Boomer Beauty Tips

When you hit menopause, your body experiences some major changes. You'll likely be contending with drier skin and hair, thinning hair, brittle and splitting nails, etc. No doubt you'll want a little more help keeping your skin soft and supple, your hair manageable. That is what this lens is all about!

I have been doing a bit of experimenting as the years march on… I share what I have learned through the recommendations of others ... and personal experimentation.

Feel free to contact me and share what helps you.

Eating Your Way to a Younger You

Boosting your collagen intake can help you have soft skin and healthy joints. How do you do that? Eat gelatin! Available at the grocery, gelatin has what it takes to think younger, eat younger, and look young-er.

But like me, you might not be crazy about ingesting all that sugar in the normal gelatin packs. SO there is an alternative. You can buy plain unflavored gelatin and sweeten it with fruit juice or your favorite sweetener. You also may want to try plain gelatin in homemade smoothies. Or buy a tub of Nutra Joint from Knox to do the same thing.

As I was approaching menopause and my hair began to thin, my sister told me about Nioxin products -- and I'm glad she did! Nioxin products are a great way to halt that hair thinning process and nip it in the bud. They add thickness to your hair while strengthening your hair shaft. I use Level 1 for untreated hair and love the peppermint scent. It is a joy to use!

If you are older or if you need more help, you'll find Nioxin products tailored for your particular needs as well. You'll find products for color treated and noticeably thinning hair. You'll want to use the Cleanser and Scalp Therapy Treatments together to maximize their effectiveness.

Calcium is important to your teeth and nails, so make sure you get enough and that it is being properly absorbed. You may want to use a calcium citrate, but experiment with incorporating milk and/or yogurt into your diet on a regular basis. Maybe you want to have a cup of cocoa, or a serving of yogurt several times a week.

You may find your nails become stronger and no longer split as easily. I tried this for awhile and my nails showed excellent improvement. When I got out of the habit of having my cocoa, my nails regressed. There may be something you enjoy that will nourish your body and even your nails. Why not give it a try?

If you have lactose intolerance, you can buy milk and even ice cream that you may be able to tolerate. But if milk is taboo, you can get calcium from other foods like almonds, broccolli and tofu.

When I showed by daughter my brittle and splitting nails, she didn't hesitate. She recommended Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. This lovely natural blend almond oil, beeswax, lemon oil and other ingredients helped turned my nails around. I heartily recommend this very reasonably priced product to keep your nails and cuticles moisturized! Of course I cannot guarantee everyone will have the same results. There are a number of factors that may be behind your nail problems. Rooting out the cause is the best recourse. But I believe you will agree Burt's Bees is an excellent lubricant for both nails and cuticles!

I discovered in my younger years how Oil of Olay made my skin soft, so switching to a body wash was an easy choice for me. Keep your skin soft on the outside with luxurious body washes with added moisterizes. You can choose from light added moisture to intense.

Oil of Olay makes some products older women will want to try, including the yellow and purple top cleansers to rehydrate the skin.

You'll face a challenge trying to keep those hands soft and supple, or close to it. Let's face it your hands are likely in the trenches doing dishes, digging up weeds, and braving the cold and wind. Even frequent handwashing for sanitary purposes is likely to have a drying effect. So I wage this battle on a number of fronts.

From the inside: Flax seed. Flax is not glamorous but it is a great product. Buy cereals with flax seed or buy it at your health food store, grind it and add it to your cereal. This will help wage war on dryness all over.

And don't forget your collagen -- uh gelatin. If you like the natural sweetener stevia, you'll find it softens the skin as well.

From the outside: Wear gloves. Yeah, it's obvious. But sometimes the obvious escapes us, doesn't it? Take the extra time to wear those gardening gloves or put on winter gloves before going outside, even if just for a few minutes. Your hands will be better for it.

Get in the habit of using a hand cream. Try applying it at night, along with your Burt's Bees cuticle cream...

Split nails are one of the challenges women face in and after menopause. This is a war that can be waged internally and externally through diet and creams.

Avoid nail polish unless it strengthen your nails.

If fungus plays a role, occasionally dipping your fingernails in apple cider vinegar may prove helpful. Using it full strength can discolor your nails, so just use it once or twice. If you do it infrequently you may reap the benefits without discoloration. Or you can try diluting it so you can use it more often.

Apple cider vinegar is known to be an anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal, but even a good thing can be overdone.

Don't Let an Old Person Move Into Your Body by Jim Donovan. $7.99 from Smashwords.com

Learn how to make the rest of your life, the best of your life. International best-selling author and baby boomer, Jim Donovan, says, “Aging is biological. Getting old is a state of mind.” If you’re ready to challenge the stereotypes about aging and learn to live your life with passion, purpose, power, and prosperity, this book’s for you.

Adding flax to your diet with help your skin inside and out! It also is good to help keep you regular, and is recommended for heart health. So if flax is not part of your diet, it's a good thing to add to your regular (no pun intended :) routine. Here are some cereals -- and even a pancake and waffle mix -- for you to consider.

Here I am -- a 50 something stay-at-home mom who does free-lance writing and photography. I've got quite a few Hubpages. I share the latest uplifting Christian books at my own website here.

I've also authored several Christian e-titles, including Just Like Jonah Wail Tales, a collection of exaggerated tales of woe from modern day characters who learn -- just like Jonah in the Bible -- that there is a price to pay when you disobey.

I have written Fast Track to Victory, A Christian Guidebook, a devotions book for new and young believers, and Making Choices: Like is Like Acorns, a children's Bible study aimed at children 5 to 10 years old. It teaches things are not always what they appear to be. My book What You Should KNOW About Self Publishing shares money-saving tips for would-be authors. I also have produced three Scripture song CDs inspired by the Word of God.

My Zazzle products are available here. For photos on canvas, go here.