This Oil May Be The Secret To Lush Locks & Faster Hair Growth
Time-tested and beloved.
Tfoso
Beauty & Health Editor
Beauty & Health Editor
Jamie Schneider is the Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare.
October 4, 2023 We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our Our selections are never influenced by the commissions earned from our links. Lauren Perez meets me with day-seven hair. This isn’t exactly groundbreaking news (plenty of folks wash their hair once a week), but she reveals this after I compliment her lush, naturally waist-grazing waves—waves that I would need extensions, at least two hot tools, and likely a full hairstyling team to master. My jaw is on the floor, in case you couldn’t tell. Perez is the kind of person you meet and immediately demand her hair care routine. “My hair has always been a representation of who I am and where I come from,” the Los Angeles-based creative tells mindbodygreen. “People would always say to me, ‘Your long, beautiful, Moroccan hair…how do you keep it so healthy and hydrated?’” Luckily for all of us, Perez isn’t one to keep secrets. Below, you can browse every last detail of her healthy hair care routine (featuring treasured formulas from her just-launched brand, Anablue), plus the other minimalist beauty products she’s been loving as of late. 
The tried-and-true: A barrier repair cream
“I have this one product that I've literally been using since I can remember, which is called Cicalfate+. It's from Avéne, their Repair Cream. I have a burn, I put it on. I have a pimple, I put it on. I have discoloration on my face, I put it on. Anything you can think of, it's my go-to.
“Avéne didn't sell in the U.S. until not that long ago—maybe 10 years ago. [I’d tell] any family member that would come from Paris, ‘If you do not bring me a case of this product, do not come to my house.’ I still do it, because the French one is still better than the U.S. one…the French one is thicker. My brother is there [in Paris] right now. I was like, ‘Bring me back six.’”
Avéne Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream
$ 12
Oh, the allure of a French pharmacy find. You’d be hard-pressed to find a beauty fan who doesn’t sing the praises of Avéne. I, for one, used it on a scar that now looks practically nonexistent. It’s a true skin-healer.
The surprise hit: A gentle bar soap
“I tried this soap when I got pregnant. It's called Mother's Special Blend. You can buy it online. It's like $5.
“I bought it when I was pregnant, because I was trying to find some natural organic soap that would also hydrate my skin. Obviously when you're pregnant, you want to keep your skin moisturized, and in L.A. it's very dry. So I bought this soap, and I've been obsessed with it since. I can't stop buying it.”
Mother's Special Blend Cocoa Butter Soap
$ 4.50
No harsh detergents in this bar soap—just vegetable glycerin, cocoa butter, and a blend of nourishing oils to soften your skin from head to toe.
[My mom] taught me how to find the beauty in what I have and embrace that versus trying to mask it. I think that was really important for a young girl.
The secret: Argan oil treatments
“Argan oil has been something that I've always had in my routine, which is why it's the majority of the base of [my new] products. It's always given me the most optimal hair health; I feel like it's my little secret I like to share with everybody.
“My treatment oil is definitely my secret. Even if you just had that alone, you'd feel the hydration it would give your hair and how healthy your hair would feel. The argan oil and the prickly pear in there mixed together is truly my secret.
“[Growing up], my friends would come over, and they'd look at my hair and be like, ‘How is it so long and shiny? How do you get your hair this long?’ Most of my friends, even today, are like, ‘Your hair grows so fast.’ Well, I take care of it, I hydrate it, and I make sure that the ends are not broken and the roots have air to breathe so that the hair can grow properly.
“It's really about taking care of your hair and giving it the right nutrients that it needs. And these oils really give your hair and scalp that.”
Anablue Treatment Oil
$ 42
Anablue calls upon ingredients Perez has relied on her whole life for lush, healthy locks, including 100% pure, high-quality Moroccan argan oil. I’ve been using this treatment oil for the past few weeks and have definitely noticed my strands looking shinier, more hydrated, and overall healthier. Not for nothing, the oil makes for a fabulous slicked-back style.
The minimalist must-have: A natural multipurpose balm
“I'm very basic when it comes to what I use. I find something that I like, and I don't really steer that far away from it.
“Something ancient that I feel like no one ever uses is Egyptian Magic. That's one of my secrets. I always use it. If I have a breakout, I go straight to Egyptian Magic…It feels like you're putting earth on your face.”
Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream
$ 32
Perez isn’t the first to praise Egyptian Magic, and she certainly won’t be the last. The 100% natural ingredient list includes olive oil, beeswax, honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, and bee propolis. What’s not to love?
The splurge: Glowy base makeup
“I don't really use that much makeup. But if I do, it's two products: the CHANEL bronzer and the Charlotte Tilbury blush wand. Those two are splurges for most people, including myself.
“If I'm ever going to put makeup on, I just put on those two, and I feel like I have a full face of makeup. Also the [Baume Essentiel] highlighter stick from CHANEL—I use that as not just highlighter but also as eyeshadow.”
CHANEL LES BEIGES Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream
$ 60
This bronzer ticks all the right boxes. A gel-cream formula that melts effortlessly into the skin, a velvet-matte finish that makes you look naturally sun-kissed (no shimmer), and a non-comedogenic formula that won’t clog pores. The generously sized jar also makes it worth the steeper price, IMO.
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand
$ 42
The perfect shade of pearly, petal pink. In fact, it’s like two products in one—a blush and highlighter—which helps you streamline your makeup routine and appear rosy and glowing. Apply on the high points of your cheekbones for a soft, beautiful flush.
The score: A classic mascara
“[Maybelline] Great Lash. You know, that pink and green bottle? Classic. I feel like it's an intro to makeup, like when you're in eighth grade…I would go buy that. And of all the mascaras I've used, this is the one that has stuck with me forever. It just works.”
Maybelline Great Lash Washable Mascara
$ 9
It’s a classic for a reason! Great Lash glides on effortlessly, creating thickness and volume without ever looking clumpy. Pro tip: Snag the dark brown shade, too, for a more natural daytime look—thank me later.
What my mom taught me: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
“My mom wasn't very big on makeup and doing her hair, but she was very big on oils and using oils to hydrate your body, your hair, and your face.
“She really taught me how to use these oils from Morocco. Whether it was a scrub, or body oil, or face oil, she would constantly use them. They were very natural, and they felt really clean. I think she taught me how to create this low maintenance natural routine for myself, which stuck with me.
“She would always say to me, ‘It's so important to hydrate your skin, and it's so important to hydrate your hair.’ She would do it herself, and then she would [say], ‘Put this on your body.’ It was always some really rich Moroccan oil or some scrub from Morocco. They were always these very grounding, earthy products. Going to the store felt unnatural; I would go to my mom's bathroom and just take what she would get from Morocco and use those. So I think she helped me build this organic ritual for myself.
“I didn't know how to do makeup until about five months ago. My mother still doesn't. She's like, ‘Can you put eyeshadow on me?’ But I learned how to hydrate my body, and honestly, I think that's more important. She taught me how to find the beauty in what I have and embrace that versus trying to mask it. I think that was really important for a young girl.”
