In Bustle’s Beauty Detail, we dive into the beauty bags of our favorite talents for intel on the rituals that keep them glowing and the MVPs (most valuable products) they can’t live without. Here, Ashley Graham tells Bustle about her skin care faves and the DIY remedy she turned to for postpartum hair loss.
Ashley Graham’s beauty routine has, uh, changed a bit since she became a mom in February 2020. “It’s pretty much just whatever goes now,” she tells me over Zoom. “I don’t care as much. [There’s] just not as much of an emphasis on spending an hour in the morning and evening on it.” She’s big into efficiency these days: “I love a product that’s multipurpose,” she says. “But my life revolves around [my son] Isaac now in a lot of ways.”
Though her schedule is hectic (a recent partnership with body care brand Flamingo is just one of the many things that has kept her busy), the body positivity activist has stayed committed to her daily skin care regimen. “No matter what, I wash my face [and] I put on my serums and moisturizer,” Graham says. “I keep it very streamlined, but I add SPF in the morning. A few days a week, I exfoliate. I’ll do a mask for some extra TLC — and every three weeks to a month, I get a facial.”
As for the rest of Graham’s self-care routine? She tells me that her ritual could include anything from prayer and meditation to yoga. “Then,” she says, “when Isaac goes to sleep [around] 7:30 p.m., it’s my ‘me time.’ Am I going to watch four episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale in one sitting? Yes.”
The model, who’s known for being refreshingly transparent about the importance of mental health and body acceptance, also created a self-love challenge on TikTok that went viral. “It’s important to remember to love yourself,” she says. “Everybody’s had a hard year and we need more love in this world.”
She’s equally candid about motherhood — especially postpartum hair loss. “I didn’t know how common it was. My hairdresser told me, ‘Your hair is going to fall out.’ I was like, ‘Do not speak that into my life.’ And sure enough, four months postpartum, my whole hairline fell out.” She adds that she’s proud of her journey, “but, god, it sucked. It sucks losing your hair and having it fall out in wads in the shower.” To help it grow back, she turned to Kérastase Initialiste Scalp & Hair Serum and canola oil, but also says simply massaging her hairline has made a difference.
On the topic of hair, Graham keeps her body relatively bare — depending, of course, on the day. “If I’m not working, I’m not shaving my pits,” she laughs. “I don’t really shave my bikini line unless I’m going to be in a swimsuit. But I do like to get the backdoor waxed.”
Read on for her must-have razor, plus other essentials she keeps in her beauty arsenal.
Her Fave Sunscreen
“It’s anti-aging and SPF 30. I wear it on my face religiously.”
Her MVP Razor
“This razor is, like, OG. It’s so good. It’s got a thumb grip and a fun color. You don’t have to shave if you don’t want to… you should see my underarms — but it’s a great razor.”
Her Coveted Body Moisturizer
“It smells like you’re in a spa and it’s also incredibly hydrating. My mom’s boyfriend was even begging me for some more. I told him, ‘You could go support me at Target, but yes, I can send you some.’”
Her Drugstore Staple
“We are all still wearing masks — to a degree — so I’m always doing something on my eyes. I love a lipstick, but it’s hard when it’s in the mask.”
Her Cure For Tired Eyes
“They are just incredible for keeping you looking awake even if you’re not — or if you’re having a ‘sloppy’ day like I am today.”
