AD. Your beauty routine every morning and night is as important as brushing your teeth, but many of us end up using the same products for years. As we get older the needs of our skin changes and it’s a good idea to review your products every so often and see if there is something which will work better. A browse of the beauty products on sale can be a little overwhelming, but don’t worry here is a guide to some of the products you should be using when you are over 40 and why they are so good.

The Beauty Products To Know About When Over 40 and Why You Should Use Them

Find out why these beauty products are recommended for women over 40

Get To Know Your Skin

Before we dive in to what you should be using it might be useful to understand your skin a little better. Skin is made from 3 layers: epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue or hypodermis (although sometimes those layers are broken down further). The outer layer of the epidermis is essentially a dead layer of cells which form a barrier and needs looking after before the skin cells naturally flakes off. The dermis layer is the part that provides the strength and elasticity to our skin. Anything you do to help your skin, from taking collagen supplements or improving your diet through to applying products will take a while to make a real difference because for significant improvements you are targeting those inner layers and it will take a while for the new cells to reach the surface. In fact the older you are the longer it takes (reportedly for those over 50 it can take up to 84 days for skin to renew). So whichever products you use, for a real difference commit to your new routine for at least a month and ideally two or three before deciding if the products are working for you or not.

Vitamin C Serum can slow signs of aging

Vitamin C Serum

Vitamin C Serum is one of the buzz beauty products at the moment and this one from Éclat comes without the huge price tag of many. The Vitamin C from oranges combines with a combination of carefully selected ingredients including Aloe Vera and Vitamin E to make this magic serum.

Why is Vitamin C Serum so popular?

It’s believed that Vitamin C Serum can slow the signs of aging and improve the appearance of fine lines, darks spots and acne. I have been using a Vitamin C Serum for nearly 2 years and have noticed a definite improvement in my skin.

Vitamin C is an anti oxidant and by applying it to your face it could help protect against free radicals (toxins) in the environment from things like air pollution which can damage skin. 

Skin contains high levels of vitamin C and is key for collagen production which is vital for great skin as I have talked about here. It also plays a key role in protection against damage from UV rays. Vitamin C from food that we eat is really important, but scientific studies have shown that applying Vitamin C to the skin in the right format makes a difference too eg one study showed that after 3 months of daily use of topical Vitamin C people reported an improvement in wrinkles and overall appearance of skin.

The outer layers of skin have no direct blood supply for nutrients and are thought to receive little support from the inner layers this means they can benefit from applying products to the skin. A carefully created serum can travel though the skin barrier and help improve how the skin looks and feels. 

How To Use Vitamin C Serum in Your Beauty Routine

Vitamin C Serum can be used morning and night after cleansing your face. Massage a drop or two into your skin and give it a chance to be fully absorbed before applying moisturiser. If you use a tonic or toner then apply the serum after that so you know your skin is properly clean and in the optimal condition to absorb the serum.

Retinol cream can do wonders to improve skin

Retinol Cream 

Retinol, derived from Vitamin A, is a popular ingredient in beauty products and is recommended for mature skin and acne. It is thought the molecules can be absorbed to the deeper layers of skin where it helps neutralise free radicals and boosts production of elastin and collagen. This can help reduce fine lines, wrinkles and enlarged pores as well as help repair minor skin damage eg from spots and acne.

Retinoids (also derived from Vitamin A, but in a stronger concentration which requires a prescription) encourage cells to divide faster which basically means your top layer of skin (the epidermis) is replaced faster and can become thicker, this is particularly useful as we get older and skin gets thinner and weaker. Retinols are thought to have the same affect, but in a more gentle way so you are less likely to see negative results, but it may also take longer before you see positive ones. 

Not all products with retinol are created equally both due to their ingredients and the strength of the retinol. The Élcat Retinol Cream is 2.5% encapsulated retinol which helps the ingredients penetration to the middle layer of skin. It also includes Vitamins C, E and Aloe Vera. 

How To Use Retinol Cream

It is recommended that you gradually introduce retinol to your skin to avoid a negative reaction. Initially use it once or twice a week and build up to using more often. It is not uncommon to experience some redness or peeling skin initially, but if you have a more extreme reaction stop using it. 

Retinol can initially make your skin more sensitive to the sun so always use it as part of your evening skin care routine and ensure you use a good SPF moisturiser in the morning (as you should anyway). You might also want to avoid using it while pregnant, or if you have eczema or rosacea on your face as this may make your skin worse. 

A basic routine using retinol would be: cleanse, use retinol cream and leave a few minutes to be absorbed in (I brush my teeth in this window), then apply moisturiser. For best results some people recommend giving it about 30 minutes to absorb in before applying other skincare products. If you are using Vitamin C Serum as well as Retinol Cream then use the Vitamin C Serum in the morning and Retinol at night. 

Castor Oil has been used as a beauty product for centuries

Castor Oil

There is nothing new about castor oil, in fact it’s reported that it was used by Cleopatra as a beauty treatment. It has so many different uses, but as a beauty treatment I use it mainly on my hair. Castor oil is a good source of Vitamin E and fatty acids which makes it moisturising and great for fighting hair frizz.

The Éclat Castor Oil is 100% cold-pressed oil from hand-harvested Brazilian castor beans. It is undiluted and unrefined to provide higher anti-oxidant levels.

How To Use Castor Oil On Your Hair

Castor oil will benefit those with dry hair or flaky scalps most. If you have oily hair you might find oil treatments too heavy. 

As an intensive treatment: Éclat suggest massaging into your hair and scalp, leaving over night, then washing out, but if you prefer you can leave in for about 20 minutes before shampooing out. Personally I have always struggled with hot oil treatments and found that they tend to leave my hair greasy so I only use them in summer when my hair is very dry.

I prefer to use it as an anti frizz treatment after washing. I brush my wet hair into style and put a few drops of oil on my hands and lightly smooth over my hair leaving a very fine layer which adds a little weight to the top layer of hair and holds it in place. 

The Éclat product even comes with a little brush so you can tackle fly away hairs individually or use to apply the oil to your eyebrows. Castor Oil is believe to encourage thicker and longer hair growth so it can be used as a eyelash treatment too.  I would recommend doing a patch test before using Castor Oil on your face though.  

What Else Can You Use Castor Oil For? 

The ancient oil can be used for massage, working into aching muscles and taking advantage of it's inflammatory properties. The oil is also deeply moisturising and anti-microbial so it can treat patches of dryness on your face without clogging pores. There are suggestions that it can improve acne damaged skin and uneven skin tone.

Occasionally people are allergic to the castor plant so if you experience any itching or rashes stop using it straight away. Consuming castor oil has long been used to try to induce labour and while it is unlikely to bring on premature labour if you use a little on your hair or face you might want to avoid using it when pregnant.

Shower bombs are like bath bombs, but for your shower

Shower Bombs

If you are looking for a way to make showers more luxurious you might want to give shower bombs a try. They work in a similar way to bath bombs, but instead of putting them directly in the water and soaking in them you put them where they will only get the occasional splash, This means you get to enjoy the stronger levels of essential oils which add to the steam and are great if you don’t have baths regularly and still want a treat.

Post features a range of products from Éclat Natural Skincare which is available from Amazon.