And you are pretty sure your hair loss or thinning has to do with your Menopause status, then let’s talk. I had that same problem as well. To be honest, my hair has been kind of thin my whole life. But I had lots of it. So, thin hair was never an issue for me. However, at a certain point (when Peri Menopause hit me) I began to notice that my hair was falling way too much, way more than it used to and I also noticed that my hair was not full as it used to be. Every where I went, I left tones of hair behind. It was embarrassing to say the least.
I only noticed some improvement, when things seem to go back on the right track, after some years of walking through the Menopause hell. And here are the things that help me to have my glowing hair back:
Me and my normal hair. No more thinning nor loss. Just slightly damaged for daily swimming.
The most important thing in my opinion is to make sure you have all the nutrients covered and sufficient in your body. Sometimes lack of nutrients like Zinc, Iron, B12, Folate, Boron and others can trigger the problem. The same can be said about some health conditions like anemia, thyroid issues, diabetes etc. So, you better check with your doctor to see if they are a factor. Just a little reminder: if your problem is not caused by deficiency or insufficiency of any nutrient in your diet, taking it on your own is not gonna help at all. For me, that helped a lot because I clearly had an issue to be addressed. It might be your case too. Or not.
Other thing to consider is to give your hair a good, long break from chemicals like dyes or bleachers. Those chemicals make your hair weaker and that can have a bad impact in your hair’s health. Letting it rest for a few months can give your hair a chance to regrowth. And stronger.
And since the subject is hair itself, there are special shampoos and conditioners and a whole bunch of other products to address the thinning issue. I used and loved the Nioxin kit for thinning hair. It did help me a lot. I still use it from time to time but I don’t think I need it anymore. Just love it. (#notapaidad)
In order to address hair loss there are some specific products like Minoxidil (Rogaine) or even some laser treatments that can help. I haven’t tried any of those cause I didn’t need it, but it’s fair to register this option here because it is an option.
Do things that can help alleviate your stress level, because stress on its own can be a major factor. Exercise, go for walks, meditate, practice some breathing techniques… find something or somethings that ca help you with stress can be a treatment for your hair problem.
Ad of course, there are some hormonal imbalances due to Menopause that can be responsible. There are hormone therapies to address that, but you need to contact your doctor to see whether or not it’s a viable road for you.
And if you want to read more about Hair Loss And Thinning here is a good article on that.
If you wear nail polish, especially if it stays on your nails for longer than it should be, you probably noticed some white stains/spots on them when you remove the color. Been there, done that.
And although they look nasty they are pretty harmless. And with a substantial amount of moisturizer they will go away completely overnight. Not kidding.
See? Actually, to see it better, click on each photo and there you go.
My go to moisturizer to address it is Bepantol Baby cream. But as far as I know you can put any moisturizer on them and voilà, problem solved.
Usually I like to give some break for my nails between nail polishes, like at least a night. Sometimes a day or two. Just so can they “breathe” freely.
Again, this is just an effective treatment for those spots/stains caused by the nail polish not those white spots that can sometimes appear out of nowhere in our nails. Here there is an article about them and their possible causes (that includes allergies, mineral deficiency, fungal infection and nail injury).
I loooove cosmetics and make up. Love to try new things, new products, new ways of wearing them…
Having said that, although I love them, I don’t like to own a lot of products. I usually have only things I tend to wear in regular basis (and a few options) and things that I actually adore. Plus a few items for events or occasions that every now and then I have ahead. So I keep my kit to a minimum.
And yes, every now and then I add something new to try on. If I like it, I usually incorporate it to my routine. As an option or to rotate with the one or the ones I already use and love. I personally think this is an awesome approach because cosmetic products have indeed an expiration date and we all should respect that.
For our skin’s good health sake.
Although (again) I love make up, I usually wear close to none make up in my daily life. I like to let my glowing natural skin do most of the talk. So the no makeup makeup look is my go-to look.
With that in mind, basically those are my make up essentials, aka the products I wear daily (some even to my morning walk and Pilates/Yoga classes):
My Basic Daily MakeUp Kit.
A great moisturizer and a sunblock. Not negotiable.
A tinted protective cream (something close to a foundation but lighter). Sometimes (aka quite often) I wear only my skin and ditch this cream.
A healthy glow blush. When I am tanned I skip it but usually I am not, so I wear it.
An eye pencil. (My favorite is a gray one, slate). Love to wear a bit of it.
A pinkish almost nude lipstick. The type that stays on for a long time.
A mascara (I wear it but not that often).
A highlighter in a certain spots.
Kim Kardashian contouring sticks. Because it is an easy contouring kit that anyone can use. Seriously. But I must confess that I don’t wear it that frequently.
Those are my go-to essentials for my daily make up routine, the products I do wear frequently. However, my make up kit is a bit broader than this. Because every now and then I like to wear a little bit more make up. For a special occasion or just because. Especially when going out at night. Then I go for some foundation or illuminating cream, sometimes a darker lipstick (red is usually my color), mascara for sure, some eyeshadow and some lip gloss.
And sometimes I even bet on a cat eye, so eyeliner is a must too.
So, here is my broader list of the basic make up kit:
A great moisturizer and a sunblock.
Please do have both in your kit. A necessity.
My ab favorite moisturizer is Belif’s Aqua Bomb. And even when I can’t find it here (aka Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), I wear another moisturizer. But never ever I go without it.
A sunblock is what I call my second moisturizer layer. A must. My fave is the Loreal Solar Expertise Antiwrinkle.
An Illuminating cream.
This one can be used instead of a foundation. It is lighter and illuminate your skin. But pick one that is in the exactly tone of your skin.
Some people, actually, a lot of people use a powder after foundation to fix it better or give an extra touch to the skin. I hardly use it. Because as I said before, lighter is better for me.
Eyebrow gel:
In my case a gel to keep my eyebrows in place will do it cause I don’t have imperfections on my brows so I don’t need anything to correct them.
But if you need a little help to correct imperfections then add a kit for it. Go for something that gives a more natural look to them.
Also, if you want to hide some gray hair there, there are good options for it. And you can include it in your kit too.
Eyeliner, LashCurler and Mascara:
It is a good idea to have a few pencil eyeliners like black, brown, slate to vary if you like this item. I’d rather wear slate and brown for day and black for night. Although I do wear slate for night a lot.
A liquid eyeliner is also a good idea to have if you fancy a cat eye.
LashCurler is one of the tools that I have but rarely wear. And the reason for it is pure laziness. And the fact that my lashes are pretty good as they are. So, I hardly bother wit it.
That is why also I can go without mascara. But usually I wear it. Cause I like it. If I want something less dramatic I bet on a brown mascara. Black is for those days when I want to count on my lashes to be one of the makeup stars. Maybelline is a cheap good brand for it. If you want to save some money on make up, here is your best bet.
And yes, waterproof is the one I go for.
Nude and Colored Lipstick:
I have a few nudes that I love. But usually I go for the ones that are lipstain and lasts for a long time. Like this one by Revlon called ColorStay Overtime. It does last long. My current favorite is Unlimited Mulberry. Lovely shade of pink. For lipstick, Pillow Talk by Charlotte Tilbury is the one I keep on my bag. My fave nude at the moment.
I would add here a lip pencil in the color of your lipstick. Sometimes you can wear it instead of a lipstick too.
I do.
Spice by Mac has been my bet since ever. Best nude lip pencil.
And a lipgloss:
To wear with or without lipstick. Not a must-wear product for me, but I like to have one around just in case I am in the mood for it. The one I wear is from Fenty Beauty.
Brushes and Sponges:
Chose the right kind for what your kit has. Like a brush for foundation, for the multiple ways to apply the eyeshadow, for blush, for contouring…
I must confess that I love to use my fingers to apply cream and foundation and concealer, creamy blush, highlighter and even a bit of eyeshadow. But every now and then I do use brushes and sponges.
But hey, it is up to you and what it works best for you.
Blush And Highlighter:
For blush I like something pink-ish or peachy-ish just to give me a healthy glow. I have a few options here and one of them is the easy to use Benetint Cheek and Lip Stain. And yes, you can wear both ways.
For a highlighter, lately I have been using Milk Highlighter in certain spots like my forehead (between the brows), under the eyes, above the lip, under the outer eyebrows. Love it because it gives some shine but not that much. And it is easy to apply.
Eyeshadow Palette:
Here I do recommend that you put together your own palette instead of buying one already set. Think what kind of colors you like to wear and which occasions you might have ahead to wear them and pick the shades that perfectly suits your skin undertone. Like every shade should be your bff.
If that is too much for you, the Naked palettes from Urban Decay is a good option for a pre-set palette. But pick the one that most suits your skin undertone. This is very important.
Q-Tips and MakeUp Remover:
Q-Tips are great for quick fixes so it is a good idea to have them around just in case.
Recently I have heard that the wet towels are not the best option to remove make up. I have mixed feelings about them. Sometimes I like, others, not so much. But usually I go for cotton and a liquid remover. Never used Micellar Water but some people love it. It is great for sensitive skins, so I have heard. Lately my fave is this one from Evelom. But in a recent past I like the Bioderma Sensibio H2O.
And that is it. You are set with your basic make up kit. This way you will have all the essentials for day and night and everything in between.
Disclaimer: None of the links above are affiliate links or paid ad or a partnership. None.
Oh, yes, according to the dermatologists and skin specialists you should wash your face for at least 20 to 30 seconds. Oily skin needs the 30 seconds washing because that is how long it takes to break up the sebum. If you don’t spend that “much” time washing your face, you are not really cleaning it.
And when I say you should wash your face for 30 seconds I mean, first wet your face a little bit and put the proper soap, foam or whatever you use to do it and when you start rubbing it all over is when you start counting for 30 seconds. And yes, you should rub it gently for 20-30 seconds.
Got it?
Let’s see if there will be an improvement in my skin from now on.
Well, it is entirely up to you. Do you wanna go gray?
Or nay?
Because if you don’t, don’t; if you do, do it. But before you do it, just be aware of this one thing: it is better to go gray when you have something like 80% of your hair gray already. That is when the result of this new hair color will look better and you can evaluate properly if it suits you or not. Before, it can be quite an unfair judgement.
Photo: Instagram @burtonregina 😍
And yes, going gray should be faced just like that: trying a new hair color. Because that is what it is: a new hair color. A natural new hair color. With a real good advantage, I must add: you will not need touch ups ever again. And this is for me an unbeatable advantage.
Plus, it has another huge advantage as a side effect: your hair will look much healthier since you will no longer have dyes and chemicals in your locks. Woo-hoo!
On top of all that, there are a lot women going gray these days and they look amazing. I always thought that men were way more successful in going gray than women, but lately, women have proven me wrong. On Instagram there are plenty of good examples that you can get inspiration and encouragement from. And if that is it what is missing for you to go ahead, than here you may go.
And if you do go gray, don’t forget to keep on taking a good care of your hair. Because, regardless the color, the way your hair looks is the most important thing. Your hair frames your face and especially as we get older, we need a great frame, a frame that has our back. 😉 The color is important but the way your hair looks and shines is too.
Anyways, as I said, going gray is a totally personal decision. For me, up to this moment, going gray is still a nay. I don’t think gray hair suits me. At least not yet. Even with this big advantage of going free from touch ups and the damage it causes waving in front of me. Oh, it is sooooo appealing…
But still a nay.
I started going gray when I was 16. At least that was the age my hairdresser told me I had a few gray hairs in my head. I felt so sad… old… aging… although my skin was wrinkle-free at that time… I was devastated cause I loved my sun kissed dark honey blonde natural color and soon I would have to color that hair… I panicked, but I shouldn’t have. Because for the next 10 years or so I managed to have only a very few gray hairs in my frame. I didn’t have to do anything to conceal it at all up to my late 20s. Then I started to use some semi-permanent dyes and highlights and the whole hair-bangs.
Up to this day, at the age of 4.7 I am not a 100% gray lady. I still just have something like 60% of gray hair, not more. So, it is not that time to consider going gray for me yet anyways.
And if you are like me and doesn’t want to go gray, keep those things in mind to have a great frame to your face: keep your hair in great condition, cut or trim it frequently to keep it strong and try to find ways to spare it from the dyes and chemicals damage. Wear masks, do some treatment for your hair, use good products that work for you, pick a great haircut and most importantly, don’t go for a shade too dark or harsh on you. As we get older we need something softer to frame our faces. So a jet black or even a way too rich chocolate shade can be too much. Just go for a softer shade.
Trust me. It will work better for you. Which shade to go? Only you, your trained hairdresser and the mirror can tell you for sure. Consult them on that.
Fab After 47 