10 Beauty Habits You Should Drop After 60

10 Beauty Habits You Should Drop After 60

Our beauty routines need to evolve as we age, but many of us stick with products and techniques that no longer serve our changing skin. After 60, what once enhanced our features might now be working against us. Updating your beauty habits can make a world of difference in how you look and feel, highlighting your natural beauty rather than fighting against time.

1. Heavy Foundation Overload

Remember when full-coverage foundation was your go-to for a flawless complexion? As skin matures, thick formulas become your worst enemy, settling into fine lines and drawing attention to texture issues rather than concealing them.

Mature skin deserves gentle treatment with lightweight, hydrating foundations or tinted moisturizers. Look for products with words like “luminous” or “dewy” on the label – these formulations contain light-reflecting particles that create a youthful glow.

BB creams and serum foundations with skincare benefits make excellent alternatives, providing just enough coverage while nourishing your skin throughout the day.

2. Neglecting Moisturizer

Skipping moisturizer might have worked in your youth when oil production was abundant. Now it’s a critical mistake as hormone changes dramatically reduce natural skin hydration after 60, leading to increased dryness and more visible wrinkles.

Mature skin craves rich, nourishing formulas packed with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and peptides. These powerhouse components help rebuild your skin’s moisture barrier and improve elasticity that naturally diminishes with age.

Apply moisturizer morning and night, paying special attention to areas that show dryness first – typically around the eyes, mouth, and jawline.

3. Dry Matte Lipsticks

Matte lipsticks were once the gold standard for sophisticated makeup looks. Unfortunately, they now tend to emphasize fine lines around the mouth and make mature lips appear thinner and drier than they actually are.

The skin on our lips thins considerably after 60, losing both volume and moisture. Preparation is key – start with a hydrating lip balm or primer before applying any color to create a smooth canvas.

Opt for creamy, satin-finish lipsticks enriched with moisturizing ingredients like vitamin E or shea butter. These formulas give you beautiful color without the drying, aging effects of traditional mattes.

4. Extreme Eyebrow Plucking

The pencil-thin eyebrow trend from decades past has left many women with permanently sparse brows. After 60, this over-plucked look can create an unbalanced facial appearance and add years to your face.

Brows naturally thin with age due to hormonal changes and years of maintenance. Allow your eyebrows to grow as fully as possible, even if it means embracing a slightly unruly phase during the regrowth process.

Fill in sparse areas with feathery strokes using a brow pencil or powder in a shade slightly lighter than your natural color. This creates a softer, more youthful frame for your eyes without the harsh look of overly defined brows.

5. Excessive Face Powder

Powdering your entire face might have been standard practice in your younger years. For mature skin, this habit creates a flat, lifeless appearance that emphasizes every line and texture irregularity.

Skin produces significantly less oil after 60, meaning that shine-control products often remove what little natural radiance remains. The result? A dry, cakey finish that ages rather than enhances.

Switch to targeted powdering only in areas that truly need it – typically the T-zone. Choose finely-milled, light-reflecting formulas labeled for mature skin, and apply with a fluffy brush using the lightest possible touch.

6. Forgetting Your Neck and Chest

Many women diligently care for their facial skin while completely ignoring their neck and décolletage. These delicate areas actually show age faster than the face yet receive far less attention in most beauty routines.

The skin on your neck contains fewer oil glands and less collagen, making it particularly vulnerable to crepiness and sun damage. Applying products in downward strokes rather than upward motions can also contribute to sagging over time.

Extend every step of your skincare routine – cleansing, treatment serums, moisturizer, and especially sunscreen – from your hairline to your chest. Use gentle upward motions to counteract gravity’s effects.

7. Skipping Daily Sunscreen

“I only need sunscreen at the beach” is a dangerous myth that continues to cause premature aging. UV damage doesn’t stop affecting your skin after 60 – in fact, thinner mature skin becomes more vulnerable to its harmful effects.

Every unprotected minute in daylight contributes to collagen breakdown, increased pigmentation, and potential skin cancers. Even indirect exposure through windows or on cloudy days adds to cumulative damage.

Make broad-spectrum SPF 30+ the non-negotiable final step in your morning routine, regardless of weather or plans. Modern formulations designed for mature skin offer hydration and protection without the heavy, ghostly cast of traditional sunscreens.

8. Using Outdated Hair Products

The volumizing mousse that gave you amazing height in your 40s might be doing your hair no favors now. After 60, hair typically becomes drier, thinner, and more brittle due to hormonal changes that affect the scalp and hair follicles.

Harsh sulfates strip away natural oils that are already in short supply. Alcohol-heavy styling products further dehydrate strands, leading to frizz and breakage that’s particularly noticeable in gray or white hair.

Switch to sulfate-free, moisturizing shampoos specifically formulated for mature hair. Replace drying styling products with lightweight creams and oils that enhance natural texture while adding softness, movement, and healthy-looking shine.

9. Outdated Makeup Techniques

The dramatic cat-eye liner and matte eyeshadows that defined your signature look decades ago may now be working against your features. Facial structure changes significantly after 60, with shifting fat pads and decreased collagen creating different contours.

Heavy, precise lines tend to look harsh against softening features and can emphasize drooping eyelids. Dark colors in the crease can make eyes appear more sunken, while shimmer in the wrong places highlights texture issues.

Update your approach with softer application techniques – blend eyeshadow upward to lift the eye, switch to smudged eyeliner instead of sharp lines, and focus on creating luminosity rather than harsh definition.

10. Neglecting Sleep and Hydration

The connection between beauty and lifestyle becomes dramatically more apparent after 60. Poor sleep habits and inadequate hydration that you might have gotten away with in younger years now show up immediately on your face.

Mature skin has decreased ability to retain moisture and recover from stressors. Without proper rest, circulation suffers, leading to dullness, more pronounced under-eye circles, and accelerated collagen breakdown.

Prioritize 7-8 hours of quality sleep and drink water consistently throughout the day. Consider a humidifier in your bedroom and silk pillowcases to prevent sleep creases that take longer to disappear as skin loses elasticity.