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Natural Skin Care at 50

Looking Your Best Without Breaking the Bank or Wrecking the Planet

By Misty RaePublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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The BIG FIVE - O! It's one of those milestones in life that makes you think. And it's one I'm reaching in a couple of days. My mind has been consumed with reflection and anticipation. I'm excited for the years to come, but I'm also pondering the years that have gone by. Realistically speaking, half, or almost half, of my life is behind me and it went by in the blink of an eye.

The news isn't all bad though. In fact, most of it is great! Today's 50 is nothing like the 50 of our parents or grandparents. We're not relegated to the rocking chair just yet. We're looking and feeling better than ever. We're vital, active and full of life! I remember telling my son that 40 was the new 20 ten years ago. Logically, 50 then, is the new 30.

50 can't be that old if I can still do this, right?

But, it is right around this time of life that a lot of things start to change. Menopause might be creeping in, causing all kinds of strange changes. We might notice a few extra pounds here and there. Grey hairs start showing up and so do the fine lines and wrinkles. Suddenly, people are telling you that you "still look good". That little word "still" is the kicker, isn't it? As if you're defying the odds by somehow managing to remain presentable at such an advanced age.

The fact that everywhere we look we see celebrities looking fabulous doesn't help. The headlines are everywhere, look at J-Lo or whoever, being so fabulous with their glowing, youthful skin at 50+. These headlines are usually followed by an advertisement for some line of ridiculously expensive skin care line promising all sorts of miracles based on the latest science. They're pretty convincing. I mean, there's a reason the beauty industry makes billions upon billions of dollars. Of course we regular girls don't have a team of talented make up artists on standby to keep us looking gorgeous. We also don't have oodles of dollars for cosmetic tweaks and adjustments.

So what's a regular girl to do? Especially when the regular girl is a bit of an environmentalist and wants to avoid as many chemicals as she can in her daily life but doesn't want to spend much? This:

1. Minimal Make-Up: Remember those days of refusing to leave the house without a full face on? I do too. I spent my teens, 20's and 30's completely covered with the stuff. Foundation, concealer, mascara, eye shadow, eye liner, blush, lipstick, lipliner and whatever else was necessary, all to make me look my best. You know, my absolute best, as little as my natural self as possible. That's a lot of crap to pile on your skin every day. So I stopped. Not because I was concerned about the effects initially. I had gotten tired of it. Somewhere around 40, I just got sick of wasting close to an hour every morning putting my face on when I already had a face, mine. That hour could be used much more wisely, say for more sleep, or an extra cup of coffee. Now, I am mostly make up free. I don't wear it at all as a general rule, but for special occasions, I will put on a little foundation, mascara and lipstick.

One of my minimal make up days

2. I'm Not a Turkey, I Don't Need to Be Baked: Okay, so maybe saying this right after posting a picture of myself obviously ready to hit the beach was a bad idea, but follow me here. I love being outside, but I stay out of the sun. You'll notice I'm wearing a hat. I stay in the shade as much as possible and I wear sunscreen all year round. I try to find an organic one, but that's not always possible, so I just do the best I can. What I'm trying to say are those days of laying in the sun, slathered in baby oil in search of the perfect tan are long gone. But we already know that, don't we?

3. Kitchen Cupboard Skincare: I don't buy creams or exfoliants. I don't have that kind of money. My skincare products come from the kitchen. I use an organic coconut oil as a daily mosturizer, which I get at the grocery store for $2.99. When I want to exfoliate, which is generally about once a week, I mix some sugar in with a bit of the coconut oil and make a scrub for my face. Just apply, rub in a circular motion to remove the dead skin cells and rinse. Your face will feel as smooth as a baby's bottom. That's pretty much all I do.

My kitchen cupboard skin care line.

4. Beauty Starts Inside: It turns out our mothers were right, we are what we eat. Not to be too graphic, but I'm convinced that's why the fast food we loved so much as younger women seems to turn on us somewhere in our 30's seems determined to exit our bodies as quickly as humanly possible. All those chemicals can't be good. I love to eat and I eat a lot. I don't hold myself to any specific diet and I allow myself treats. What's life without some wine and cake? But, in between the wine and cake is plenty of fresh clean water and lots of food, real food, the stuff that grows on trees, in the ground, in the sea, or on the farm. Thankfully, it turns out it tastes better than that old processed junk anyway.

Finally, be happy. It sounds trite, but it's true. One of the best things about being 50 is that we begin to stop caring what everyone else thinks. We're not shackled by the weight of others' opinions because we've learned that those other people aren't thinking about us at all. They have their own sh*t to deal with, just like we do. With maturity, we begin to appreciate the things that really matter to us and want to focus our time and energy on those things whether it's more time with family, a new hobby or just embracing the moment. It turns out 50 really is pretty darn nifty. No, I'm not the same me as I was at 18, and you know what, I'm glad I'm not. She was cute, but she was afraid to wear a hat! ;)

skincare
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About the Creator

Misty Rae

Retired legal eagle, nature love, wife, mother of boys and cats, chef, and trying to learn to play the guitar. I play with paint and words. Living my "middle years" like a teenager and loving every second of it!

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