The Better Blog

At Better Not Younger, we don't believe in the age taboo that a lady should never reveal her age, and the reason is in our name. We know that aging is a privilege, not something to hide, and we know that we become better (not younger!) as we age. 

Unfortunately, we also know that ageism against older women is very real, whether in our lack of representation in Hollywood or in biases that creep into our workplaces. In fact, PBS NewsHour reported in 2016 that ageism against women in the workplace starts at 35 for women. Ridiculous! 

We are here to tell you that age transparency is our superpower, as women. It's how we can support other women, push back on ageism against women, and change the conversation around aging. Age transparency means radical acceptance of ourselves as we age and living so fully that nobody can say that our best years are behind us!

Hirsutism (HUR-soot-iz-um) is a condition in women that results in excessive growth of dark or coarse hair in a male-like pattern—on the face, chest and back. This unwanted hair is referred to as “terminal hair” and it affects roughly 5 to 10% of women. It is a common reason why women visit the dermatologist.

Hirsutism can be emotionally distressing. And although hirsutism doesn't cause physical complications, the underlying cause, which is a hormonal imbalance, can. Facial hair growth during menopause is typically caused by an increase in the ratio of androgen (testosterone) to estrogen. This does not necessarily point to a problem, but the increase in facial hair can be bothersome.

As women, we put up with a lot of opinions about our hair, and this (often) unsolicited advice only increases as we age. We all know that age bias exists, and our hair is no exception. There's ageism in hair care, in advertising and in much of the media we consume. 

So many "shoulds" are piled onto women, especially after 40: We should wear certain hairstyles "appropriate" for middle-aged women, we should cover our grays and we should chop off longer locks—and many of these have permeated the workplace as well. 

If there's no one drowning out the judgment, this can feel overwhelming! 

At Better Not Younger, we get it. Our company was founded specifically to push back on the belief that there's no market for quality, aging hair-care products. Newsflash: Women don't simply disappear after we hit menopause! 

We compiled a list of past and present hair biases, including aging hair-care biases, that women have been hearing for far too long, plus our take on these false, outdated myths!

If you read the Better Not Younger blog regularly or follow us on social media, you probably know that we’re celebrating our 3rd anniversary this March! It's a milestone that we're proud of and incredibly grateful for. And since March is Women's History Month, we decided to talk about women aging gratefully. (No, that's not a typo!)

The notion of aging gratefully is particularly meaningful to our founder, Sonsoles Gonzalez: “For me, aging gratefully means taking a moment to thank and recognize the many people in my life that have cared for me, supported me and guided me—my parents, my mentors, my husband, my children and my friends. They have all played a huge role in shaping who I am today.” 

So in the spirit of inspiring a little grateful aging among our community, we highlighted our favorite positive effects of aging. We're grateful for all of them. As 19th century mathematician Ada Lovelace said, "Strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them." We couldn't agree more!

10 Benefits of Aging We’re Grateful for Every Day

We've all heard about the ageism and visibility gap that plagues women after 40. These biases are based on a variety of myths that boil down to women being "past their prime" once they hit that magic age of 40. 

But we know that life doesn't stop at 40 for women. As we shared on our Instagram recently, "Age is just the number of years the world has been enjoying you!" Placing rigid restrictions based on age simply makes no logical sense. Every day women over 40 are reinventing themselves, changing the world and proving that age is nothing more than the number of candles on a birthday cake. 

Read on to learn more about 7 biases that women over 40 beat every day and how to love yourself at any age!

With aging comes change, but it also brings benefits—like wisdom, confidence and above all, gratitude. It is these gifts of time that inspired Sonsoles Gonzalez to develop Better Not Younger three years ago—and she harnesses these blessings each and every day as she builds a hair-care brand that’s breaking biases around aging and what it means to be a woman in her 40s, 50s and 60s+.

Through Better Not Younger, Sonsoles and her team are pushing boundaries, championing age inclusion and diversity, empowering women and above all, normalizing conversations around menopause and female hair loss.

So who better to chat with than the founder and CEO herself! Better Not Younger has been on an extraordinary journey these past three years—and she’ll be the first to tell you that she owes it all to the amazing community of women who have inspired and supported the brand along the way.

Better Not Younger has made great strides in the clean hair-care movement through the development of plant-based hair products and sulfate-free hair care designed specifically for women over 40. With a mission to enhance—not conceal!—aging hair, Better Not Younger gives women access to high-quality clean hair products that are cruelty-free and designed to improve hair, scalp and inner health.

Keep reading as Sonsoles talks about her secrets to #AgingGratefully, becoming an entrepreneur and building a business in her 50s, and how she believes that it is absolutely possible to look better without looking younger. 

This is an especially exciting topic for us at Better Not Younger, and the reason is in our name. We believe we only get better with age! And key to a smooth midlife transition is knowing what to expect as we move through menopause.  

But what do signs of menopause at 40 and beyond look like? How can you tell if you're experiencing premenopausal symptoms? 

We've got the scoop on what to know about early perimenopause symptoms and menopause body changes, along with menopause self-care tips to help you cope with the transition!

As we enter our 50s, our responsibilities and stresses don’t look the same as they did when we were younger. Family dynamics shift, and work and social obligations can change. As the “sandwich generation” tasked with both childcare and eldercare, one in seven of us is financially supporting both a child and a parent. As we adjust to life after 50, we often find ourselves being pulled in many directions, which can take a toll on our health, well-being, stress levels and even our hair! 

When we think about finding balance in our lives, this is usually because we feel like we have become unbalanced in some way. One of the best ways to start the recalibration process is to identify what specifically is not working for us and switch up our routines to address the problem head-on. But this is much easier said than done. 

So, how can we recalibrate? 

We’re here to give you the scoop on four approaches to help you find balance during this transitional time and build resilience in midlife while even rediscovering yourself. Read on to learn more about how small changes to your daily routine can have a huge impact in your life after 50!

Menopause-related hormone changes give us mood swings, insomnia, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, weight gain, and to top it all off — hair loss. Our hair follicles are mini-organs that require constant blood supply and nourishment to continue producing hairs. Changes to our scalp and hair’s underlying biology can cause dryness, shedding, and hair loss. Thankfully, there are things we can do to stop hormonal hair loss.

When you start witnessing skin changes like wrinkles and sagging skin, you can point the finger at menopause and rapidly decreasing estrogen levels. Estrogen helps you retain water and skin plumpness. When levels drop, you lose molecules that help you retain moisture.

Our bodies also produce less collagen causing our skin to lose elasticity. It all begins in our fourth decade when we reach perimenopause and then continues through menopause. In this guide to menopause skincare, Better Not Younger discusses what's happening to your skin and scalp and provides ways of solving those challenges.

We face new and sometimes unexpected hair-care challenges as we age: graying, dryness, brittleness. Worst of all? Most of us will have some degree of hair loss and thinning to deal with during and after menopause.

But just because age-related hair loss is common doesn't mean we have to accept it. Several potential solutions could help, depending on what's causing our hair to weaken and fall out. If nutrient absorption issues or a vitamin A deficiency are at the root of the problem, supplements containing retinol may be able help.