bad hair / skin - at my age! and how to fix it?

[shelley72]

at the tender age of nearly 40 my skin and hair has decided to suddenly go really crap. and i mean awful. i have breakouts of spots, my hair is greasy (even straight after washing it), my nails are flaking off in layers.

i am trying to be better diet wise and drink more. i have been using bits and bobs on my skin, trial sizes etc to try and fix it but i think it could be making it worse. i like to use elemis, but funds will no longer allow that so need to have a rethink once thats all gone. any suggestions?

hair wise, i have had a good trim to get back some sort of condition as it did fall out a lot after DD was born but she is almost 2 now. again i am trying lots of little shampoo/conditioner combinations but nothing seems to work. my hair is longish, natural wave (but i straighten), coloured with a semi at home every 4 weeks or so. so i am always at a loss as to the 'type' of shampoo i should get as i think i need a bit of everything! does anyone have any suggestions for me to try? i cant run to aveda or ojon prices. think more high street!

lastly does anyone have any ideas what causing this? is it my age? too many biscuits? hormones? onset of menopause ? and what can i do to make things better?

thank you

hopeful bump please?

I would see your Gp before heading to the high street actually. It does sound as if it could be hormonal, or something, especially the bit about your nails. If this were me, I would take a
a good multivitamin / multimineral, look at my calcium and vitamin D especially.

In terms of cosmetics, I think trying lots of samples isn't a good idea if your skin is playing up. A shampoo for greasy hair sound right, and can you tie your hair up, as this stops grease spreading down your hair shaft as hair moves?

I wont recommend products, instead a book! Read Paula Begoun's The Original Beauty Bible as it is the best, and most scientific, guide to carrying for your skinI have ever read. I have changed lots of things since reading it, and my skin has never looked better! Her cosmetics, Paula's Choice (google it to buy from her website, not available elsewhere) are excellent, but maybe more expensive than you have specified. Think about investing in something like her BHA products though, skin is so important to how you feel about yourself it may be worth cutting back elsewhere to buy her products?

It's your age that brings changes in your body. Just try to have sex more often and you'll be fine.

Lots of water. Good diet (vegetable, fruit, the lot).

Nuts, avocado, coconut oil, linseed, things with healthy vegetable fats. Our body needs fat to function properly, but lots of people just forget that (these healthy fats also increase your "good cholesterol" levels so it's very good for your health overall)