The most essential engineering equation I am carrying around in my head right now is that your hair is 50% of the equation toward your looks.  This percentage can increase significantly to at least 75-80% when we gain a few pounds or notice (egads!) a new forehead wrinkle.  If you're like me, in the "forty-something" generation, then finding or creating a hairstyle requires a little thought and consideration.

Nix the Gray.  There are a few exceptions where women really wear gray well and it looks beautiful.  However, I am not one of them.  So, let's say at this point, it's simply not practical to take my permanent black magic marker and eradicate those pesky grays.  Choose a hair color that is closest to your own (and your skin tone) for maximum and best coverage and spend a couple of extra dollars for the best "Do-It-Yourself" box of hair color (if you con't want to spend the extra money at the salon).  If, perhaps, you want to wrap yourself around the "up yours" kind of attitude and sport a gray hairstyle...Bravo!  It's just not for me.

Short or Long?  Instead of heeding the rules as they pertain to age on whether or not you should go short or long, choose a hairstyle that looks best with the shape of your face and height.   You may be surprised that you have a square or heart shaped face rather than an oval one.  Tall women may be able to wear longer hair more easily than a shorter woman.  Layers that are shorter and lighter on top may make a longer hairstyle more flattering for a shorter woman.  In the end, tailoring a hairstyle that is unique to your shape is what's important to compliment your beautiful features.

Let Style and Not Your Age Be Your Hair Guide:  I recently ran into one of those "no appointment" hair salons and had a gal "trim" my hair..."No worries..you relax" were her last words.  In 15 minutes, my once shoulder length hair was "bobbed" into a trendy style that I never in a million years would have asked for.  Let me say, there were tears and I instantly felt all of 16-years-old showing this much emotion after a hair cut, but the style was right for my face and, in the end, was just what I needed, albeit..gasp...SHORT!

The Point:  Regardless of our age, we should choose a hairstyle that is right for our lifestyle and shape.   We're never too old to dare to look sexy and feminine and that can be done with a short hairstyle as well as a long hairstyle.  

Did I mention, my 30-year class reunion is next weekend?  Peering through my old yearbooks, my hair is just about as short as when I graduated, but the style is a present day "bob"...It's not unlike me to cling to styles that I may have worn some 30-years ago, but I realize that no hairstyle is going to make me "look" the way I did 30-years ago, back in the Reagan Administration!