Ladies over 50, looking for a stylish contemporary haircut? Try the shattered bob. This chic and stylish haircut is favored amongst women of all ages, but especially women in their fifties. The shattered bob haircut is guaranteed to give you a fresh, new look. Here are 25 amazing shattered bob haircuts for women over 50.
A few years ago, a woman in my chair told me that she hasn’t changed her hairstyle in 10 years and it was clear that she didn’t love it. We shattered bobbed her hair that day and I’ll never forget the way she smiled as she touched the ends of her hair in the mirror. That is the beauty of this haircut. It is more than just looking younger, it is about the hair moving freely.
The Bob Shatter is one of the more original hairstyles and its true essence is lost upon the uninitiated. It has a completely original technique of cutting whereby the ends are not blended, but broken. It is a cut that works with, rather than against, the hair. Instead of opposing the natural waves and weird behaviours of hair that has gone silver, it embraces them. I have gathered a compilation of 25 unique hairstyles and I believe each one of them deserves your attention. Some of them may even be the one that you have been looking for and just don’t know it.
#1: Soft Waves on a Modern Shattered Bob
The way this one moves is so amazing! It reminds me of air-dried hair on a good day. It looks like it just happens, but that comes from a good haircut. The layers are good enough that the waves have a place to go, and the length is that perfect range to feel light, but thick enough to be present. You will have to do some convincing for the natural bends to come out.
#2 Layered Shattered Bob with Airy Texture
I really like the amount of air in this cut. The layers are not heavy or stacked, they are opened so that everything can breathe. For hair that typically falls flat or clumps up together, this type of layering will give it the freedom to separate and move on its own. The highlights look as if they are doing some subtle work; there is just enough tonal variation to enhance the texture without it looking overdone.
#3 Shoulder-Length Shattered Bob with Quiet Highlights
It’s about clean maintenance on the haircut. I like how the layers fall. When it grows out, it still look like you put thought into it. The face framing highlights warm up the look and add dimension. I appreciate the haircut because you can tell thought was put into how it was structured and not just a cookie-cutter approach.
#4 Breezy Shattered Bob with Tousled Layers
I really like how this has the aesthetic of being finger styled and maybe just a texturizing spray. This is the target look with a shattered bob of this type. Each piece falls into different positions, and the whole cut has a looseness to it that feels incredibly effortless. The wave pattern is doing most of the work here; If your hair has even a slight natural texture, you’re already halfway to this.
#5 Face-Softening Shattered Bob with Gentle Layers
What caught my attention in this one was the face framing layers. It is a very subtle shorting of pieces closest to the cheekbone areas, which removes some weight and opens everything up. It’s the type of detail that most people won’t even notice, but that changes how a cut feels when looking in a mirror. The length is simple as well, just above the shoulders, and nothing that is going to take much time from you on a Tuesday morning.
#6 Relaxed Shattered Bob with Effortless Waves
This is the cut I would recommend to someone looking for something that looks good without having to think about it too much. The waves aren’t set or sculpted; they’re just the byproduct of how the layers fall when the hair is mostly left alone, and a little lightweight mousse scrunched in while it’s damp would be enough. There’s a warmth to the overall shape that I find really appealing, like it’s just settled into the right place.
#7 Warm Blonde Shattered Bob with Face-Framing Pieces
I really like what they did with the color. The warm blonde color is nice and has a good amount of color variation to make it look natural instead of like a flat single tone. The face framing layers are cut and styled so that they move outwards a little, which is nice and gives the whole look a more open feel. I would definitely show this as an example for someone wanting to feel brighter without doing anything too drastic. It is a subtle change, but brings a whole lot of brightness to the look.
#8 Wispy-Banged Shattered Bob with Soft Movement
It can be easy for wispy bangs to go wrong if they look too thick or too blunt. However, in this case, they are just light enough to move with the rest of the hair. Plus, they are thin enough to feel like an un-commitment. The rest of the cut features broken-up texture which all looks very relaxed. I think what I like most about this one is how, in contrast to the bangs, it all comes together as one, instead of the bangs looking like they came from a different haircut.
#9 Fluffy Layered Shattered Bob with Lived-In Feel
The layers were cut with a little more distance between layers to create a fluffier look instead of poofy and shapeless. If your hair is fine and you’ve always wanted more of a fuller look, then this is the type of structuring that gives you more of that. What appears to be thick hairis most often a well done layered cut.
#10 Cool-Toned Shattered Bob with Understated Highlights
I really appreciate how the highlights merge with the natural gray and do not compete with it. They can provide a more cohesive look instead of two disparate things. That takes skill in coloring and is done very well. The cut is simple and clean with soft layers that fall nicely on straight hair without having to direct them. It looks so much like the person wearing it which is always my favorite.
#11 Copper Shattered Bob with Warm Dimension
I love the copper color! It gives you a touch of richness but not overbearing. Will chin lengths bob those textures and catch light to your depth?? I adore warm tones like this AND how they blended with the cut that has tons of movement to showcase them. The shattered layers here do just that! If you’re meaning warmer gone bold, this is a really great reference point to start!
#12 Choppy Layered Bob with Natural Highlights
The cut looks good and the subtleties in the choppiness show that it is more about texture than edge, and that is important. I like the way the highlights look. They were woven in and don’t look s fresh, which gives a nice finished look to the overall style. It looks like the type of cut that improves three weeks after you get it and that’s a sign of a good haircut.
#13 Dimensional Shattered Bob with Tousled Layers
The highlights help integrate the chop in a way that draws attention to them without being too stripy, or overkill. The average passerby will think ‘her hair just looks like that,’ when there is a lot more intention than it seems. Overall, the shape is quite forgiving. It is not too precise, nor too messy, but rather comfortably in between. For hair that has a tendency to look a bit flat or one-note, this cut with some good coloring makes a world of difference. Here, some volumizing powder at the roots would go a long way.
#14 Wispy Shattered Bob with Gentle Shoulder-Length Layers
The cut looks made for those wanting to appear polished but without a lot of work. The wispy layers feel soft, a texture that is difficult to achieve without good use of texturizing shears, but here they were done very well. There is a very subtle wave here, more of a bend than a curl, that adds to the overall effortlessness of the cut. I would suggest a cut like this to someone who has been wearing their hair at one length for a long time and is ready for their hair to do something a little more fun.
#15 Jaw-Length Shattered Bob with Natural Texture
I love how the face framing layers just below the jawline enhances the structure of their face. The texture is doing heavy lifting, and those ends being slightly rough give it the personality it needs without it being too fussy. I can see the natural wave in this hair and it’s great to see that it’s been allowed to do its thing without being over smoothed or over styled. That honesty is what makes the cut so great. It’s not trying to be anything other than what it is and that’s awesome.
#16 Mahogany Wavy Shattered Bob with Depth
Mahogany has a beautiful texture, adding a tactile element on the cut. The mahogany color really compliments your skin, and the waves texture reflect light beautifully. The color gives an illusion of constantly shifting. A chin-length bob cut creates a good contrast, and the warmth helps soften that architectural feel, giving the cut a more warmly inviting quality. If your hair tends to get frizzy, a mid-length smoothing serum would help to maintain the definition of the waves without losing them.
#17 Copper-Toned Curly Shattered Bob
What I find most striking is how the copper hue changes as the curls move. It isn’t a single, uniform color, and instead has an organic variation as the light shifts over each curl. This adds an alive warmth to the entire look. Your cut is doing its job of holding shape without taking any life away from the curl pattern. If you have natural texture and have been straightening out of habit, this may cause you to think again.
#18 Playful Shattered Bob with Feathered Volume
With this style, the volume is not forced. It is a matter of the right cutting angles for the density and texture of the hair. Ends that feathered look keep the style from being too heavy, and the slight outward kick at the bottom adds some personality. I wouldn’t change much with the color either, sometimes it is best to let the cut do all the talking.
#19 Beachy Shattered Bob with Effortless Bend
The wave pattern that resembles a day spent outside and your hair blending in is hard to achieve on purpose. But with a shattered bob, it is a lot more likely to happen on its own. The good choice in jaw line length allows the waves to be seen from every angle. If on days when your hair is not cooperating you wanted to encourage this sort of bend, you would get there with a lightly used 1-inch curling wand that you then shaken out.
#20 Curly Shattered Bob with Lively Movement
The thing I appreciate about the curls in this style is the clear presence they each have. Each layer is cut so each curl can bounce up instead of being weighed down by the one below, which I think contributes to the positive presence. I noticed that the small technical aspect of springing above each layer made a surprising difference in the overall feel and appearance of the style. I believe this particular haircut brings a certain joy to the style that is even visible in the photo. I would say that if your hair is curly and you have been opposed to it, you should go for it! Please get this haircut because that is the result of collaborating with the natural curl.
#21 Softly Tousled Shattered Bob
Every morning this cut speaks the least. Which begs to be cut. And we love to see it. The cut is soft and allows the hair to move while keeping the structured shape. Gentle, soft and beautiful, the face-framing was cut the best. More like, we love to see it and we love to see it.
#22 Jaw-Grazing Shattered Bob with Warm Undertones
the warmth of the hues will mean they won’t look obvious. They’ll just look somewhat different and still just as fine. The length is one I find myself coming back to again and again as it seems to suit so many. It has a gentle jawline hugging silhouette which is so soft and inviting. I love to see pieces like this that don’t have any harsh lines and are instead defined by soft curves and movement.
#23 Silver-Toned Shattered Bob with Feathered Ends
Silver hair can especially look stunning with the right hairstyle, as is the case here. The soft ends prevent the bob from looking too heavy on the ends, which is especially important with silver hair as it can appear dull. The cheekbone layers are placed perfectly. This is a great example of the haircut complementing the choice to not cover grey hair, which is a great choice.
#24 Golden-Toned Shattered Bob with Relaxed Waves
All the golds are softer and a lot more working to ensure they to do hair. The golden tones are a perfectly matte finish and wont overprocess, the warmth to this look makes it late afternoon light. The cut is soft enough to make the move and the defined enough to give the soft waves. I would call it low effort to give it a return from casual to a bit more dressed with no tweaks. This cut sits in the best category.
#25 Shattered Bob with Soft Curls and Balayage Dimension
The curls seem like they were done in a hurry, or perhaps they’ve been styled in more of a carefree manner. Even so, they’re a nice contrast to the choppy layers underneath. The most interesting thing about this look is the contrast of the relaxed curls and structured bob, and this really creates that looseness. If you want a little more depth, I’d recommend a balayage on the mid-lengths and ends. To me, a good grow-out is more important than how it looks on day one.
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