Age brings us fun new knowledge and experience, doesn’t it. I have a few recent examples to share with you. Here’s the first: Thanks to hormones and some raging undercurrent of stress I’m blissfully unaware of, my hair has been shedding like crazy for the past year and at my last lady doctor appointment I was prescribed an oral Rogaine to just make it stop, for the love. Our drains just couldn’t take it anymore.

So finally, after nearly six months, things are working. Dwindling are the days of making shower wall art with my wet loosened strands and trending are new peach fuzzies…call them whiskers if you like, I can keep it real…on my cheeks and upper lip. Dammit. You just can’t beat hormones! Anyway, I became aware of it the other morning when I got out of my hair-free shower and burrrrr’ed from the arctic chill in our bathroom. I caught a look of myself in the mirror and realized every last one of my sneaky new face whiskers were standing proudly at attention. I looked like that scary Pinhead character from Hellraiser.

My kids would never let this escape their attention. I knew something had to be done.

Luckily, a weekend retreat with some college friends and their husbands was on the books and I made a mental note to ask them what to do. College girlfriends are expert counselors for questions of aging and whiskers. They know stuff…and they aren’t afraid to share! So as soon as they arrived, I went in with a “ya’ll, look.” They were unphased. Yawn. No big deal. One nonplussed friend whipped out a small lipstick-sized electric facial razor from her pocket. “You just need this, try it. It’s really fun to do in the car,” she offered, while pouring herself a glass of French Chardonnay, “because French wine doesn’t cause histamine issues.” Also noted.

There’s so much to learn as we age! And best when we can share openly and normalize these surprises and new challenges! Real-talk yields real helpful answers, it seems.

Here’s the second: On the topic of hair, I have also learned that products are our friends as we get older. I have not been a hair products person since using Aussie, Finesse and Sea Breeze back in high school. My sister-in-law’s aunt, a retired hairdresser, told me it was time to get back in the game. Now I use things like B&B volumizing spray, some expensive root mousse and a heat repellant conditioner that will protect my once-diminishing locks from the tyranny of my Revlon One-step Hair Dryer and Volumizer Hot Air Brush, a styling tool with “buy it now” status according to the college aging counselors. “It’s a game-changer,” they say, and I agree now that it’s my own personal miracle-worker.

One last hair thing. Those Brooke Shields eyebrows I plucked and waxed away during my 20s, 30s and 40s? They also need some attention now that I’m 50-something. The good news is, there’s a product out there that really, truly works. While I’m not a fan of cosmetics you have to order through friends, Rodan & Fields eyelash serum — which I apply liberally to my eyebrows each night — works hair growth wonders. Perhaps it’s even to blame for the Pinhead peach fuzz, I don’t rightly know for sure, nor do I care because I’m into electric face-shaving now and it matters not.

Quickly, regarding face and makeup products. This is another area of consumerism I’ve generally avoided over the years. To this day, I’m still a Dove soap and Aveeno body lotion kind of facial routine girl. However, I now see the merits of adding a few things in — you know, to help me look a little more alive and to thwart pesky, persistent questions like, “Are you OK?” or “What’s the matter?” I’ve been using a tinted moisturizer from Laura Mercier that my nieces pointed me toward during a recent trip to Sephora. This is a great reminder that the yoots can be a big help in the products department. All we need to do is ask!

I’m up for any no fuss, non-injectable, non-facial restructuring gee-dunk that can be a simple blessing. I also support following the advice of professionals, which will be my third and final offering of real-talk advice.

Recently, our plumbing backed up at the house and we were unable to flush for 24 hours, which was very scary because, that can mess with your head when you need to go if you know what I mean (no pun intended). Anyway, the plumber who came over told us that the oh-so-soft, scalloped-edge Charmin toilet paper I spend a small fortune on is really, really bad for plumbing systems. Like, the worst. He said that it’s like putting paper mache in the pipes. He said do not buy that stuff anymore. TP is no magic facial cream, but as we age it becomes increasingly important to our everyday happiness. I have plenty more sh**s to give during my lifetime! Heck yes, I’m going cheap from now on! And if you trust a plumber’s word, I’d consider his warning carefully next time you’re in the paper goods aisle.

Honest, real-talk conversation is the key. As we get older and experience new “what the whats” in our lives, we must be ready to go TMI and help each other out. It takes a village — and a lot of cheap toilet paper — to get through all the adventures ahead!