While menopause is technically the point at which you’re 12 months after your last period, the changes you might feel in yourself and your body don’t just happen overnight. Perimenopause is the period of time leading up to menopause, when you may have symptoms, but your period hasn’t stopped yet.
Post-menopause, the changes don’t stop, so it’s important to support your skin and hair to keep them as healthy as possible. One of the biggest challenges for menopausal skin is that the fluctuations in your hormones can leave skin dry and feeling thinner than you’re used to. While this is a perfectly normal change to experience, you might benefit from rethinking some elements of your skincare routine.
We’re not talking a complete overhaul – just some mindful tweaks to support your skin and hair as much as possible. If nothing else, the TLC of new skincare and haircare routines should help you feel rejuvenated both inside and out.
Menopause skin breakouts
Before the post-menopausal dry skin becomes apparent, skin breakouts are quite common during perimenopause. This is usually due to fluctuations in hormone levels. Just like when you were a teenager, this means that your skin may overproduce sebum at times, clogging pores and causing spots.
But don’t reach for typical face cleansers marketed at outbreaks for teens! They will be too harsh and exacerbate any dryness. Our Cleansing Face Balm with Apricot Powder has been designed for all skin types, but many UpCirclers rave about it as an ideal skin care product to use during menopause. You can use it to clean off your make-up and any sebum buildup throughout the day, but it isn’t drying like a lot of targeted acne cleansers can be.
Another option is our gentle Cleansing Face Milk, formulated with oat powder and aloe vera to soothe inflamed and irritated skin. Also infused with coconut oil and jojoba oil, this cleanser helps to replenish the skin's natural moisture barrier.
Menopause and dry skin
Eventually, the breakouts settle down. But unfortunately, many women are then left with dryness in its wake. If your previous skincare routine has stopped working, and you’re battling dryness, it’s very normal as part of the menopause process – but it doesn’t need to stay that way.
You’ll need to give some thought to specific menopause-friendly skin care. The best skincare for menopausal skin involves using a gentle and mild cleanser, and lots of hydration. Our Fennel + Cardamom Chai Soap bar is another great option, as it contains nourishing shea butter to help hydrate the skin.
When it comes to adding that moisture and hydration back to your skin, you have several options depending on what you’re looking for. The key thing is to try and use products formulated with hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and glycerin.
Our Face Toner with Mandarin + Chamomile calms and soothes dry skin, and is enriched with hyaluronic acid. This will help to plump up dry skin, helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. What’s more, you can use this outside of your morning and nightly skincare routines – just spritz this on during the day if your skin feels particularly dry.
For moisturising creams, avoid heavy formulations that use lots of comedogenic ingredients, as these could contribute to overly congested skin. Our Face Moisturizer with Vitamin E is a fast-absorbing cream which locks in hydration and helps to tackle dryness – whilst also brightening the skin.
For an additional boost, use our Night Cream with Hyaluronic Acid and Niacinamide in the evenings. Helping to replenish the skin's natural barrier, the product is formulated using upcycled blueberries, a natural source of pro-retinol that helps protect against blue light.
The other post-menopause skincare addition that you may want to add to your routine is a body moisturizer. It’s no longer enough to only consider your face; all of your skin needs some attention! Also, you’ll probably find that applying a body moisturizer at night will help you feel more comfortable if you struggle with hot flushes at night.
Our soothing Body Cream with Aloe Vera is also formulated with cocoa butter for deep nourishment. We use the anti-inflammatory extract of upcycled date seeds in this product, which is clinically proven to reduce redness.
Give the skin around your eyes some extra TLC
The skin around your eyes needs special attention as you get older. As you age, your skin naturally loses collagen, which is what enables your skin to bounce back. With less collagen, the skin around your eyes can appear loose and look slack. This is when wrinkles can become particularly noticeable.
Our Eye Cream with Hyaluronic Acid + Coffee uses upcycled coffee to brighten the skin around the eyes, which can seem sallow, and upcycled maple bark extract which is immensely soothing. Hyaluronic acid adds some extra hydration for good measure.
Using serums and oils
You don’t need to stop at creams to nourish your skin, there are serums and oils you can add into your existing routine to support your skin barrier.
Our Peptide Serum with Custard Apple + Blood Orange is revitalising and restoring for the skin. It’s formulated with niacinamide and vitamin C, and helps to boost collagen production and skin elasticity. After rigorous clinical testing, our peptide serum has been proven to improve skin elasticity by 29% over the course of 14 days.
Our multi-award-winning Organic Face Oil with Coffee Extract has been carefully formulated to offer intense nourishment, especially if your skin is prone to dryness. Coffee helps to brighten skin, while vitamin C from rosehip and sea buckthorn oils acts as wonderful antioxidants for the skin.
Menopause hair care basics
Troublesome skin may not be the only change you notice during perimenopause or post-menopause – many people experience hair thinning and hair loss too. Use haircare products infused with hair- and scalp-loving ingredients such as rosemary oil, which helps to reduce hair loss and promote new hair growth.
Our Shampoo + Conditioner Haircare Duo includes shampoo which is clinically proven to relieve scalp irritation and lasts three times longer than normal shampoo, as well as intensely nourishing conditioner, which pampers the scalp and enhances hair thickness.
Haircare doesn’t just stop at shampoo and conditioner, hair serums and scalp oils can also play a huge role in looking after your locks post-menopause. Our Hair Serum with Fermented Rice Water + Baobab is an all-rounder, supercharging and nourishing hair for a glossy shine. It also works to reduce breakage and strengthen hair, while protecting from humidity and frizz.
Be kind to yourself throughout the menopause
Different people experience menopause in various ways. For some, they barely notice the change, but for others, they can experience some uncomfortable symptoms. Whatever your experiences, it’s important to be kind and gentle with yourself during this time, as you adjust to the change.
Discover our Ageing Gracefully Skincare Bundle, which contains collagen-boosting ingredients to promote elasticity and lock in moisture. See our full collection of skincare and haircare at UpCircle.