How has aging, perimenopause, or menopause affected your style and hygiene ?

[MomWithChinHairs]

Today I had my hair cut and dyed. My hair was long and the natural hair was dark brown. It's now a pixie cut and it's dyed blonde. There were a few factors for the change, one of them is perimenopause and aging. I was getting some grey hairs. My hair was frequently sweaty.

Unless it's a special occasion, I have abandoned dresses, jeans, and skirts. I wear leggings for my fluctuating weight. I were tank tops because of hot flashes, night sweats, and other sweating events.

I feel like I can't do my makeup anymore. So many wrinkles and age spots. My pores are so big and my face is easily sweaty.

Not only that my body, face, and skin is different but my style is changing. Then there is the hygiene aspect for the sweating and body odor. I shower more and use stronger deodorant but I'm scared I'll get smelly around people if I'm not vigilant. This is an interesting time in my life.

One advantage of HRT is I no longer use deodorant because I no longer sweat. I have been a seriously sweaty individual my whole life.
However bladder control is seriously iffy.

I can’t take HRT so I have to make sure I eat well, go to the gym and moderate my drinking (it really does make your menopausal symptoms.

i work in a senior role so i try to make sure I dress and look professional - and keep my wardrobe focused to a few main colours (I am a winter so black, white, stone are my neutrals).

I wear makeup but not foundation as I hate the feel of it and it’s not menopause friendly anyway. I also make sure I have decent haircuts for my greying hair - I don’t dye it as I think it’s a waste of time and money which can be better spent else where.

It's odd how menopause affects different people very differently. Some of my friends look exactly as they always have, and some are on Mounjaro.
I may be driven to Mounjaro in a couple of years.

I am 52. I’ve changed a few things but not really because I feel or look physically different but more because my attitude to what others think has changed.

i no longer wear make up everyday. I finish work late at night and just can’t be bothered doing skincare then (skin care v. Important to me). This would have been a no go about 10 years ago and I do look my best with a little bit of make up but I no longer care.

I like getting dressed up but accept my life is mostly about dog walking now and wear ‘appropriate’ clothing and footwear which is not exactly stylish.

I’m more accepting of ageing but basically because I have no choice and I try to look past the jowls to my good points. I also get Botox on occasion.

HRT has meant that my weight is pretty stable and I’m very active doing a hobby I love which has also given me confidence.

My hair has thinned a lot, and nothing seems to help so I’ve had my hair cut shorter which makes it look thicker. My hair is still important to me and I get it regularly cut/coloured but I’ve had to accept that wearing it longer is no longer an option if I want it to look thicker than it is.

Actually I've got more style conscious since being in my 40s. This goes along with losing weight on Mounjaro really. I used to dress in quirky dresses etc in my 30s, then transitioned to leggings and hoodies during Covid but since losing weight I wear nicer more fitted and classic style. I'm not cutting my hair as I (sorry) think it's a bit ageing.
Hygiene though I totally get that. I wash more often (sometimes twice a day) and use panty liners that I change during the day and always wear perfume. I do worry about being smelly.

I am 50 and this is what I’m doing if it’s any help. Am on HRT and take a hundred million vitamins too. Use a face wash and vitamin c serum (both from Lidl). Re clothes I’m trying to get stuff that will match with different things so I don’t have to think. Been buying on Vinted (some hits, some misses) but it’s coming together. When working from home, leggings and longish tops. When going in to work, elasticated trousers (black, blue, gray) and neutral tops. Boring but it’s working for me as I feel vaguely put together. Weight, when things start getting tight, cutting down on the sweet stuff (harder at this time of year). My two bug bears are everything seems to be creaking and aching (hrt has helped a bit and am trying to yoga etc) and grey hair as I have a badger stripe down my parting within 10 days of dying. Have decided can’t afford to go to hairdressers every 6 weeks so going to go back to box dye. In my head I’m 28 so still trying to get used to the greys. Anyway, with you in spirit and I wish you all the best!

Can't think of any changes in hygiene/style here due to aging (or others listed). Am not using HRT.

I have to shower twice a day, and that’s without the days in which I exercise. I use a soap bar, gels are too drying. My perfume for the last 30 years does fuck all now, I’m not quite in the headspace to find a new signature scent for day to day, so Chanel it is.

I discovered the long pyjama tops, you know, the ones that look like a hotel pyjama tops, but finish at my knees. So if I’m hot at night, I just get a leg out and cool down instantly.

I’ve gained about 15 kg. I’m bloated half the time. Elasticated trousers all the way, COS and Anthropologie do them well without looking shit. Cotton, silk and cashmere all the way.

I still wear dresses, mainly from White company and Me and Em.

My hair is thinning and falling at an alarming rate, I use deep conditioners, I am lucky it’s not grey anywhere but the temples, I don’t die it, but it changed my colouring, so I can’t wear cream, for example, or baby blue, but crisp white and navy works.

I’m embracing my wrinkles and jowls, and hooded lids, but I moisturise to an inch of my life and Charlotte Tilbury ‘s magic cream gives a subtle shine. I must wear blusher, or else I look ill.

I do pilates every week, I swim, run and do body pump, walk the dog, walk to work and back etc.

I’m grateful and don’t give a fuck at the same time, I’m just looking after myself the best I can.

Why is everyone's weight stable on HRT but not mine? 😥 Also kinda depressed that everyone is suggesting Mounjaro but maybe I shouldn't be.

Hygiene: nothing different. I always showered daily and still do. Sometimes twice a day if I gym.

Funny how it affects us all so differently- the idea that some are getting so much sweaty with hot flushes that they wash more didn’t cross my radar

it is nice to not have to worry about flooding however - I can wear lighter coloured denim every day

HRT doesn't affect weight or appetite. Menopause can reduce muscle and increase appetite and there's no guarantee HRT will reverse those effects so if you're gaining weight it's not HRT it's menopause. If you're obese and can afford it Mounjaro will probably be a game changer but if one or both aren't the case then you need to increase exercise specifically weight training and make a real effort to increase protein and reduce carbs and sugar.

Dry brittle hair... I eat 900 calories a day and can not shift a single lbs...

What do you weigh to be eating so little and not losing weight?!
You've probably got brittle hair because you're malnourished.

What do you do all day?
900 cals is nothing unless you are totally immobile.
What's a normal day's food for you?

Mid 40s and surgical menopause at 39. I’m on HRT, take collagen, creatine, liposomal vit C, vit D and recently added in nourkin as my hair has started to thin. I’ve completely changed make up and skin care and have become evangelical about Trinny products, they really suit me. Massively struggle with my weight, still a size 12 but used to be 8-10 so going to take up weights in the new year. I do either reformer or barre at the moment (sporadically) and have a vibration plate for bone density.
Just had HIFU for my jowls, under eye polynucleotides and first lot of Botox so will see how that sits, I have teenage daughters and they know to be brutally honest if it looks shit or false.
Fashion wise I still love clothes but have discovered scarves to drape to hide my paunch.
I don’t find I sweat more but use Fussy deodorant so maybe that’s helped.
It’s really shit and if my HRT doesn’t absorb properly I want to rip my scalp off - so had to change shampoo for that.

Not obese. 5'7 and a size 12 edging up to a 14.
Don't eat carbs or sugar. Stick to my TDEE.
Already weight training.

I am mid-40s. I overhauled my wardrobe a few years ago so now I have loads of gorgeous dresses and cashmere jumpers and got rid of most man-made fabrics, so I think I'm better dressed than when I was younger! I have finally found my style.

I don't wear leggings or tight clothes much anymore as I've developed sensitive, itchy skin and they exacerbate it. I never wore makeup anyway but now I have to use an emoliant to help the dry skin.

Hygiene wise - I can't use bath bubbles anymore, again it makes me itch. I shave my legs less.

I used to sleep in pj's and knickers, but now it's nighties or naked.

I'm a few years into menopause. I'm very lucky in that I don't need hrt. As opposed to the ups and downs of my cycles, I feel balanced, happy, steady. Hair and skin was a thing starting with peri when I turned into a scarecrow overnight, but I've learned what I need, so that's all very manageable. I also found my style towards the end of peri, I'm smart casual from a toast aesthetic, so I'm always comfortable and often one of the better dressed (obviously depending on one's pov!). Hygiene has also been easier as a result of steadier hormones. So all that said, I echo what others are saying, you may need hrt op.

Reading with interest.

just turned 46 and suddenly feel
old looking

skin is dull and dry,I’m so very tired all the time. I’ve gained a lot of weight and have totally lost my shape and idea of clothes.

im struggling to dress this new body that really needs to be sorted.

jan i will be looking after me more.
ive had a really busy stressful and tiring year so i need to make time for me

plan is

start yoga again

use my shakti mat nightly again

walking pad out of cupboard and get at least 15,000 steps in a day

im about to cut and colour my hair as i feel very frumpy

better skin care

stop eating shit

monthly massage

I'm very similar in all respects. Definitely take HRT if you can (it's just replacing your natural hormones) - it has many protective & health benefits, loads of evidence to show this including the fact it's a licensed treatment for osteoporosis. Also better than statins at preventing heart disease & cardiac events.

I too feel I have thrived over the last few years, after struggling with peri pre-HRT. My career experience is in demand and I am loving life. I also do a lot of exercise & gym work, including weights and eat mainly a really healthy diet & prioritise protein. I still have a drink or two and eat chocolate also😊

I'm 61, on HRT and feeling good. I had a sweaty perimenopause but that's stopped now, probably because of the HRT. I think the only change I made was that I only wear clothes in natural fibres now.

Menopause doesn't create fat out of nowhere. If your weight is increasing you must be eating slightly above your TDEE more days than not.

I'm out the other side and love being menopausal. I have no hormonal fluctuations any more and feel calm and balanced all through the month. I use vaginal estradiol but don't take systemic HRT.

My hair is the same length and I get it coloured every two months, although it is coloured differently now as I'm mostly grey naturally. I've lost weight with the help of MJ, so I'm slimmer than I've been for years and I've rediscovered my love of vintage fashion. I've updated my make up so that it fits better with my lighter hair colour and skin changes.

Hang in there @MomWithChinHairs . I think peri is worse than actually being in menopause itself.

I am still not sure where I am. In my late 30's and early 40's I put on weight which was completely unexplained but then I started losing it without doing anything in my mid 40's. At one point mid 40's I was an irritable bitch, dreadful skin etc and not sure if that was hormones or because I was in a toxic relationship. I went on the pill for two years to be with mister toxic and never had a period, Have had one since I came off it 2 years ago and now late 40's. I still dont know if I have been peri, gone through it and now meno. Nothing. I am not on hrt but was diagnosed adhd and on meds for that about a year. I look great now too due to paying more attention to my skin and hair and clothing but still unsure where on the peri/meno spectrum i am.

Ok.
That must be why everyone is on MJ then.