Beauty Tips for African American Women Over 40
If you’re an African American woman, you’re one of the lucky ones. In general, African American and darker-skinned women tend to age very well. You may have heard an old saying, “ Black, don’t crack.”
While it’s true that darker skin is less prone to wrinkling because of natural oils and ultraviolet shielding melanin, there’s no denying that a good beauty routine also goes a long way in helping you look fresh and youthful after 40. So here are three great beauty tips for African American women over 40.
1) Follow a Skin Care Regimen
One of the most significant health and beauty tips for black women over 40 is to follow a good skin care regimen. Although having darker skin has many benefits, dark skin is often susceptible and can react negatively to many products causing skin discolorations and hyperpigmentation.
It’s best to follow a simple, regular beauty routine that starts with cleansing the skin with a mild facial cleanser intended for your skin type.
Next, exfoliation is essential. The skin cell turnover rate for black skin is 2.5 times faster than that of lighter skin. Black skin can quickly start looking dull and ashy if you do not exfoliate regularly. Exfoliation will make your skin glow.
After exfoliation, it is important to target many skin problems with a quality eye cream, face cream, or oil minimizer.
Lastly and most importantly, find a daily facial moisturizer with good SPF. Dark-skinned women often overlook this because they don’t feel they are at risk of burning. The reality is that while you may not burn, you need a good SPF to prevent skin discoloration and texture changes caused by sun damage.
2) Try Shea Butter
One of the best moisturizers around for African American skin is shea butter. It’s long been used by African American women to keep skin smooth and clear. Best in its natural unrefined form and imported from Africa, it is fantastic for the skin. Unrefined shea butter contains vitamins D and E and is excellent for preventing wrinkles, blemishes, and skin discolorations. It’s also a superb moisturizer and the perfect replacement for any expensive night cream.
3) Keep your Hair Moisturized
African American hair is 3x dryer than most hair which breaks easily. This, plus the fact that many women of color use harsh chemical relaxers and weaves, and wear excessively tight braids regularly, means they’re often faced with thin or damaged hair after 40. Receding hairlines are also common.
Luckily it’s never too late to begin caring for your hair correctly. First and foremost, a professional shampoo and conditioner are needed. The next step is to target the scale and use it with a natural oil like jojoba, olive, or coconut. Regularly applying oil from root to tip will make your hair stronger and shinier.
These are our free beauty tips for women of color. Do you have any other best beauty tips for older women who want to look Fabulous After 40? We welcome your comments below.
Related posts:
Informative post about “over 40”. I will share this post with my mom.
Thank you. I’m African American and over 50, and this article was perfect. Simple and plainly written. Not a lot of filler. I’ve been searching for information about this very topic. A lot of information is out there, but presentation matters. Again, thanks so much.
Hi Lisa, Glad it helped. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for finally writing about > Simple Beauty Tips for African American Women Over 40 | Free Beauty Tips for Women of Color < I Loved it!
You should participate in a contest for one of the most useful sites on the web.
I am going to recommend this website highly!
I’d constantly want to be updated on new blog posts on this website, saved
to my bookmarks!
This post made me get up and put shea butter on my face. I’ve used it on my hair for some time but didn’t think of using it for my face. Great tips and one I didn’t know! Always good to learn something new.
Great site … It Explains everything and answers my every question. I will definitely check out the “over 40” stuff! I’m terrible at makeup,
I am a self-professed beauty product/device junkie. It started back in junior high school health class when we were warned that with adolescence would also come acne. That day (despite no evidence of even the slightest pimple), I launched an all-out assault on acne. I would spend my meager allowance on every new acne-fighting product featured in the pages of Seventeen magazine. I don’t know if it was a product of genes, but I managed to avoid the acne phase altogether. After that, I was hooked. I started using anti-aging products in my first year of college. Today, with 60 just a year or so away, most people (even skin experts) are surprised to learn my age; I am frequently complimented on my youthful complexion by women of other races and fellow African Americans. My go-to product is the Clarisonic Aria. It took me a while to finally plop down the $200 for it, but I couldn’t recommend it more highly. I swear, there were visible results after the first use! It gets better and better with continued use. If you are spending a lot of money on suitable products and not using a device like the Clarisonic Aria, I’m guessing that, like me, pre-Aria, you’re not getting the best and fastest results from your products.
Wonderful tips. I am African and have discovered that coconut oil helps moisturize skin.
Amazing! but I would like to know whether Aloe Vera helps our skin to keep it moisturized, as I have read many times.
Aloe Vera, yes. It is a natural healing plant to keep your skin soft and beautiful. Plus, it’s the medicine when you have a sunburn. I bought some today for my son, who has been out sailing and got a little fried!
OK, Thank you for providing such wonderful information :-)
Nice article. ALL women should have a good skin care regimen. Before I turned 40, my skin was normal to oily. Now at 45, it is scorched. I make and use my natural moisturizers. Taking fish oil has also helped.
I made an observation years ago. Blondes and fair skin girls peak (if you will) in high school. They are the envy of everyone. When you look at the beautiful older women in their 60s and 70s, most are darker-skinned. African American women come into their own as they age.
Cathy, I’m afraid I have to disagree with your statement. I’m Black, and blonde girls with fair skin were not envied above all others in my high school. If you were cute, you were cute. Beauty came in every hue, height, weight, and culture. As someone who grew up with many cultures, surrounded by beautiful people from all over the world in New York, your view makes me feel so fortunate. To conclude, I always thought Georgia O’Keeffe extremely beautiful, and she was White, wrinkled, and gray.