Over 40s skincare: glowing skin in your 50s, 60s & beyond!

Having a healthy glow through to your 60s and beyond is possible when you work with, and support, your skin’s natural processes, says holistic skin therapist and author Emine Rushton. Your over 40s skincare guide for glowing skin in your 50s, 60s and beyond is here…

Supporting your skin’s natural ability to self-regulate is the key to radiant, healthy skin. However, we live in a society selling extremely expensive quick-fix over 40s skincare ‘solutions’ to the natural passage of time – making ageing into something to fight against. The truth is, to grow older is a privilege. To grow older is to be alive! By understanding and supporting the intelligent processes and rhythms of your skin, you move from anti-ageing towards ageless beauty. Here, skin is lovingly cared for irrespective of age, and beauty is not based on youth, but on joy, health and vitality.

How to look after your skin in your 40s

REGENERATION

Your 40s are a significant time – often feeling like the arrival at a crossroads, with past behind and your future path ahead, although not yet clear. Now, your skin’s functions, although still vital, are beginning to slow down. The skin’s regular 28-day renewal has begun to slow, so facial contours maybe less defined and skin less firm.

Your over 40s skincare regime should consist of skin-firming and regenerative plant oils, such as sea buckthorn, carrot seed and pomegranate seed oil. These strengthen and activate the skin’s own regenerative capacity. Pomegranate seed oil is especially helpful for its unique compound, punicic acid. This improves elasticity, skin tone and activates regeneration.

Neck skincare in your 40s

It’s important to include your neck and chest in your facial care routine. Keep skin supple by applying easily absorbed facial firming oil to the neck area and down on to the chest, each time you moisturise your face. First, dab oil between your palms and press together to warm. Then, use a press and stroke action to apply the oil to your entire neck area, working in a downwards direction. Finally, finish with alternate light, sweeping movements across the chest, starting at one shoulder and across to the other, until it’s absorbed.

Warm oil neck massage:

First, gently warm some rose body oil by filling a large bowl or pan with hot water, then placing a smaller heatproof bowl over it. Put your oil in the smaller bowl, ensuring no water from the larger bowl can seep into it. Let the hot water beneath warm the oil. Remember, warm is best, hot is not.
Next, coat a soft mask brush (or clean foundation brush) with oil. Begin relaxing brushstrokes at the top of the neck working from the midline in an outwards direction, to the side of the neck. Continue all the way down the neck to the chest area, before doing it all on the other side.
Then, wrap the neck gently with a warm muslin or light towel to help absorption of the oil. Rest for 15-20 minutes.
Finally, steam in the excess oil with a warm water compress with added lavender bath milk or a chamomile tea infusion.

Over 40s skincare: looking after your skin in your 50s

NOURISHMENT

The slowing down of your skin’s vital processes is a natural part of life’s cycles and shouldn’t be seen as negative. To embrace ageing is to live a more vital, healthy and happy life in your later years. During menopause, oestrogen and progesterone decline. This means less oil is produced in your skin and it feels thinner due to a decrease in collagen synthesis. Now, with these over 40s skincare tips, you can support and stimulate skin to decrease sluggishness and keep skin healthy and balanced.

Skin circulation in your 50s

Boosting microcirculation in the skin supports inner cellular processes, keeping skin oxygenated, radiant and healthy to aid regeneration. A weekly firming facial and using alternating warm skin compresses and cool facial rinses plus facial exercises is beneficial.

Cleansing is the first step for healthy, vital skin at all ages. It prepares your skin to effectively receive the benefits of plant extracts found in your daily skincare preparations. Importantly, it also supports the skin’s natural desquamation process (the sloughing away of dead skin cells). This process, together with cellular renewal, becomes sluggish with age.

Gentle exfoliation technique:

Using a soft natural muslin or cotton cloth, together with rhythmical circular movements to remove your cleanser once a week, is an effective yet gentle exfoliation for skin. Harsh mechanical exfoliants with abrasive beads or sharp plant kernels, or vigorous rubbing and scrubbing movements can cause skin redness, sensitivity and irritation. Sensitive skins should ensure that skin is well coated with cream, balm or oil cleanser, and work very gently with a soft cloth to minimise irritation.

Alternatively, a thick layer of natural organic yoghurt, applied allover a cleansed face, provides gentle exfoliation. This is due to the yoghurt’s natural lactic acid content. Leave it on for up to 10 minutes before rinsing it all off.

Try sage for menopausal skin

Applying a sage tea compress prior to cleansing skin is helpful for menopause-related hot flushes. Finish with a cool facial splash. Sage not only has high levels of antioxidants and is a natural anti-inflammatory, but it’s a wonderful regulator of bodily fluids, having a particular relationship with your sweat glands. During menopause, when the body’s temperature gauge can be unpredictable, sage can help with reducing frequency and duration of hot flushes and night sweats.

How to care for your skin in your 60s – and beyond!

REVITALISATION

This is a time of reflection, guidance and sharing wisdom, and when you feel secure in your own skin. Yet you may be aware of the physical thinning of your skin and an increased sensitivity to your environment. Choosing 100 per cent natural preparations containing plant extracts rich in vitamin C can help keep the skin energised and active, supporting revitalisation and collagen synthesis.

Also, warming and nurturing plant oils such as calendula and almond oil, pressed gently on to the skin, create an immediate protective, cocooning sheath to bring warmth and vitality to the face. Choose an organic plant oil for your facial care and massages for warmth, protection and nourishment. Warmth is key to regeneration and wellness. Plant oils can help restore the skin’s natural barrier function.

Taking sweet almond oil as an example: the oil is extracted from the seed of the plant, which had a whole season of absorbing the heat of the sun. Seed formation belongs to the element of fire and the almond’s own warmth processes are so strong, we refer to it as having its own inner sun. Place a few drops of this organic oil on the palm of your hand and you can feel it radiate with its own energy. This internal warmth within the almond oil is evident in the fact that the almond tree blossoms very early in the year. It does not need to wait for spring to arrive to warm it up. This is because it is already in possession of its own vital energy.

Facial exercise: lift and relax your brow

Rest two fingers from both hands on your third eye – the mid-point between your eyebrows – and move your fingers outwards, toward your temples. Move both hands at the same pace for a relaxing, rhythmic massage.
Begin to create a little resistance by slightly pulling your fingers towards your temples. Pause your fingers at the mid-point or highest point of your brow. Frown against the resistance of your fingers. Hold this for five seconds and repeat.
Finish by gently loosening and relaxing the brow muscle. Move from the third eye out to the temples with small circular movements.

Over 40s skincare: DIY firming facial

Try this over 40s skincare firming facial massage routine once a week, whatever your age, to help plump up and revitalise your skin.

Thoroughly cleanse skin
Using your ring fingers, take a tiny dab of eye cream and gently press into the skin, from the inner corners, outwards.
Beginning at the root of the nose, do eyebrow squeezes, using a gentle, rhythmical action along the eyebrow with forefinger and thumb.
Increase skin tone by opening your eyes as wide as possible without using your brow muscles. Increase muscle activity and hold it. Count to five and then relax. Repeat three times, blinking between each repetition.
Make gentle circular movements beneath the eyes using your ring and middle fingers. Begin at the inside corners and work outwards towards the temples.
Spread one pump of hydrating serum over both palms and apply to your face with a sweeping movement.
Stroke from the midline, just above and between the brows, across to the sides of the face. Include your neck and décolléte. Keep hands relaxed, moulding and caressing your skin consciously and gently.
Place a full dropper of nourishing oil, such as pomegranate or rosehip, in your palm and spread evenly over both palms. Apply to the face, neck and décolleté.
Place both hands flat on your forehead and sweep outwards. Repeat three times. At the end of the third movement, stroke down along the sides of your face and down the sides of your neck, to just above your collarbone.
Using your middle and ring fingers, begin at the midline, in between the brows. Smooth your brow muscle by moving fingers outwards towards your temples. Repeat three times.
Make gentle circles over the temples using relaxed fingers. Repeat three times.
Using flat, relaxed hands, begin with hands on either side of your face and make gentle, wave-like movements outwards. Repeat three times, each time beginning a little further down the face, including your mouth area. End with a soothing, rolling movement over your ears. End by stroking down the sides of your neck, to your collarbone.
With your right hand on your left shoulder, gently glide across to your right shoulder. Then, with your left hand on your right shoulder, gently glide across to your left shoulder.
Close your eyes and, with arms hanging relaxed by your sides, make slow, circular movements backwards with your shoulders. Lift them up over the front and drop them down over the back.
Complete your facial by gently pressing moisturiser onto your face and neck. Don’t drag the skin! Use full, flat hands and spread the cream using sweeping movements from the centre outwards.