Clean beauty lover Brooke DeVard is a true ingredients junkie. So much so, she even makes many of her own products at home. The host of the award-nominated Naked Beauty podcast stopped by ESSENCE’s The Color Files podcast to talk all things skincare, makeup, hair, and hacks. She let us in on a few of her favorite products, and even shared how her hair has become a bit of a joint venture between her and her dear husband.
“My husband is so funny. He has such strong opinions about my hair to the point where it kind of annoys me,” she told ESSENCE. “He loves my natural hair. When I’m wearing my hair out in a big Afro, he’s like, ‘This is how I love your hair. I wish you could be like this every day.’ And I’m like, ‘I love it too. I’m not doing protective styles because I don’t love my hair. It’s just a lot of work.’ I think when he met me, I was wearing a curly ‘fro hawk. On Valentine’s day he’ll request it.”
Many of us would give anything for that level of attention and appreciation for our beauty routines. That’s real couple goals. But when she’s not collaborating on styling with her hubby, DeVard is figuring out ways to hack her hair to its best form. As an expert in trial and error DIY beauty, she’s figured out some interesting ways to take her products to the next level.
“Before it even goes into my shower, for every single conditioner I own I open the bottle and I add some of my own oils at home,” she said. “I’ll add castor oil or avocado oil into the conditioner bottle because I just want that extra moisture and slip. So that’s a good beauty hack.”
Noted. And DeVard goes hard for customizing when it comes to her skincare too.
“If you’re making eggs for yourself, you know exactly how you want them cooked. When you start to make, let’s take body scrub for example, you can be like, ‘I want to add more avocado oil because I like when I rinse it off how it feels on my skin. Or I want to add more tangerine essential oil because I want that fresh citrusy scent.’ You know, everyone has their own things that they like. And when you learn how to make your own products, you can get into making your dream product,” she added.
But don’t expect her to take on launching a brand anytime soon. Her career at Instagram and her popular podcast keep her busy enough. She is, however, still chock full of ideas for anyone who thinks they can execute them.
“I love a good beat. But I also love clean beauty and I love clean ingredients. I think the person who figures out how to make a really great cosmetic that has the right pigments and shows up on our [melanin-rich] skin, but it’s clean is going to make a killing,” she finished. “For now, I’m just trying to focus on doing my main job and doing the podcast.”
To find out more about DeVard’s beauty routines, favorite products and personal beauty story check out the latest episode of The Color Files!