Menopause Changing Your Beauty Routine? Here's What Black Women Should Know

Night sweats, weight gain, mood swings: Menopause. The permanent end to your menstrual cycle is impossible to avoid and, for Black women, even more difficult to ignore. “Black women often experience a longer menopausal transition with more severe symptoms compared to white women,” board-certified dermatologist Dr. Chesahna Kindred tells ESSENCE. But, your body isn’t transitioning alone.

While you may be seeking wellness in GLP-1s and estrogen patches, menopause is quietly changing your beauty routine as well. From hair thinning and shedding, to dry skin with lines and wrinkles, building a routine to support your beauty at every stage is the secret to aging like fine wine. “Menopause isn’t about decline, it’s about adapting to a new chapter with the right tools,” says Kathryn Carter, founder of MyPause, a supplement brand for menopausal women.

Read on for what beauty looks like after 40 and what to do when menopause is changing your routine.

Perimenopause vs. menopause

“Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle, and is officially diagnosed after 12 months without menses,” says board-certified dermatologist and Bio-Oil partner Dr. Tiffany J. Libby. Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average age in the US around 51. But the lead-up to the transition, perimenopause, can start as early as mid-30. “[Perimenopause] includes fluctuating hormone levels, especially a decline in estrogen—which plays an important role in skin, hair, nails, and overall wellness.”

During perimenopause, Carter says symptoms are most noticeable and unpredictable. “Cycles can become irregular, and symptoms, like PMS, anxiety, insomnia, and breast tenderness may intensify,” she says. Then, menopause is the one day marking one year since your last period, followed by postmenopause. By then, “some symptoms ease, but others like dryness, fatigue, and bone loss may continue or worsen if left unaddressed.”

How Menopause Affects Our Beauty Routines

According to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Brianna Olamiju, menopause is often associated with gynecological concerns like body odor or vaginal dryness, but due to the decline in estrogen, it also affects the skin, hair, and nails. “Estrogen plays a key role in collagen production, moisture retention, and overall tissue health — so when levels drop, visible changes can occur,” she says. While many women may feel underprepared for the transition, Carter says, “by adjusting your routine and adding targeted internal support, you can feel more in control and confident during this phase.”

What skin changes should I look out for?

Changes in your skin may be the most obvious. From age 25, collagen levels typically decrease by about one percent per year. Then, during perimenopause and the first five years of menopause, Black women can expect a rapid drop, losing up to 30 percent of their skin’s collagen before leveling back out to 2 percent per year for the next 15 to 20 years. “[This] leads to increased propensity for wrinkles and skin sagging,” Olamiju says. 

Coupled with the decline in estrogen? Thin, dry, and even the return of acne breakouts for some women. Your skin may feel thinner, drier, and even itchier and sweatier. “The skin barrier’s function is also affected and one may notice increased sensitivity or irritation,” says Libby. But, despite the changes in your skin, building a routine to support the inevitable shift makes all the difference.

1. Use gentle cleansers: “Switch to gentler cleansers avoiding harsh cleansers that strip natural oils,” says Libby. Drugstore staples, like Cetaphil, La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, and Eucerin, are all affordable brands with dermatologist-approved gentle cleansing options.
2. Avoid harsh products: Harsh products don’t mean faster results. For example, the neck often shows the earliest signs of change in skin laxity, so using the right products, like the SkinMedica Neck Correct Cream or RoC Multi Correxion Cream, can give you visible results while supporting the integrity of menopausal skin.
3. Increase your skin’s moisture: “Increasing attention to hydration and moisturization is crucial during menopause,” Olamiju says. According to Libby, ingredients like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides can boost your skin’s moisture; peptides and retinoids can support collagen production; and, antioxidants and SPF 50 (or higher) can brighten and protect the skin. 

What hair changes should I look out for?

If you notice your hair thinning, shedding, breaking, or feeling more brittle, you’re not alone. “Lower estrogen levels can contribute to hair loss, which may unmask underlying pre-existing hair loss that black women may be prone to due to genetics and styling practices,” says Olamiju. Libby agrees: “chemical relaxers or tight hair styles may also compound menopausal hair changes like breakage or traction alopecia.”

During menopause, Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA)—the most common form of hair loss in Black people—appears to rise, according to Kindred. “While hair loss may occur prior to (and unrelated to) menopause, the change in hormones may lead to female pattern hair loss or androgenetic alopecia,” she says. “In Black women, [however], it is sometimes misdiagnosed as traction alopecia, a form of hair loss caused by tension on the edges from unhealthy hairstyles.” 

And, while you may be losing hair on your head, the opposite effect may be happening on your face with facial hair growth also frequently reported.

1. Use volumizing shampoos: Using a shampoo that supports thinning hair, like a volumizing shampoo, can help return your hair to its premenepausal luster. 
2. Avoid tight hairstyles: While androgenetic alopecia is sometimes misdiagnosed as traction alopecia, avoiding tight hairstyles is still wildly beneficial for the health of menopausal hair. 
3. Consider topical minoxidil: Minoxidil, like Carol’s Daughter’s Goddess Strength Hair Regrowth Treatment or other hair growth products, like Cécred’s Restoring Hair & Edge Drops, can help support regrowth around the temples and crown of the head where menopausal hair thinning and loss often occurs. 
4. Try hair growth supplements: Supplements, like Xtressé Hair Growth Gummies, targets hair loss-causing hormones, cell aging, and inflammation (the key causes of hair loss), according to Kindred.

What nail changes should I look out for?

“Lower estrogen reduces keratin production, the main protein in nails, leading to slower growth and more breakage,” says Libby. You may notice your nails are more brittle than normal, so replacing acrylics with press-ons and building a consistent nail care routine can help support your nails during menopause.

1. Keep nails short: While it may be difficult to stretch how often you’re getting nail extensions, opting for shorter, natural nail styles may be easier to keep healthy.
2. Use cuticle oil: Cuticle oil, like the vitamin-rich Bio-Oil Skincare Oil or OPI Nail & Cuticle Oil, can help replenish the natural oils within the skin,  strengthening the moisture barrier and fortifying the nail structure and cuticles.
3. Apply petroleum ointment: “If the nails become brittle, simply applying petroleum ointment to the nails nightly often does the trick,” says Kindred.

How will this impact my eye health and eye makeup routine?

While you may not have thought menopause can affect your eyes, it can. “Dry eye is a very common eye condition that affects 35.5 million Americans,” says board-certified ophthalmologist and Refresh partner Dr. Dagny Zhu. “The prevalence of dry eye disease increases exponentially during menopause and becomes a common cause of concern for menopausal women.”

Because of this, wearing fake lashes and extensions may be less comfortable than they used to be, or worse: “The hormonal changes in menopause decrease tear production and tear film stability, which can cause dry eye disease,” she says. Other than underdiagnosis and other barriers to accessing eye care and screenings, “certain eye diseases are more prevalent in Black people including glaucoma, which often involves the dosing of multiple eye drops a day to lower eye pressure.”

1. Replace lash extensions with mascara: Going natural with your lashes may mean skipping your lash appointment and using lash-lengthening mascara or switching to strip lashes, that way, if your eyes are irritated you can easily remove your lashes or makeup.
2. Build an eyelid and eyelash hygiene routine: Using warm compresses, heated eye masks, medicated sprays or eye wipes can help clean debris and bacteria from your eyes. And, if you choose to still wear eyelash extensions, cleaning them regularly can help decrease the risk of eye problems.
3. Add artificial tears to your routine: According to Zhu, making room in your routine for eye drops or lubricants, like Refresh Optive Mega-3 or other drugstore eye care, can help significantly, especially if you can’t avoid ceiling fans, AC, staring at screens or using humidifiers.