I never really paid much thought to the idea of aging. The women in my family have all “aged gracefully”. People have always had trouble gauging the age of my mom, her siblings and my grandmother. I often heard the phrase, “Asians always look young”. I’m not so certain of that though! I know that in the past year, I’ve noticed the signs of aging in myself! Age spots, skin quality, and even my hair is different. It’s much coarser and not as full. Though I never paid much thought to aging before, it certainly has been on my mind lately.
As a mother of a little girl, I struggle with what messages I give her with regard to appearance. Yes, beauty is what’s inside you and how you conduct your life and in the way you treat others. Those are the values I want her to remember. Of course, I know full well that beauty is all of that, but I can’t take away the idea that people also notice what’s on the outside. I want my five year old to have a healthy sense of self. I don’t want her to be preoccupied with her looks, but I also do want her to take care of herself.
I won’t deny it, but I’ve recently walked past my bathroom mirror and caught sunlight hitting a strand of hair that made it shimmer in the light. As I got closer to the mirror, I gasped! It was a single “silver” hair. Beautiful, yet shocking, as it made me realize that I really am no longer in my early twenties and closer to forty than I thought! Immediately, I thought, “Do I colour my hair or do I let it go grey and age gracefully?”
Perfect timing for an invitation to Toronto for an #AgeDefy event! A few weeks ago, fellow P&G Moms, Sassy Modern Mom, My Bits and Bleeps and I made our way to Hair on the Avenue in Toronto to take part in the Clairol #AgeDefy Event.
We were greeted with a bright purple carpet that led the way into the venue. Upon entering, we took in the beauty and style of Luis Pacheco’s salon. Everything was beautiful.
A panel of experts, spoke about the psychology of beauty and aging.
Some of the Signs of Aging:
Hair Skin
* graying * fine lines
* resistant grey * dark circles
* dry/frizzy * puffy dark circles
* dull, lack lustre
Clinical Psychologist and Clairol Aging Expert Dr. Vivian Diller spoke to us about aging, the way we look and the way we feel.
Clairol colour specialist/consultant, Luis Pacheco introduced us to the new Clairol Expert Age Defy collection.
What’s the first thing you notice about someone when you meet them for the first time? I notice eyebrows, teeth, smile and hair. Did you know that statistics show that the colour of your hair, colour of your eyes, and your height is what is remembered within the first 7 seconds of meeting someone?
I realize that I need to redefine what beauty means to me. I’m going to have to create a good balance of what I am proud of and just look after myself. Instead of panic at the idea of aging and looking older, I really should learn more about the woman I am becoming. I need to remember that my looks do not define me, but they help to make me feel good about myself.
So, what? I’m getting older. Right? Well, I think the one thing for women and realizing that they are aging is that aging represents the loss of fertility and youthfulness. To me, long, healthy, luxurious hair was reminiscent to fertile, healthy, sensual beings. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s what it reminds me of.
Luis talked about colouring our hair being an economical way to hold onto that idea and feeling. Why do we get grey hair? As our hair loses protein and goes weaker, it creates an extra layer of cuticle to protect it. That’s what causes the coarser texture. Clairol’s AgeDefy has a pre-soften treatment that addresses this and gives your hair more lustre from mid-shaft to the ends. Your hair becomes more shinier and healthier looking. After the pre-soften treatment, you apply the Colour Creme and then the Activity Creme, and ends with the Colour Seal. This final step, the Colour Seal, is a conditioner for longevity.
We also learned of the difference in skin during the process of aging and were introduced to several Olay products dedicated to help with the signs of aging.
Apologies for the blurry cell phone pic! I have to admit I was taking a photo of my new favourite Olay products while balancing a plate of hors d’oeuvres and macarons in one hand.
One of the most important things I learned was how important it is for us to take care of our skin! Total Effects combats those 7 signs of aging. I love the instant coverage and treatment Olay Total Effects provides. After trying out the products for the first time in my hotel room after the event, I have to say that I really like the way the products work on my skin.
- Eye Brightening CC cream – I find this really gentle on my sensitive skin and very effective in brightening the area near my eyes.
- Dark Circle Minimizing CC cream – Yes, I noticed that over the years I have developed a bit of a dark circle look. I was a bit hopeful yet apprehensive as to whether the cream would help minimize the darkness, but it actually works!
- Tone Correcting Moisturizer with sunscreen SPF Lotion – This is my favourite. I love a tone correcting moisturizer that has sunscreen! My absolute favourite! I always remember in the Summer to apply sunscreen on my daughter, but often forget about myself. I need to make a conscious effort to remember in the Winter months as well, because the sun’s rays are damaging all year round! Putting on a moisturizer that has built in sunscreen is brilliant.
There’s no magic potion that stops the signs of aging. I was thinking “why would we want to stop aging? Just age the way we ought to, but if we need help in making ourselves look the best we can, why not?” These products PLUS a healthy diet, exercise, proper sleep, keeping hydrated, and good genes can really help make a difference in our overall health and quality and look of our skin. We learned that as we age, less collagen is produced, so we really do need to protect our skin even more.
This was the second time I have been to an event where I was able to chat with Luis about hair. I’ve noticed (especially post-baby) that my hair has become noticeably thinner and very limp. It’s always refreshing to chat with Luis. He really is an expert of his craft.
What I learned from the event and the experts on the panel was:
- You don’t have to fight, be afraid, or shy away from getting older.
- It is important is to protect your skin.
- Embrace your hair colour or find a hair product that works for you.
- Be confident in yourself and embrace your beauty at every age. That is how you achieve your #BestBeautiful self.
Disclosure: I am a P&Gmom As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events and opportunities. The opinions on this blog are my own.
Sounds like a great talk! Honestly, woman, you don’t look like you needed to hear it! You look so young!
I love this post! At 43 1/2 years old. I’m feeling it. My hair is not the same, nothing is the same. But, I accept it. I colour my hair because it makes ME feel good. As far as the lines & wrinkles, well.. not much I can AFFORD to do about those lol.