The Better Blog

We all know that heat styling can take a toll on our hair, and this includes blow-drying. While air-drying saves our strands from being subjected to heat, it can take a while for our hair to completely dry, leaving our scalps damp for longer and susceptible to irritation and fungal and bacterial growth. The best way to dry your hair without damaging it is to do a little bit of both: Air-dry your hair briefly and follow up with a quality blow-dryer.

If you're like many women over 40, you've probably noticed some of the first signs of hair thinning. Maybe your ponytail looks smaller or your stylist has commented on your thinning locks. Or maybe you've just noticed more hair in the shower drain and on your hairbrush.

The roles of hair masks and conditioners can sometimes be unclear. If we use a conditioner, can we forgo a hair mask? In some cases, perhaps.

But as we enter our 40s, our hair starts becoming drier, duller, thinner and more brittle and our scalps start lacking the proper nutrients they need to produce healthy strands—all these factors make it even more important to understand the difference between a hair mask and a conditioner.

Aging hair can benefit from both hair masks and conditioners but knowing the differences and benefits of each is key.

When regular conditioning isn’t enough to balance our aging hair biology and address dry, damaged hair, products like hair masks can help boost moisture levels and improve scalp function. Keep reading to learn the difference between a hair mask and a conditioner.

Every chapter of life comes with its own set of challenges. And during menopause, it can be an uphill battle against hot flashes, mood swings, brain fog, and vaginal discomfort—one that can leave you feeling stressed out and isolated. As you grapple with so many emotional and physical changes, your sex drive can feel like collateral damage, and it’s easy to spiral into self-doubt. Will your libido ever return? Can women even orgasm after menopause at all? 

Don’t fret: Yes, women can still orgasm after menopause. And as tough as it may be to believe when you’re dealing with down-there dryness or unpredictable emotions, learning more about your body and its changes can arm you with the information and the self-awareness to reinvigorate your sex life. Start by identifying and embracing your unique hormone shifts—Kindra offers a hormone assessment quiz to help you out—and then consider the following tips to increase your libido. With a simple shift in mindset and a few habit changes, you’ll be hitting the sheets with more enthusiasm than ever.

While you probably know that apple cider vinegar is a healthy and delicious way to add flavor to your cooking, you might be less familiar with apple cider vinegar's benefits for your hair and scalp. 

We get it—it can feel weird to put a condiment on our hair. And some of us are still recovering from recommendations to put mayonnaise on our hair as teens! But unlike mayo, apple cider vinegar really is excellent for our hair. 

So we dug into the science behind why apple cider vinegar hair-care products and homemade solutions are so good for our hair and scalp. Read on to learn more about the benefits of apple cider vinegar for healthy, vibrant hair and a balanced scalp, along with recipes for creating your own solutions at home!

If you have a vulva, chances are you’re familiar with that wave of panic that comes when you’re in a public setting and you feel a twinge below the belt. Not wanting to be crude, you resist the urge to scratch as the twinge escalates to a full-blown itch. You steel your nerves just long enough to find a safe haven in the nearest bathroom and scratch your way to sweet relief. Vulvovaginal itching is common at all ages and life stages, but menopause takes it to a whole new level. And while our mothers and grandmothers may have resolved themselves to “just live with it,” we don’t have to! So, here’s what you should know.

90% of all women gain 12 to 15 pounds during the stages of menopause… Ouch! Weight gain around the middle aka “Belly Fat” is associated with increases in blood pressure, fasting glucose, and cardiovascular disease, so managing weight gain is no longer about vanity, it’s about longevity. 

As we age, our muscle mass decreases so we burn fewer calories, we often have more chronic stress, and we sleep less. These factors contribute to weight gain AND can make weight loss even more difficult. Fortunately, there are choices within our control to start feeling better faster. 

Here are 3 simple but powerful levers you can push to help support midlife weight loss: what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat. You can push one, two, or all three of these levers depending on how you currently feel, how you want to feel, and how quickly you want to feel better. 

I’m Rochelle Weitzner, the founder of PAUSE Well-Aging™, a skincare line developed to find solutions to the pain points experienced during menopause, but there’s something you should know: I knew nothing about menopause before it happened to me. I vaguely knew that menopause had to do with estrogen fluctuations and periods ceasing forever. I didn’t have any idea that there were three stages of it and that once you started menopause, you were in it for the rest of your life.

I had heard about hot flashes but had no clue what one would actually feel like… until it happened to me. During the summer of 2017, I was driving to the beach and suddenly found myself sweating. I mean really sweating. So, I cranked up the A/C and was ready to crack a joke about the heat when I noticed everyone else in the car was shivering. And then it hit me: I was 48 and this was my first hot flash.

Just as we’ve learned to navigate life’s twists and turns, your beauty routine requires some tweaks along the way, too—especially as we enter early menopause and beyond. Makeup artistry has been my passion for over 40 years. I’ve helped countless women select and apply makeup and skincare products that address every concern from increased dryness and fine lines to sagging eyelids and undefined cheekbones. That’s why I’m sharing all my favorite makeup secrets and tips to help you look fabulous over 40 and make the best of what you’ve got—including the top 3 beauty products every menopausal woman needs on her radar, right now!

Studies have shown that many women lose confidence when they hit their 50s. It’s argued that the physiological changes of an aging body exacerbated by a culture infatuated with youth and beauty leave the 50-year-old female insecure, alone in a house once vibrant with kids and life while the husband golfs, and the kids study at college.

When we think about age-related beauty routines, we usually focus on skincare that addresses fine lines, wrinkles, dullness and age spots. We've all seen tons of ads for face creams and serums. But it's super important that we don't forget the aging skin on our scalps. When we neglect our scalps, they can become irritated, unbalanced and unable to support healthy hair. 

Enter scalp serums! 

Like skincare products made for aging skin, scalp serums for mature hair help fight common concerns of aging that happen to our scalp and hair. The main difference is that scalp serums also work hard to support an optimal environment for better hair. The best scalp serums rejuvenate the scalp using natural ingredients to encourage a balanced and toned scalp, nourish follicles and support healthy hair from root to tip.

You hear stories all the time—from mothers, sisters, friends, and, of course, the always-reliable Internet. But what’s the reality behind the menopause myths you may feel uncomfortable asking your doctor about? Dr. Ekta Kapoor, an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic and a specialist in menopause and women’s sexual health, talked to Womaness to separate fact from fiction…and empower you with accurate information so you can enter this life stage on a positive note.