Now that I’m in my 40s, I’ve become more concerned than before about things like gray hair, age spots, and hair damage.

I want to stay youthful, and I want to enjoy fashion and hair colors that suit me.

But if I try too hard for the sake of beauty and end up making my daily life exhausting, wouldn’t that be counterproductive?

Today, while taking a bath, I thought about many things: health, beauty, my mindset, and living a life that feels like my own.

1. On gray hair in your 40s and staying youthful

Recently, when I part my hair in the middle, I’ve started to notice the gray hair at the part.

I’ve tried various hair colors so far, like red and light brown. I’ve enjoyed changing the color just at the ends, and trying out the hairstyles and hair colors I felt like having at the time.

That’s exactly why I’m rethinking whether to enjoy gray hair from now on, or to go for an autumn-like color.

Autumn is also a season when hair loss is a concern. I went to the beach in the summer and had opportunities to be exposed to UV rays.

When hair is soaked in seawater, it can become dry and stiff. From now on, I want to pay attention to that kind of hair damage as well.

I want to look as youthful as possible, but rather than trying too hard to look young, I want to enjoy fashion and hairstyles that suit who I am now.

Youthfulness is not just about creating an appearance that hides one’s age. I believe it also means knowing what suits you and enjoying your own style in your own way.

2. The choice not to overdo beauty routines

Recently, I bought a color shampoo and conditioner for gray hair.

I thought it would be convenient if I could take care of my gray hair while doing my daily shampooing.

However, when I actually used them, the liquid was black, and I was bothered by the fact that it stained the bathroom floor and walls. It also stained my hands and nails, which made me feel a bit uneasy.

I had just finished cleaning the bathroom thoroughly to make my baths pleasant, but now I found myself having to use these products while worrying about making a mess.

That’s when it occurred to me.

“Is this really the kind of beauty routine I want?”

Just because I’m concerned about gray hair, I felt it wasn’t quite right to have to be so careful during my daily bath time, worrying about floor stains and color transferring to my hands.

I might be better off just dyeing my gray hair once and using shampoos and conditioners with scents I love for my daily routine. That might be more comfortable for me.

I have tried various trial-sized shampoos in the past. I felt that the texture and finish of my hair differed depending on the product.

However, I don’t want to spend my time researching ingredients in detail or trying out every single beauty method.

I prefer things to be simpler.

This smells nice.

My hair looks beautiful.

My skin feels refreshed.

I think having those small moments of satisfaction is enough.

Beauty is meant for taking care of yourself. There is no need to work so hard at it that you become exhausted.

Instead of making my life restrictive for the sake of beauty, I want to incorporate beauty into a comfortable life.

I believe that is the mindset that suits me right now.

3. Your mindset also connects to your own beauty

Today, I listened to a talk on YouTube about visualizing your ideal self and feeling gratitude when drinking water.

Thinking “thank you” when drinking water, or visualizing the person you want to become.

Hearing those things made me realize once again that your mindset is also important.

Of course, just by thinking it, spots won’t disappear, gray hair won’t turn back to black, and your weight won’t change.

However, I think how you perceive yourself can change your daily mood and actions.

For example, do you think, “I’m already in my 40s,” or do you think, “Because I’m in my 40s now, I’ll enjoy what suits me”?

Even at the same age, the words you use for yourself are different.

The idea that “if you think you’re a princess, you’re a princess” also left an impression on me.

Instead of just waiting for someone else to treat you well, treat yourself well.

Choosing what you like, spending time in ways that feel comfortable, and loving yourself.

Perhaps it is the accumulation of such daily habits that leads to a beauty that is uniquely your own.

Taking care of your appearance is important. But I also want to value the inner self—how you feel about yourself—just as much.

4. Breath, body, and mind are connected

Furthermore, I listened to a talk about breathing on YouTube.

The sacrum is a bone located at the center of the pelvis, at the base of the spine. It plays an important role in supporting the body.

The video introduced a breathing technique where you inhale for 4 counts and exhale slowly for 8 counts, all while being conscious of the sacrum.

Focusing on your breath and exhaling slowly can also be a way to create time for relaxation.

While the talk about it being good for beauty was interesting, what I felt once again was that the body and mind are not separate things.

When the body is tense, your feelings can also become unsettled. Conversely, when you breathe slowly and your feelings settle, it becomes easier for the tension in your body to release.

Health, beauty, mind, and body are all connected.

That is why I believe it is important not just to add things from the outside, but also to make time for yourself to relax.

However, there is no established evidence that breathing while focusing on the sacrum has the effect of erasing dark spots or turning gray hair black.

Rather than pushing yourself too hard in hopes of beauty benefits, I feel that using breathing to focus on your own body and feelings is a better approach for me.

Inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 8 counts.

It is also good to try and make time for slow, relaxed breathing within a range that is not uncomfortable.

5. The “freedom to choose” I realized during yesterday’s shopping

Yesterday, at a cruising event, I saw a booth introducing products for dark spot care.

I had been concerned about dark spots for a while, so I was interested.

The information provided was that a product that usually costs between 8,000 and 10,000 yen could be purchased for 2,000 yen.

If I could buy it for 2,000 yen, I would want to try it. That is what I thought.

However, when I actually tried to purchase it, I was guided to enter my address.

When I asked about it, I learned that it was not a system where I could pay 2,000 yen on the spot for a one-time purchase, but rather a purchase method where products are delivered regularly and paid for later.

I was interested in the product itself. But that purchase method was not what I wanted.

In the end, I politely declined and did not make the purchase.

It was not that I did not want the product. I also felt the price was attractive.

It was just that the purchase method did not suit me.

If there had been a system where I could pay 2,000 yen on the spot for a one-time purchase, I might have bought it.

Wanting something is different from wanting to buy it under any conditions.

Consumers have the freedom not only to choose products, but also to choose purchase methods and contract terms.

Even if a product is attractive, you are free to decline if the way it is being sold is not what you want.

I have worked in apparel sales and customer service before. Therefore, I understand the seller’s perspective to some extent.

They want people to know about the product. They want to convey its appeal. They want to lead to a purchase.

The selling side also has its own circumstances.

On the other hand, I have always been uncomfortable with being strongly urged to buy things like cosmetics or being solicited.

That is precisely why I want to separate understanding the seller’s circumstances from the buyer choosing based on their own will.

Recommending a product itself is not bad. However, whether or not to purchase is ultimately for the consumer to decide.

Even if you are interested in a product, your desire to purchase it can change depending on how it is sold or recommended.

This incident became an opportunity to think not only about the economic mechanism of supply and demand but also about how people interact with one another.

6. Don’t gather too much information, and choose what suits you

Nowadays, you can find all sorts of information about beauty and health just by looking at YouTube or social media.

Ways to reduce gray hair, care for dark spots, reach an ideal weight, foods good for your hair, breathing techniques, stretches, and more.

The more I learn, the more things I want to try.

However, when I keep gathering information, I sometimes lose track of what I actually need, or I start feeling like I have to do everything.

Even though I started these things for my health and beauty, I end up feeling exhausted from chasing after information before I know it.

If that happens, the very things meant to help me live comfortably end up becoming a source of stress.

That is why I believe there is no need to try everything.

Enjoying your favorite scents.

Taking a relaxing bath.

Moving your body within a comfortable range.

Breathing slowly.

Choosing the diet and hair care that suit you best.

From those small habits, you should just incorporate the ones that make you feel good.

Knowing information and putting everything into practice are different things.

Choose what you need and let go of what you don’t.

I want to cherish this way of thinking regarding information, beauty, and shopping.

7. What I aim for is a stress-free and comfortable life

It is not that I want to give up on health or beauty.

I want to stay youthful, and I want to enjoy fashion that suits me. I want to care for my hair and skin and spend my time feeling good.

But I don’t want to keep spending time researching beauty, nor do I want to get tired of daily maintenance.

Being surrounded by scents I like and feeling that I have become more beautiful. That kind of simple care suits me right now.

It is the same when it comes to spending money.

Even if there is something you want, if the way to purchase it doesn’t suit you, it is okay to decline.

Even if something is recommended by someone else, if you feel you don’t need it, you don’t have to choose it.

I want to cherish my own time, money, body, and heart.

Rather than conforming to someone else’s recommendations or societal standards, I want to value how I feel myself.

And, to love myself.

Choosing for myself, spending time for myself, and creating a life that I feel comfortable in.

That might be what health and beauty mean for me from now on.

Summary | Using your own comfort as the standard

What I felt again today is that health, beauty, mind, body, and daily life are all connected.

Instead of focusing only on grooming my appearance, I want to cherish my mindset, my breathing, and the time I can spend relaxing.

Adding things is not the only way to take care of yourself.

Sometimes, it means letting go of things you don’t need to do. Not gathering too much information. Not forcing yourself to adopt products or methods that don’t suit you.

And choosing the things that truly make you feel comfortable.

The desire to stay youthful, the wish to be beautiful, and the hope to enjoy every day—all of these are for your own sake.

That is why I want to choose methods that suit me, rather than conforming to someone else’s idea of what is right.

For health, beauty, the mind, and life itself.

Without trying too hard, while cherishing myself, I want to live as comfortably and stress-free as possible.

I want to continue finding that kind of lifestyle, little by little.

These days, that is what I have been thinking about.