5 Medium-Length Haircuts That Will Make You Look Youthful

The way a hairstyle can completely change your image has been well-documented, but many of us still underestimate how much our locks can age us up or down. Even if you have a medical-grade skincare regimen and avoid the clothing colors and patterns that are making you look older, the wrong hairstyle can add years to your look. If that sounds terrifying, the flip side is that cutting years off your image can be as simple as switching up your hairstyle to something more flattering.

To find out which hairstyles tend to bring that youthful energy for those who are fans of fuss-free mid-lengths, we spoke to Ogle School's veteran cosmetologist and campus director Lindsay Worthen. Her top tips for medium-length styles that make you look younger? Seek out movement, body, and layers, like those you'll find in retro cuts such as the legendary Rachel or even the '70s-inspired shag. But while these cuts are giving spring chicken, ultimately, they won't work for everyone. The right cut for you is the one that fits into your lifestyle, since there's nothing as aging as grown-out hair that drags down your face. 

"It's important to consider your lifestyle and how much time and effort you're willing to invest when choosing a haircut," Worthen tells Glam exclusively. "A helpful rule of thumb when maintaining your haircut's shape is the shorter the length, the more frequently you'll want a trim. For a medium-length
cut, aim for a refresh every four to six weeks to keep your layers looking clean and polished." If you stop getting haircuts, your hair will lose its youth-giving powers, so it's important to choose a mid-length style that you'll actually keep up with. Luckily, there are plenty of options for everyone. 

If you're looking for a haircut that gives you the best of both worlds in terms of length and body, it doesn't get any better than the ultra-versatile lob. As Lindsay Worthen explains exclusively to Glam, "Lobs are a great way to rock a classic bob when you want to maintain a little more length." The length factor is the most appealing part of this look for many, since a lob isn't long enough to age you by dragging down your features, but is also not so short that it leaves you feeling exposed, the way a bob can. And because the lines around lobs and shoulder-grazing cuts are so blurred, there's hardly any pressure to maintain a strict cutting schedule (you'd have no such luxury with a demanding bob!).

The other amazing thing about lob cuts is they come in all forms — just check out our list of lob haircuts for the perfect in-between length. To keep it playful and youthful, it's best to avoid harsh angular lines in your lob, opting instead for a soft texture and curved ends. The overall shape can still be blunt, but keep in mind that a lob that's too neat and refined can create a more sophisticated energy, which isn't what you want when the goal is a transformative haircut that will bring a youthful energy, regardless of your age.

This carefree kind of lob is easy to pull off at home; you can either let it air dry (just remember to hydrate to banish frizz when air drying your hair) or loosely blow-dry the front pieces, and then add texture through the rest with sea salt spray. 

Sometimes, vintage haircuts can actually make you look and feel young rather than coming across as outdated. They might take you back to when you were much younger, but often, it's just that certain styles give off a lighter energy. And to that end, let us introduce the ever-popular shag, which is one of the face-framing haircuts that will instantly make you look younger.

"Another great haircut that provides a more youthful appearance is the modern shag," Lindsay Worthen shares exclusively with Glam. "This haircut is a great way to give texture and movement in the hair by creating maximum layers in the hair." There's a slippery slope between shag, wolf cut, and mullet territory. All three are characterized by short layers through the top of the hair, with the shag (which stems back to the '70s) being the most beginner-friendly of the lot. It's messy and bouncy thanks to the plethora of layers which are all cut at different lengths, but it's not as extreme as the wolf cut or mullet, which feature much shorter layers around the face.

The key to keeping these retro styles young is adopting modern iterations of them. With the shag, that might mean adding in curtain bangs, which have been one of the most enduring fringe styles of the 2020s. Do experiment with curly hair and other textures, since adding bounce and movement will always age down a look. The other factor that makes a haircut youthful is the fact that it's popular amongst the young 'uns, and shags blasted back to popularity as one of the haircuts we saw everywhere in 2025. If this is the medium-length style for you, take a look at our list of shag haircuts to inspire your next salon visit.

The best thing about leaning on vintage hairstyles to create a youthful look today is that you have endless eras to choose from. One of the most flattering, life-giving cuts, according to Lindsay Worthen, also happens to be one of the most iconic hairstyles of all time: the Rachel. For those who aren't familiar with the '90s sitcom "Friends," Rachel hair belonged to Jennifer Aniston's Rachel Green. Her locks transformed from season to season, but she's widely credited with first popularizing face-framing layers and choppy pieces. There's a lot of variety in this style, but the one non-negotiable is shoulder length, which helps to give all the layers their bounce.

"'90s layers are also coming back in style," Worthen tells Glam exclusively. "This haircut is often referred to or inspired by 'the Rachel' that Jennifer Aniston made popular." As with your vintage shag, it's important to update the Rachel for the modern era. Again, some intentional curtain bangs will work wonders here. You could also look to It-girls of the moment for a blueprint of how to nail the modern Rachel. Supermodel and beauty maven Hailey Bieber is all over this with her signature layers and bounce, bringing the look into the present day with less uniform ends and a messier overall vibe. 

The Rachel is one of the most iconic hairstyles of the '90s, and our biggest tip when creating it yourself is to focus on volume and anti-frizz. It should be casual and fuss-free, which will help with that youthful energy, but it shouldn't be entering bird's nest territory. Apply a styling cream or oil to keep frizz at bay, and style with a round brush to keep that bounce and movement. 

There's something inherently youthful about wavy hair. It might be the body, reflecting the health and vivaciousness of a person's strands. Maybe it's the way it gives "day at the beach," and a subsequent relaxed, carefree energy. Whether it's your natural texture or not, waves create the illusion of thickness, which is another element that works towards a younger look since our hair tends to thin as we get older. In terms of styling, cutting your hair bluntly at the shoulder will avoid the dead-end, ratty look that can sometimes come with longer hair. Feel free to add in some layers throughout, since this creates body and movement, but it's not strictly necessary as the waves themselves will do the heavy lifting here. 

"Shoulder-length styles with lots of layers can require more styling time, tools, and product to maintain their shape and movement," Lindsay Worthen notes in our exclusive conversation. Sticking to one length will take away some of that maintenance work, so waves are a good compromise for those who want youthful bounce and body without having to frequently run to the salon. 

In terms of achieving your waves, there are several methods to choose from. Crimpers and mermaid-wave tools are probably the most direct path, but you could also curl with a regular iron and then brush out your ringlets. Just be sure to add a styling cream so you don't end up with brushed-out frizz. For a heat-free, fuss-free alternative, you could let your hair air dry in braids — just be sure not to sleep with wet hair, since this can often cause the damage you were trying to avoid with air drying. Meanwhile, enough hydration is crucial when styling your naturally wavy hair.

Sometimes, giving your hair a youthful makeover is as simple as cutting some bangs into your shoulder-length hair. A fringe might seem intimidating for someone who's never had one before, but it's a naturally girlish style that can inject a dose of playfulness back into your mane. We won't sugarcoat it: Bangs do require more upkeep than the average hairstyle, but keeping the rest of your hair around shoulder length is super easy, since it's not as noticeable when it grows out. A bob with bangs, on the other hand, would mean visiting the salon every three to six weeks or having obviously grown-out hair. You can also mitigate some of the bangs maintenance by going for a wispier finish rather than blunt edges, which are less flexible. Additionally, some styles lend themselves to DIY: You can even cut and style your curtain bangs at home.

Along with taking you back to childhood and rounding out your features, bangs also hide some of the signs of aging on the face, including forehead lines and wrinkles. Once again, bangs that are wavy or curly bring more life and body to the hair, which translates to the youthful energy you're looking for.

That said, not every kind of bangs style will do you justice if your goal is looking younger. There are a few types of bangs to skip if you have an older face, including micro-bangs and the aforementioned blunt bangs, which tend to draw attention to the forehead and create a sharp, intense look. Instead, feathery bangs and those with movement are your best bet for creating a youthful energy in general, but you'll also want to find the right bang style for your face shape.