the perfect choice.
“It’s such a popular style when it comes to our older female customers,” she confirms.
A shorter, flirty cut can revive dead hair… it works like a natural facelift
Hairstylist Charlie Illi
“You can’t go wrong with a classic bob; it never goes out of fashion.
“A shorter, flirtier cut can revive dead hair and lift it functions. It acts as a natural facelift.”
She adds that with my hair type and texture, as much as six inches would be the optimal length to achieve an anti-aging “classic bob.”
Despite trusting Charlie’s theory, it wasn’t an easy decision to get the cut.
Chasing a toddler, juggling my writing career, and spending most days wearing my greasy long hair in a scrunchie, I’ve come to realize that I’ve been neglecting the sense of beauty. . . comfortable.
Putting on the same leggings for three days and throwing away the makeup (because I can’t be bothered to take it all off at the end of the day) has become my norm.
I don’t even bother blow-drying my hair anymore, preferring to let it dry naturally so it falls into a flat, dull nothing.
I’m too exhausted to care about it, but it makes me look older than I am.
Throughout my 20s and even through most of my 30s, I would proud making myself look good and always doing my hair and makeup, no matter the occasion.
But motherhood and mortgages can really change a woman and the shock of seeing my confused reflection in that shop window was the final straw.
I suddenly realized that I was bored of it because I didn’t feel attractive – and something had to change.
Knowing that the bob is trending as a winter style, it seemed like an obvious choice.
But when I sit in front of the mirror of the hair salon, I quickly become nervous.
Ever since I was a teenager, one of my biggest insecurities has been my double chin, and knowing that cutting off my hair will leave it completely visible makes me slightly panicky.
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But Charlie quickly puts me at ease and explains that by framing my chin and neck with this hairstyle, I will draw attention away from my jaws, rather than accentuate them.
So I have no choice but to grit myself teeth and commit to it.
I trust Charlie knows what she’s doing and before I have time to talk myself out of it, her razor-sharp scissors slide through my hair.
Goodbye, Barnet.
Once she has worked her magic, I turn to the mirror and am genuinely surprised by what I see.
My hair is a full six inches shorter, and the style has somehow lifted my face, with the soft side edge creating a frame around my eyes. I actually think I look younger. And more beautiful.
The first thing I notice is the unfamiliar cold on my neck. Without my long hair – my armor – I feel strangely exposed.
I’m starting to worry about my double chin, but when I look in the mirror and see such a positive difference it calms me down. I don’t feel as vulnerable as I thought.
Right now I feel confident and attractive even though there are no strands to reach for
Previously, in times of uncertainty, I would immediately grab my hair and usually place it in front of my chin to hide myself.
But right now I feel confident and attractive even though there are no strands of hair to reach for.
‘I feel sexier and bolder’
The haircut is beautiful and I tell Charlie what a genius she is.
But the real test will be the reactions of my partner Jamie, 43, our two-year-old daughter Sophie, and Jamie’s 13-year-old Zoe.
My family was just as nervous about me finally cutting my hair.
As soon as I walk through the front door, Sophie looks at me in surprise and immediately starts touching my shorter locks.
“You look just like me,” she exclaims happily.
I’m not entirely sure if that’s a compliment, since her little curls are currently in a style that makes her look like a Lego character.
But if the new ‘do lowered my age by 39, that can’t be a bad thing, right?
Next comes Jamie.
Having always known me with long hair, this will be a big adjustment for him and I’m nervous about seeing him.
But I didn’t have to worry.
He tells me he loves me new look and even uses the word “beautiful”, something I haven’t heard in a while.
Other friends and family are equally complimentary, with my mother Kath, 69, proudly – and rather too enthusiastically – saying that I could pass for being in my twenties.
I’m not sure I would go that far, but I certainly feel so much sexier and more beautiful than I have in years.
Judging from this response, I think this goes without saying futureI’ll keep my hair short – and sweet.
Cut out stars with force
They’ve got it working!
Actresses Jennifer Aniston and Penelope Cruz, plus TV presenter Susanna Reid, are among the stars who have taken the plunge and shaved years off their looks.
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Jennifer, 55, could easily pass as ten years younger with her chic lob, which perfectly frames her youthful face.
Meanwhile, Penelope, 50, swapped her long, luscious locks for a bob, turning back the clock for her.
And Good Morning Britain’s Susanna wowed viewers when she debuted her playful bob, with one fan gushing: “You look a lot younger.”
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