Five inexpensive ways to look more youthful

Start with skincare.

Skincare can be the best place to start when maintaining healthy skin, looking younger, and slowing down signs of ageing. Personally, I’ve been doing it for years, including sun protection 365 days of the year, rain, hail or shine.

And if you’ve been following along, then you know I’ve worked as a skin therapist and educator for a long time.

Working in the skincare industry always sparks interest. Even if they don’t want to admit it at first, most people want to know what you know. And sooner or later, the conversation will come around to their skin or what they’ve been using and do I think it’s any good.

A confessional from a professional.

My doctor confessed to me on a recent trip to see her for advice on hormone replacement therapy; she too worried about ageing—a lot. I shrugged and continued with my troubles (begging for HRT medication); the way I see it, her professional advice comes at a much higher price than mine; it seemed only fair.

This confession was closely followed by my optometrist. There I was in need of an eye test, and it happened again. Once my eye doctor knew my profession, I was promptly quizzed on what I thought of her skin. Did I think she looked her age? She’d never bothered too much about her skin, and now, at 64, she’d decided to spend more money than ever before. What did I think? I pondered the youth of my ageing eyes and how much this appointment was costing me and steered the conversation back to me.

This is not unusual. It happens all the time!! If you work in the aesthetic industry, you know this to be true.

Of course, within the context of a skin consultation, I’m very keen to help. And this website attests to my sincere intention to help people like my doctor and optometrist with their skin should they ask for it. Just not while I’m being charged by the nano-second for their professionalism.

Most of us, sooner or later become worried, concerned or downright petrified about the signs of ageing.

I wanted to say to these medical professionals that skincare is a great place to start, but there’s far more to it than that. And, there’s no magic bullet, although technological advances are doing a great job.

I also wanted to say to them; youthfulness is an all-over kind of thing. So, while we can start with warding off lines and wrinkles with the regular use of amazing skincare, our demeanour, self-esteem, and willingness to care about ourselves are all just as important in maintaining a youthful appearance.

So, today I thought I’d look at five ways to give you a more youthful appearance that goes beyond skincare—inexpensive beauty tips for healthy longevity and an appearance to match every occasion.

#1 Lustrous, healthy locks.

It’s hard to keep our hair looking lustrous as we age, and it will inevitably change. For some, hair loss can be a problem. For others, a general change in texture and shine. While many hair care products on the market promise healthy, strong hair, I’m not here to tell you about the best shampoo or treatment mask you should be using. Instead, I prefer to look at your nutrition and other factors that may play a part in hair loss.

Let’s talk about nutrition, particularly Zinc, D3 and B Vitamins.

Zinc is an essential nutrient obtained through your diet. It has a vital role in the body, including boosting immunity, cell growth and proliferation, and wound healing, and is necessary for hair follicle health and growth.

You’ll find excellent sources of Zinc in oysters, red meat, fish, legumes, pumpkin seeds, cashews, almonds, and dairy and soy products.

Vitamin D3 is the sunshine vitamin, and if you spend a lot of time indoors or live in a part of the world where sunshine is in short supply? Well, you may want to invest in a vitamin D3 supplement. A simple blood test can inform you of whether you’re getting enough D3, and your GP can recommend a supplement to restore balance and avoid deficiency.

B Vitamins are essential to good health, and all play an integral role in the health of your hair, but one, in particular, has been shown to improve hair growth significantly, and that’s Biotin or B7. All the B Vitamins are present in whole food sources such as red meat, poultry, dark leafy greens, whole grains and almonds.

Take an honest look at your diet.

Eliminating processed and junk food, coupled with a few tweaks to your daily nutrition and your hair, skin, and nails, will be better.

However, there can be times even with the best diet; the body still lacks essential nutrients. And this can be the case when stress, autoimmune conditions, or other illnesses are taking their toll on the body. In this case, you may need to supplement to restore what the body needs.

Nutra Organics has a range of products that support additional nutrition for your hair, skin and nails.

Your doctor or health care professional can advise you on your specific needs.

#2 Your beaming smile.

Unlike my doctor and optometrist, my dentist is obsessed with dentistry, closely followed by Star Wars! Even so, his receptionist did pop in a few random skincare questions as I was paying my bill. But forgive me. I digress. Let’s talk about inexpensive ways to improve your smile.

As time goes by, our teeth can begin to discolour and depending on the foods or fluids you consume, your naturally white teeth can lose a little shine.

Coffee and wine are the two biggest offenders. Personally, I have no plans to give up coffee or red wine, but I still want white teeth.

You will look younger and more youthful with whiter teeth. So what to do?

I’ve tried the quick-fix solutions, and I think most of them are a waste of money. And while I’m trying to give you inexpensive options, I think a visit to a dentist to get fitted for a mouth tray and the accompanying whitening gel is a worthy investment.

All up, you’re looking at around $300.00 AU.

Sure, once fitted with a made-to-measure mouth tray, you can spend a bit more and opt for the Zoom whitening system, where they speed up the whitening process with LED Light, and if you wanted white teeth yesterday, then I guess that’s your best option.

But for the rest of us, once your dentist has taken a mould of your teeth and your mouth trays are ready, you’ll need the special bleaching gel for the next 14 days, and you’re good to glow.

After the initial whitening, you can top up a couple of times a year if you feel you need it.

You’d prefer an effective but inexpensive way to whiten your teeth?

Sure, if you’re not ready or don’t want to spend too much money, well, another inexpensive option is Plus White 5 Minute Speed Whitening Gel. It comes in at around $30 AU and includes toothpaste and a mouth tray, although I’d ditch that tray for a slightly more comfortable silicone moulding mouth tray.

For the best results, a made-to-order or mouldable silicone mouth tray is better.

You can purchase Thermoforming Whitening DIY Silicone Trays on Amazon, which is a good option.

A soft and close-fitting mouth tray allows the whitening gel to get up close and personal with your teeth, allowing the bleaching gel to penetrate long enough to whiten your teeth.

You’ll only need to leave the whitening gel on for 5 minutes; any more than that, and you risk tooth sensitivity. If you follow the manufacturer’s advice, you can do it as often as you feel you need to.

Other ways to keep your teeth healthy and gum disease at bay are proper brushing and flossing and regular deep cleaning with a dental hygienist.

And, as a dentist once told me, if you can’t brush between meals, a crunchy apple is a great in-between meal option to flush away the acids that create tartar buildup.

Any investment in your teeth is well worth it. And white teeth are a brilliant confidence booster.

#3 Standing tall.

As a writer, I spend a lot of time at my desk. This is not ideal for posture and can lead to hunch shoulders and protruding head posture. Not sexy!

The solution? For me, exercises that improve neck posture while relieving muscle stiffness arise from too much time at my computer.

Once a day, I use a rolled-up towel to support my neck for 8 – 10 minutes. It’s a 10-minute commitment but with significant returns. While I’m lying on the floor, giving my neck a much-needed stretch, I’m also zoning out in silence. For me, it’s meditative.

You can purchase various neck rolls and other neck stretching devices, but a rolled-up towel does the job beautifully if money is a consideration.

For more daily exercises to improve posture, I’ve found the Youtube Channel Posture Makeover by Michelle Joyce. Brilliant for guided lessons for achieving better posture.

Important note: If you have any pain or known injuries in your spine, you should check with your primary health care professional to get the okay before trying this.

#4 Balancing act.

I read somewhere, and I believe it to be true. Your balance, or lack thereof, indicates your youthfulness and longevity.

So maintaining balance is probably an excellent idea. But I know you’re far from elderly, but start where you are now, and you’ll have an outstanding balance well into your gentle years.

Try this, but with something close by to hold onto if you need support.

Stand with one foot lifted off the ground, and balance yourself. Practice doing this with your eyes fully open. See how long you can balance. All good?
Once you’ve mastered balancing on one foot, progress to balancing but this time with your eyes closed. How long can you stand with one foot raised off the ground?

Me? When I first attempted this? I could only manage a few seconds at a time without having to drop my foot back to the ground for support.

After practising daily, I’m able to balance for one full minute on each foot. That’s a considerable improvement.

Try it for yourself. Everyday! It’s free but with fantastic long-term benefits.

#5 Let’s move it.

I like to walk for at least 30 – 40 minutes every morning, and there are usually stairs involved to get my heart racing.

Seriously though, it’s not much, but it’s a vital routine worth adopting.

I aim for 6000 steps of continuous walking, which adds up to about four kilometres every day. Other than your walking gear and sunscreen, this activity costs you nothing more than your time.

During my working day, I try to add other elements of movement to ensure I retain flexibility and good posture.

Body Groove.

As well as walking and doing stretches to improve my neck posture, I also like to finish my day with 30 minutes of Body Groove. Misty Tripoli, the founder of Body Groove, has a philosophy that engages our feelings of self-worth by using dance and movement to feel good about ourselves while maintaining youthful flexibility.

I started Body Groove during the covid19 pandemic when getting out for a walk was not always possible, and I’ve kept it up. I love finishing my day in this way, moving to music that is more of a workout than you’d first expect it to be. Each track takes you through a series of dance movements to ensure you’re working out and stretching your muscles without feeling like a gruelling workout.

You’re just dancing!!

The on-demand subscription also includes yoga and pilates classes, relaxation, meditation, self-esteem, and confidence-boosting workshops. After a 30-day trial, subscribing to Body Groove* will set you back around $99.00 AU per year.

*The Beauty Issue has no affiliation with Body Groove.