How to boost the health of your hair, skin, lips and lashes
As we get older, certain parts of our bodies seem to get skinnier. Unfortunately it’s not usually the bits that we want to lose volume! Skin, hair, lips and lashes are all subject to a case of thinning and there’s not always a lot we can do to prevent it. Fortunately, there are a number of clever tricks you can use to help pump as much volume back in as possible.
Hair
As we get older, our hair gets thinner. This is due to hormonal and environmental factors. While you can’t stop this happening altogether, you can slow the process down and maximise the locks you’ve got.
- Pump up the volume – With Minoxidil. This treatment is the only product proven to help hair loss. Speak to your doctor or GP for further information.
- Fake it – A good volumising shampoo and conditioner along with a volume boosting styling product like mousse can make a temporary but effective difference to your hair. Add styling tools like hot rollers to the mix and you’d deceive even the beadiest eye.
Skin
For plump, perfect skin, you need the dynamic duo of collagen and elastin. Collagen creates plumpness while elastin keeps skin firm. Unfortunately, both start to degenerate as we age.
- Pump up the volume - with retinoids. They are the ingredient that most experts agree has an actual impact on skin and its collagen production. While the strongest forms are only available on prescription, there are a number of very effective products on shelves in a variety of forms. It’s important to note that retinoids can be irritating for some skin types so ease your way in with caution. It’s also important to always use sunscreen and avoid constant exposure while using them.
- Fake it – With hyaluronic acid. Applying a serum or face cream with this wonder ingredient floods the skins surface with moisture, making it appear plumper and fuller.
Lips
The absence of oil glands in the lips means they are very susceptible to damage and dryness. And dry, parched lips will always appear thin and shrivelled. Pair that with the loss of bone density as we age and it’s not a great combination.
- Pump up the volume – A quality lip balm with sunscreen and moisturising ingredients like shea or cocoa butter will help protect and nourish lips against further damage. For instant fullness, look for a product that contains peptides and/or hyaluronic acid for a full, plumped up pout.
- Fake it – Natural, neutral lip tones in glossy (not sparkly) shades help lips to appear fuller. Choose a shade well matched to your natural lip tone and apply within the lip lines.
Eyebrows and lashes
As we age, our brows and lashes often become paler and finer, making that beautifully full look tricky to achieve.
- Plump up the volume – You’ve heard of face serums, the new thing on the beauty block is eyebrow and eyelash serums. Packed full of nourishing, growth promoting ingredients, serums are applied nightly to help create thicker, more luscious brows and lashes.
- Fake it – With a tint or eyebrow palette/volumising mascara. Filling in your brows either with a permanent tint or a specially designed eyebrow palette helps create that fuller look that screams “youth” while applying a volumising mascara is the quickest way to achieve definition and “extra” lashes. Speak to your beautician about a tint or check out the range of specially designed palettes and mascaras at your nearest Priceline or department store.