Help! Am I getting old? My skin is so dry!

Just finished washing dishes and sat down to write on the computer when suddenly I realize: my hands feel so dry! I look down to see creases and wrinkles and the slightly swollen knuckles of an ageing woman’s hands. Help!

Luckily, I remember that tucked in my closet are two bags filled with samples of Paul Penders products. I line the boxes and tubes along my dresser and wonder which one to choose. Here’s a collection of baby items – shampoo, shower gel, body lotion. Over there is a box marked ‘A.M. Moisturizer’ containing aloe and lavender; is there a ‘P.M.’ one as well? Yes! And here is a tube of ‘Lavender Body Lotion.’ But will it be strong enough? Ah, there it is, just what I need – ‘Hydrating Control Serum’ which the box reports, “adds moisture to very dry skin.” Perfect! Sweet relief…

And here’s what I should have put on right after rinsing the dishes: ‘Marigold Hand Cream.’ And there’s a box labeled a ‘Juniper and Yarrow 24-Hr Moisturizer.’ I am going to try them all!

The signs of ageing don’t seem to jump out at me every day. It’s a slow but, of course, inevitable process. I pass a mirror and see a new furrow on my brow. My chin line is starting to show a sag. I find myself buttoning up my shirt a little higher to cover the crepe starting to show on my neck.

I am about to embark on an adventure.

There are 36 Paul Penders products lined up along the dresser – I plan to try out each one and learn what it does, what it is made out of, and to see if I can find out why the ingredients were chosen. I want to more about the science out of sheer intellectual curiosity and as topics to write about – and pure vanity, of course – I’d like to look younger and more beautiful than I am.

It’s so easy to forget that we grow older on the outside when you feel – relatively – healthy and young inside. Recently I noticed that I don’t seem to receive many compliments any more. It’s rare that someone says, “Oh, you have such beautiful skin!” Or, “Is your hair color really natural?” Or, “Where did you get that gorgeous lipstick?” when actually my lips were bare.

I don’t think of myself as old, rather I identify myself as a “maturing woman.” Don’t put me out to pasture; I’m not out of the running or over the hill yet. I tell myself I’ve still got plenty of useful years ahead.

Still – I don’t think I’m the only woman in the world whose heart goes all warm and gushy when someone says, “You are so beautiful.” I’d like to hear those words again…

Maybe these natural beauty products that Paul gave me to try will help… And I wonder, “Does becoming more ‘beauty conscious’ help make you more beautiful?” I’ll try to answer these and other questions in future.

Photo Credit: Azizul Zulzaha

By Teviot Fairservis.

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