Perimenopause Beauty - Hair Care Favorites
My hair care favorites for perimenopause
Here is Part 2 of my Perimenopause Beauty Series: My favorite haircare products.
(Read Part 1: Skincare Favorites)
This post may include affiliate links* and I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Mabon House only features products that I use myself or that I believe my readers would enjoy. Thank you!
My hair. I wish I could say that it is the result of a meticulous haircare regime. But honestly - I just got lucky in the genes department. I inherited my dads thick brunette curls. Any time I post a selfie with my hair done up, I usually get questions about my routine and the products I use. So, I’ve put together this list of my favorite hair products and how I use them in my daily hair care routine. Perimenopause has caused my hair to thin a bit and feel drier, so I have added in some extra products for volume and dryness. (FYI - I’m 47).
As I mentioned in my Perimenopause Skincare Favorites I’m don’t spend a lot on high-end products of any kind. Most of the items listed can be found in your local drugstore or at Wal-Mart.
Please note - I am not a professional hair stylist, skin-care expert or a medical provider. This is just what works for me.
My Hair Care
As I mentioned, I’m lucky when it comes to my hair. It’s naturally pretty thick (though it has thinned a bit in perimenopause). It’s also pretty resilient- meaning I don’t feel the need to use specialty products or expensive shampoo, conditioner, etc., in order for it to feel and look good. My hair is also really malleable. I can wear it super curly, wavy or strait. It looks best (IMO) with big curls and waves, which is also the easiest and quickest way to style it in the morning. I have quite a few greys, especially around my temples, with no plans to color them. I usually go to the hair stylist twice a year for a cut and highlights, which blend out the greys a bit. But honestly I like my greys and am enjoying watching my hair change color over time.
I typically wash my hair every other day. I usually wash it in the evening, add a leave-in conditioner, rough dry it, pin it up and sleep on it. In the morning I spray it with heat protectant/frizz serum (listed below) and run a big barrel curling iron through it. That’s pretty much it. I’ll use dry shampoo if my roots are looking a little oily and to give my hair more lift. I always finish with a light weight hairspray. I don’t really need the hairspray - but because I came of age in the late 80s/early 90s I am psychologically unable to leave the house without it.
The List
Drugstore Shampoo & Conditioner - You know how they say don’t judge a book by its cover? I pretty much only buy shampoo and conditioner by how nice the packaging looks. If it’s pink and has roses on the bottle, I’m in.
I’ve tried higher end shampoos and conditions in the past. And while I loved the smell and feel of the Paul Mitchell Clean Beauty Repair line, after two months of using it I did not notice any difference between it and my tried and true Herbal Essence. I know that this is not the case for everyone. But as I mentioned above, my hair is pretty resilient.
As I move through perimenopause I may need to invest in a pricier brand, but for now this works just fine.
Leave-In Conditioner - I’ve run through most of the available drug store leave-in conditioners and, much like shampoo, found that higher priced ones didn’t necessarily perform better. I find that Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-In Conditioning Cream provides frizz control, without weighing my hair down. I apply this to my hair after I wash it.
A Good Hair Dryer - One area that I did up my hair game is my hairdryer. My 10 year old clearance hair dryer from Wal-Mart finally died last summer. I decided to try a more expensive dryer, to see if it would cut my drying time (and hence the amount of time I’m applying heat to my hair). I picked up this HOT TOOLS Pro Artist hair dryer at TJ Maxx for around $50.
Depending on your hair care budget, this may or may not seem expensive. For me it was super bougie. And it works wayyyy better and faster than the cheap hair dryers I’ve used in the past. Bonus: it makes styling my hair curly much easier, as well.
Big Barrel Curling Iron - Does anyone else remember back in the Nineties the Conair Anna Nicole Smith advertisement campaign for their new big barrel curling iron? I do because I was obsessed with it. And because it was circa 1993 and the internet hadn’t been invented yet - I spent most of my free time trying to recreate her look on my own hair. Ever since then a big barrel curling iron is my #1 styling tool. I most often use the 1.5 inch barrel. But I also have the 1 inch version for tighter waves.
Flat Iron - My #2 favorite tool is my flat iron. I rarely wear my hair strait-strait because it tends to look like straw, unless I apply loads of hair creams and serums. I use my flat iron to just do a preliminary smoothing of my hair, if it is looking extra aggressive in the morning. I always apply extra heat protectant spray to my ends whenever I use my flat iron.
Heat Protectant Spray - I am currently using this 10-1 spray from Garnier Fructis, which includes a heat protectant before I style my hair in the morning. I’ve tried a couple of different drug store brands and again, really didn’t notice a difference.
Dry Shampoo - What really gives my hair lift these days is dry shampoo. I apply it to my roots, focusing on my sides and back of the crown. I spray it, leave it for a couple of minutes, massage it into the hair and then style. Viola! FYI - I use the Great Value (Wal-Mart) Brunette dry shampoo. I think it works just as good as the Batiste version (below).
Heatless Curlers - Another nineties trend that is back are heatless curlers. Or maybe they never left? IDK. Either way, these work well on my hair after it has been dried and styled. I take a curl hot off the curling iron and wrap it around the biggest curlers, leave them in while I do my make up, putter around the house, etc… And then I take them out when I am ready to get dressed. I never use these on wet hair because my hair would literally never dry.
Hairspray - Last but not least, is hairspray. I use a lightweight formula and give my hair a quick once over before leaving the house. A can of hairspray will last me at least two years. I like Garnier Flexible Control (level 2) or Volume (level 3). Any higher up and the spray feels sticky on my hair.
And those are some of my favorites when it comes to my perimenopause haircare routine. Do you have any favorites that you’d recommend?
The Perimenopause Beauty Series
Perimenopause Beauty - Skincare Favorites
My skincare favorites for Perimenopause
Here is Part 2 of my Perimenopause Beauty Series: My favorite haircare products.
(Read Part 2: Skincare Favorites)
This post may include affiliate links* and I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Mabon House only features products that I use myself or that I believe my readers would enjoy. Thank you!
I am not someone who spends a lot on high end anything. Most of these items can be found in your local drugstore or at Wal-Mart. I think the most important aspect of good skin care during perimenopause (or really any time in life) is maintaining a consistent routine.
Please note - I am not a skin-care expert or a medical provider. This is just what works for me.
My Skin Care
I’ll preface this list with the fact that I have fairly low maintenance skincare needs at the moment. I may get an occasional pimple, but for the most part my skin is clear. As I’ve aged (I’m 47) I notice that my skin tends to be really dry as soon as the weather turns cold (I live in Maine). Currently my biggest skin care issue is redness and some discoloration. I never wore sunscreen when I was younger. So part of my skin-care routine is trying to prevent any more age spots from showing up.
In addition to the products listed below, I drink a lot of water every day. Not to stay hydrated per se, but more because I genuinely love water. It’s my favorite drink. I also limit my caffeine to a few cups of plain black tea in the morning, on most days.
The List
Ponds Cold Cream Cleanser - I love make-up and wear it most days and Ponds Cold Cream is the holy grail (IMO) for removing make-up. It’s also Step 1 of my double cleansing evening routine. This is one of the few products I used in my twenties that I still use today. Even if I haven’t worn any make up during the day, I will still use this at night before my cleanser. This product has a light scent, but if you prefer there is also an unscented version available.
Pond’s Dry Skin Cream - Like the cleanser, I’ve been using Pond’s Dry Skin Cream since my 20s. I used to only apply it during winter. Now I use it all year round - except for the hottest, most humid days of summertime in Maine. I use Ponds Dry Skin Cream in both my morning and evening skin care routines.
Face Oil - I started using face oil a few years ago and it has been a game changer. In the winter I apply it both in the morning and the evening. The rest of the year I usually just use it as part of my evening routine only. Pearlessence has a number of different face oils. I especially like the Rose Hip with Vitamin C. I can’t find this brand in any of my local stores, so I usually buy it on Amazon or I’ll occasionally score a discounted bottle at TJ Maxx.
ELF Suntouchable Sunscreen - Remember when I said I never wore sunscreen when I was younger. Full disclosure - I only started wearing sunscreen daily THIS YEAR. Because, every brand of sunscreen irritated my face. I tried zinc based, mineral, natural, etc… I think I tried every brand on the shelf. I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact I would have to wear wide brimmed hats outside, year round if I wanted to protect my face. But then…I heard about ELF Whoa Glow. This is a sunscreen and make up primer in one. It gives my skin a dewy sheen before I even apply any foundation. And I think it works great even on *cough, cough* mature skin.
Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser - I started using this cleanser about a year ago, because again, my skin is feeling drier and drier. Plus I felt like I needed a more gentle product. This cleanser contains hyaluronic acid, and ceramides. Hyaluronic acid helps skin stretch and flex and reduces skin wrinkles and lines, while ceramides help keep the skin hydrated. I use this cleanser in the both the morning and night. Because it is so gentle, it does not remove make up very well (hence my Ponds Cold Cream).
A little trick I’ve found that makes this product more effective (IMO) is to apply it to dry skin. I just add a little bit of the cleanser to my palm with some water, rub my hands together and then wash my face with my hands. I’m not sure how to explain it, but grips onto the skin better this way and feels like it is doing a more thorough job, while still being gentle. There is a foam version of this as well, but I definitely prefer the non-foaming formula.
Hyaluronic Face Serum - I started adding face serums into my morning and evening skin care routine a few years ago. I always select one that contains Hyaluronic Acid (see above). Fun fact about face serums, even in the drug store or at Wal-Mart, they can run up to $20-$30! In this economy?! I think not. I’ve used several different brands of serums and honestly, I don’t think any are better than the other. I find Neutrogena products to be reliable, well priced and easy to find.
Neutrogena Retinol Cream - Have you ever heard of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon? It’s the idea of encountering something for the first time and then very soon after, you encounter it again and again. Like if you have a red car, or even just want a red car, suddenly you’ll see red cars everywhere. This is how it was for me and retinol. I was searching videos online for perimenopause skin care routines and Retinol was in every. single. one. And then when I went shopping for products, everything seemed to have retinol in it - cleansers, lotions, serums, make-up. Everything.
The reason retinol is so popular is because it is multi-functional. It can help with acne, reduce redness, age spots, and wrinkles. Using retinol is a long-game. I didn’t notice any difference until I had used it for a few months. Then all of a sudden my skin was smoother, less red and had no new age spots. Because of it’s effectiveness, you need to work your way up to using retinol on a regular basis. AND you need to wear sunscreen, because retinol makes you more vulnerable to UV rays. I heard it best described as once you start using retinol, you need to treat yourself like you have sensitive skin - even if you’ve never had sensitive skin before.
I use retinol every other day in the morning and a two times a week in the evening. If I use any more than that my skin starts to dry out. Like Face Serums, Retinol products run the gamut of price points. I’ve only ever used the Neutrogena Regenerating Cream (night) and the Neutrogena Dark Spot Corrector with Vitamin C (daytime).
Loreal Dermo- Expertise Eye Defense Eye Cream - Even thought the name is ridiculously long, I LOVE this eye cream and have used it for about 10 years. It comes in a cute little glass container, which lasts me about six weeks. I apply it in the morning and the evening.
And those are some of my favorites when it comes to my perimenopause skincare routine. Do you have any favorites that you’d recommend?
My hair care favorites for perimenopause