“If there are two things I stand for, it’s delicious food and great hair,” said our breakfast host Daphne Oz, Aveeno Haircare’s first-ever brand ambassador.
On a gorgeous, sunny fall day, I spent a minute in New York City to attend a farm-fresh cooking class led by Daphne Oz.
The Emmy-winning host and New York Times bestselling author (and daughter of the beloved Dr. Oz) candidly took us through how to create an easy, healthy, and gluten-free breakfast at Haven’s Kitchen.
Wondering what the relation to healthy cooking and haircare is? They both involve farm-fresh ingredients.
In 2019, Aveeno Haircare relaunched under Vogue International, a Johnson & Johnson company specializing in award-winning haircare brands. The six-collection rebrand signified a new look and feel for Aveeno’s haircare line, with products and new formulations for all hair types.
The brand is rooted in fresh, farm-to-shower inspired ingredient blends and scalp-soothing formulations, including signature Oat Milk, Blackberry Quinoa, and Apple Cider Vinegar.
On the breakfast menu were Warrior Waffles with spiced apple compote and whipped cream, Spiced Apple Cider Chia Seed Pudding, and a Spicy Masala Frittata with fresh herb and an apple salad.
At the end of the meal, I couldn’t decide what I loved more: the deliciousness or the incredibly down-to-earth and relatable Oz (if you don’t follow her, you should).
I caught up with her after breakfast to learn a little more about the entrepreneur and mother of four (incredibly adorable) children.
What’s the most important thing for you to consider with brand partnerships like this one with Aveeno?
The absolute first hurdle for me is, ‘is this a product I actually use in my life?’ and ‘is it something where I feel like the brand story and their aim for their customer aligns with what I want to promote to my audience?’ I feel very honoured to have this community of women particularly who follow me who are looking to do things for themselves and in their lives that are beneficial to them, easy to incorporate, and are helpful, but with a mindfulness that real life happens and there are only 24 hours in the day. Give me tools I can use; don’t make it hard for me to make a good choice. So, a lot of the times, the brands have to have that element to them as well; something that’s truly going to be functional for the vast majority of people who are at their drugstore trying to get a great hair product – and Aveeno is one that you can actually find.
What does the partnership with Aveeno look like?
I really feel connected to this idea that there has to be good people behind a brand; I spend a lot of time with the Aveeno team; I spend a lot of time talking to them and brainstorming really fun ways to get the brand message out there and to have people know it exists. You can have all the great ideas in the world as a busy mom and you go to try to execute on them, but if it’s not available to you or you’ve forgotten about it, you kind of need to keep it front and centre. If I don’t make myself a list I don’t remember anything. So, it’s about aligning that message of you’re conscious about what you put in your body and you’re thoughtful of ways to improve your recipes to make them more health supportive but still totally delicious – which is my commitment; if it’s not delicious, I don’t care if it’s healthy. I try to make health a priority, not an obsession. I feel like that’s very much where Aveeno haircare lives as well. I could not believe I got so lucky that they were bringing out this whole farm stand-inspired line with haircare that I love. It was a match made in heaven.
Do you remember a time when you did an overhaul of your beauty products to make them greener or healthier?
Absolutely. I’m glad you brought that up. I’ve been pregnant – I’ve had four kids in the last six years – so, every time I get pregnant, it’s a new opportunity to go through and call out the brands and products that you don’t love, or that you don’t think are totally health supportive. I’m a pragmatist and I do a lot of stuff on TV, so there have been certain types of makeup where I just could not find a natural one that worked as well as – unfortunately – the not natural one. So, I make those tradeoffs. I think we all make those tradeoffs in our daily lives. There are certain products that we just can’t live without because the results are that good, and then there are the natural products that offer just as great of a result, and it’s a great way to limit your exposure to unnecessary dyes, chemicals, and paraffins. I think that, certainly raising kids in this era, it’s a great time to bring kids in a conscious way if you’re interested in learning more about that information.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten (perhaps from your dad?)
From my dad, the best piece of advice would be, if you’re going to do something, do it 100 per cent – probably do 110 per cent: A, for your own reward or feeling of pride that you accomplished something and did it to the best of your ability, but also, so that you deliver results. You don’t overextend yourself, you don’t commit to something you can’t over perform on, and if you agree to do it, do it as best that you can. From my mom, it would be that worrying is just a prayer for the worst possible outcome. I love that; in this day and age, we need such a reminder not to fret about so many things. Relax, enjoy your life, and have fun with it – especially with parenting. It’s such an important thing to remind my mom friends and myself that you’re going to do your best and you’re the best parent for your children and not everything has to be perfect.
Articles You May Be Interested In:
10 Healthy Spots To Grab Lunch In Toronto
Why Are Hair Brands So Late To The Clean Beauty Game?
The Best Affordable Drugstore Products To Keep Your Hair Healthy
Winter Dries Out My Scalp But A $12 Drugstore Find Majorly Helps
The Kardashians’ Hairstylist Shares 5 Pro-Tips For Perfect Locks