Want to look younger naturally at 30, 40 or 50+? These ideas incorporate simple changes anyone can make to help turn back the clock, both on the outside, and the inside!
After having kids, the aging process seems to speed up exponentially, and there comes a point where the reflection we see in the mirror, may not necessarily reflect how we feel on the inside.
As a result, many will search for that elusive “fountain of youth”, spending a lot of time and money on anti-aging products, injectables or even plastic surgery procedures.
But we think that aging gracefully, and looking and feeling younger, is more obtainable than you think.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Ancient Nutrition, a leader in Collagen products, to give you some good news: there are plenty of simple, affordable, and natural ways to look and feel younger than your age.
Keep reading to learn how to help turn back your clock, regain your youthful glow, and look as young as you feel!
Pin for when you want to look younger!
LOOK & FEEL YOUNGER WITH: YOUR HAIR
As we age, our hair changes – it often becomes more coarse, dry and can even start to thin. Not to mention, turn gray! Here are some tips to stay youthful by making small adjustments to your hair routine:
Keep it Warm and Light: The more contrast there is between your hair color and skin, the harsher it will look against your face, and the more pronounced any wrinkles will appear. To look more youthful, soften the color of the hair around your face by going lighter, instead of darker, and stick with a warm tone.
Keep it Natural: That being said, you want your hair color to still look natural, so don’t go running to turn your dark brown hair platinum blonde! Going 2-3 shades lighter than your natural hair color should do the trick.
Deep Condition: To combat dry hair, deep condition weekly to keep it healthy and hydrated.
Air Dry: Styling with heat can further damage and dry out your hair, so air dry more often than not, and save the heat for special occasions, or use it sparingly around your face.Embrace the Gray: If covering your grays is becoming impossible to keep up with, embrace it! Many women look younger and more radiant with a full head of gray or white hair. Ask your stylist about applying a gloss to bring out the beauty even more.
LOOK & FEEL YOUNGER WITH: COLLAGEN
Collagen is the glue that holds us together, and supports skin strength, elasticity and joint health. Unfortunately, as we age, our bodies produce less and less of it – contributing generally to things like sagging and wrinkling skin, joint discomfort, and thinning hair.
Luckily, modern science has pulled through, and there are now a plethora of collagen products on the market.
But not all collagen is created equal, and we highly recommend doing your research before starting a collagen regime.
We use Ancient Nutrition because it is the only company whose select ingredients have 5+ human clinical studies behind it showing its efficacy. And unlike most other collagens that provide only 1 or 2 types of collagen, Ancient Nutrition’s Multi Collagen Protein provides FIVE collagen types from four real food sources, plus the added benefits of probiotics and Vitamin C.
We love that their ingredients are non-GMO, grass-fed and pasture-raised, cruelty free, and formulated for fast, real results.
In as little as one day you can start to get relief from exercise-induced joint discomfort, and after 4-8 weeks you’ll notice an improvement in the appearance of crow’s feet and overall skin tone.
We are enthusiastic users, and can attest to the results – smoother looking skin, thicker hair, stronger nails, and less stiffness after exercising. All which make us look and feel younger.
It couldn’t be easier to use – add a scoop of the unflavored powder in your coffee, tea, yogurt, smoothie or soup (you can even bake with it!) or take their capsules. Try it for 30 days and you’ll be hooked!
LOOK & FEEL YOUNGER WITH: SKIN CARE
While we can’t completely stop fine lines and wrinkles from forming, keeping your skin looking fresh and radiant can make a big difference about how you look and feel. And you don’t need to break the bank on expensive skin creams, try these simple tips instead:
Wear Sunscreen Daily: It’s no secret that the sun can accelerate the aging of your skin, contributing to dark spots and wrinkles, so make sure you’re wearing daily SPF protection. Many moisturizers now contain SPF, making it easier than ever to work into your morning skin care routine. Dermatologists recommend SPF 15 or higher, even in the winter when you might be spending less time outside – remember, you can still get sun exposure, even when just driving in your car!
Don’t Forget Your Hands & Neck: Your neck and hands can be the first places to show aging, so make sure you don’t forget to protect them with sunscreen, and incorporate them into your skin care routine to keep them from premature aging and sun damage.
Cleanse and Moisturize: A simple skin care routine can help protect your skin and keep it healthy. Skip the soap which can be drying, and opt for a gentle cleanser that can wash away impurities without stripping skin of any natural moisture. Follow with a good moisturizer to lock in the moisture, both morning and night.
De-Toxic Your Skin Care: When you think of all of the products you put on your skin – from moisturizers, sunscreens and soaps, to body wash, deodorant, serums and scrubs, not to mention make-up and hair products – we are literally bathing, spraying, rubbing and washing ourselves with hundreds of chemicals every day. Many contain endocrine disrupting chemicals like parabens and phthalates, or known carcinogens and neurotoxins. And because our skin is our largest organ, it’s critical to be aware of what is being absorbed into it.
Instead of conventional store-bought beauty products, try using natural oils like jojoba, rosehip or coconut, which make excellent cleansers and moisturizers. Or opt for non-toxic products that receive top-ranking on the EWG’s Skin Deep Guide. Try searching for the products you currently use and see how they rate. If they get lower than a 4, switch it for a better choice when it’s time to replace. By reducing your chemical exposure, it will reduce inflammation in your body, causing less puffiness, but more importantly, it will lead to a healthier immune system.
Remove Makeup Before Bed: Not only do we want to avoid clogged pores, but it’s important to remove any environmental pollution and wash away free radicals that can breakdown collagen and elastic tissue.
Roll and Massage: Try a Jade Roller and Gua Sha set which can be used to rejuvenate your skin without any chemical or irritants. Simply roll and massage these tools on your face to promote blood circulation and help your body flush toxins by pushing lymph fluid into your lymphatic drainage system. It reduces puffiness, wrinkling, dark circles, and makes you feel so relaxed!
LOOK & FEEL YOUNGER WITH: MAKEUP
There are a plethora of make-up tips that can help women look younger, but the key is always to emphasize your best features. This will boost your self-confidence, which can make all the difference to how old you feel!
Less is More: As our skin loosens, make-up doesn’t stay in place quite the same, and often settles in fine lines and wrinkles, resulting in an older appearance. To keep looking fresh, try to minimize your daily make-up routine, focusing on natural, warm colors that highlight your favorite features.
Embrace Your Brows: Thicker, more defined brows can frame your face, draw attention to your eyes, and make you look younger. Fill them in with a shade that matches your natural color with soft ticking strokes to mirror the growth of your brows.
Curl Your Lashes: Curling your eyelashes takes no time at all and can really open up your eyes, giving you a more youthful look.
Say “No” to Glitter & Sparkles: Any makeup with a frosted or shimmery effect can really accentuate fine lines. Instead, opt for matte or satin finishes.
Lighten Your Liner: Switch your eyeliner from black to brown. Black can create a very harsh look, and make your eyes look smaller, while brown can warm up your eyes and help them pop.
Skip Heavy Foundations: A heavy foundation or concealer can get cakey and settle into wrinkles, making your look older. Try a light-weight, matte foundation instead, or mix it with your moisturizer to create a more sheer, dewy look.
Use a Primer: Applying a primer can help even out your skin tone and create a smooth base for your make-up to adhere to, so it’s less likely to slip, fade or crease.
Lift Your Cheekbones: Use a dab of blush or bronzer at the height of your cheekbones, not in the hollows of your cheeks. This will not only give your face some warmth and color, but give it a lifted illusion as well.
Natural Lips: Lipstick can find its way into any fine lines around your lips, so it’s often best to stick with neutral shades. Find one that’s moisturizing to keep your lips from drying out!
LOOK & FEEL YOUNGER WITH: DIET
While we want to take care of our skin on the outside, if you’re not taking care of your body on the inside, all the skin care in the world won’t make a difference. You truly are what you eat!
Up Your Antioxidants: Antioxidants fight against inflammation and free radical damage in your body, so adding antioxidant rich foods into your body will help you feel and look better from the inside out. Most fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants (particularly berries), plus nuts, herbs and spices.
Eat Organic: Organic food is grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides and insecticides, growth hormones or antibiotics. It’s how our food used to be. No GMO crops, no glyphosate, no artificial dyes, no artificial flavoring, no artificial sweeteners or man-made chemicals. Organic foods often have more beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants, than their conventionally-grown counterparts, and because the foods are “cleaner”, they won’t cause as much inflammation to your body – helping you look and feel younger.
Swap your Cooking Oils: Eliminate the highly processed oils from your pantry that contribute to inflammation, heart disease and become toxic at relatively low temperatures. These include canola, vegetable, peanut or soybean oils. Instead, use less processed options that have a higher smoke point, such as avocado oil, coconut oil, or ghee. Avocado oil is our favorite because it has no flavor and can be substituted anywhere you’d use oil in cooking or baking.
Eat Your Greens (Vitamin K): Vitamin K is essential in aiding the body’s process of blood clotting, which helps the body heal wounds and bruises, but is also thought to help certain skin conditions like stretch marks, spider veins, scars, dark spots and those stubborn under-eye circles. Make sure your body is getting enough Vitamin K by loading up on your greens like kale, spinach, swiss chard and green beans.
…and your Reds (Lycopene): Lycopene can be found in tomatoes and other red fruits and veggies, and can give your skin an antioxidant boost to calm inflammation, reduce sun damage, and fight back against fine lines. So hop on the Tomato Train for glow-worthy skin.
Eat Fish: Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring are excellent foods for healthy skin. They’re rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are necessary to keep skin thick, supple, and moisturized. Plus they have been shown to reduce inflammation and potentially lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.
Nuts and Seeds: Nuts and seeds contain healthy fats that can help decrease inflammation and protect your skin’s natural lipid barrier, thus keeping wrinkles at bay. Try adding almonds, walnuts, chia, hemp and flax seeds into your diet.
Stay Hydrated: Dehydration can cause your skin to look dry, dull and less taught. Drink plenty of water to keep your skin plump and glowing. Plus, staying hydrated helps flush out toxins in your body, improves blood circulation and increases your energy.
LOOK & FEEL YOUNGER WITH: EXERCISE
Keeping your body in motion with regular exercise has been proven to slow the aging process, and staying fit most definitely helps you feel your best. Aim to exercise at least 4 times a week.
Be Versatile: Combining different types of exercise will keep your whole body healthy. Try to combine some sort of cardiovascular exercise to work your heart and lungs, strength training to work your muscles, and stretching to work your flexibility.
Try Pilates or Yoga: Pilates and yoga are great for increasing your core strength, improving your posture and visually lengthening your body (no more hunching!) – not to mention increasing your overall muscle tone.
Meditate: Meditation is something everyone can do to improve their mental and emotional health. It can help reduce stress and control anxiety, and bring you a sense of calm and balance to your life. Start with a few minutes a day, and keep building from there.
LOOK & FEEL YOUNGER WITH: SLEEP
Get Your Beauty Sleep: It’s not called “beauty sleep” for nothing! Your body needs at least 7 hours of sleep to rejuvenate and repair your body’s cells, so if you’re not getting enough, you’ll start to see signs like puffy eyes, dark circles, and a drier complexion – all of which can make you look older than your age. And without feeling rested, you’re bounded to feel older as well.
Fall Asleep Faster: In order to bank more precious hours of sleep, try relaxing your body and mind before bed. Go screen-free for at least an hour before closing your eyes, and engage in a quiet activity that can help clear your mind like meditation, reading or journaling. Exercising and avoiding caffeine late in the day can also help.
Sleep on your Back: This may sound extreme, but sleeping on your back may help prevent your wrinkles from deepening as your face isn’t getting any friction from being smushed into your pillow night after night after night. It may take a few weeks to re-train your body, but it could be worth it to keep your skin smooth.
Use a Silk Pillowcase: If you just can’t fathom sleeping on your back, try a silk pillowcase. This will reduce the friction on your skin, reducing any stretching, pulling or tugging. Silk fibers are also less absorbent, so your skin and hair will retain more moisture because your pillowcase isn’t absorbing all of your natural oils. It’s also great for taming bed head – less friction equals less frizz!
LOOK & FEEL YOUNGER WITH: YOUR CLOTHES
Update Your Wardrobe: If the majority of pieces in your wardrobe are over a decade old, it’s time for an update! Not only do styles change, but fabrics are constantly evolving to be more comfortable and wash-n-wear friendly. If you don’t know where to start, look in magazines, ask a stylish friend or family member to go shopping, or enlist a personal stylist (many department stores offer their services for free!).
Flatter Your Figure: Wearing ill-fitting clothing that doesn’t flatter your figure can add years to your look. Flatter your figure by ditching anything that doesn’t fit or take your favorite pieces to a tailor to be re-worked. Pick clothes that accentuate your favorite features – remember, when you feel good, you look good!
Wear Bright Colors: Bright colors not only make you look more vibrant, but make you feel more youthful too. Spice up your wardrobe with colors like red, orange and yellow. Pair them with neutrals for a fun pop of color.
ADDITIONAL WAYS TO LOOK & FEEL YOUNGER
Get Your Eyes Checked: Frequent squinting can cause any frown lines or crow’s feet to deepen, so make sure you’re getting your eyes checked every year to keep your prescription up-to-date.
Whiten Your Teeth: It’s no surprise that yellow or discolored teeth make you look older, but often as we age, this is exactly what happens. Ask your dentist what they recommend to help you keep your smile bright – they may choose an in-office whitening procedure, or something as simple as Crest White Strips.
De-Tox Your Home: Every time you go to replace a product in your home, whether it’s a household cleaner, beauty product or pantry staple, see if there’s a better choice available with less toxins. By reducing your chemical exposure, it can improve your gut health and immunity, reduce inflammation in your body, improve your energy, reduce your stress, and many researchers believe, it can also decrease your risk of developing cancer.
Have a Positive Attitude: Aging gracefully is as much about your attitude towards it, then how you look in the mirror. Embrace those grays and fine lines, and you’ll not only stress less, but your positivity will shine through.
And finally, Laugh and Smile! When you’re smiling, you look young and radiant…and it sure makes you feel good too!
Thanks again to our partner, Ancient Nutrition, for developing a collection of Multi Collagen products that use real foods and offer select clinically studied ingredients to deliver real results like improved skin elasticity, hair thickness support and joint health.
