13 Self-Care Essentials Briogeo Founder Nancy Twine Swears By
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Welcome to Take the Edge Off, a series that breaks down the beauty and self-care routines of influencers, CEOs, experts, and celebrities. Find out how they unwind and decompress, while taking a closer look at the holy grail essentials they're currently raving about.
It's no secret that BAZAAR editors are big fans of Briogeo's haircare products, but what you may not know is that brand founder Nancy Twine started off her career in an entirely different industry. After graduating from the University of Virginia, she initially pursued a career in finance, working her way up the ladder at Goldman Sachs for seven years. After the sudden and tragic loss of her mother, Twine began to reevaluate her career and true life's passion. "If you're not passionate about what you do, it's just not worth it in the grand scheme of things," Twine tells BAZAAR.com.
Inspired by her mother's work as a physician and chemist, as well as the opportunity to expand the clean haircare space in beauty, Twine launched Briogeo in 2013. "With her chemist background, [my mother] knew all about how to emulsify water and oil, and create these really incredible textures," she says. "And growing up, we would go to our local health food store and buy all sorts of oils, butters, and extracts, and turn them into our own homemade beauty products. I loved doing that with her growing up."
Twine channeled that same passion for creation and customization into her company years later, with the mission to empower every person to succeed on their healthy hair journey regardless of texture or type. "I saw this opportunity not only within the clean space, but also within haircare, because I always felt like it was a beauty category that did more to divide people than unite them. Historically, there has been a divide between ethnic and non-ethnic haircare, with the ethnic section always at the bottom of the shelf, poorly lit, which makes you almost feel like you should be ashamed to have textured hair because of how the products are presented," she continues. "And so I felt like there was an opportunity to create one brand that all hair texture types could resonate with—a brand that was really speaking to them."
Known for its sulfate-, silicone-, and paraben-free formulas that are also mainly vegan, each Briogeo product is 90 to 100 percent naturally derived. Sephora was one of the brand's first retail partnerships and is still one of its largest to date. Since that launch, the brand has expanded its reach by launching nationwide at Ulta stores.
"One of the things that makes Briogeo so unique is that we have products that focus on self-care through haircare," Twine says. "So these are weekly ritual treatments that may take a little bit longer, but you can still fit them into your wellness routine. For example, once a week, I use our Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo to give my scalp a deep cleanse and get rid of all the product buildup. I also do a hair mask once a week. And often, when I'm doing my hair mask, I'll step outside of the shower, light a candle, meditate—maybe even do some yoga—and then get back into the shower and rinse it out. But it's one of the ways I make my hair care routine become part of my wellness routine."
For more insight into some of her favorite staples for relaxation and restoration as a busy entrepreneur and beauty mogul, Twine shares everything she turns to—from a motivational audiobook to HIIT classes—to Take the Edge Off.
What are you reading these days?
I actually haven't been reading a ton as of late, but I've been listening to an audiobook called Infinite Possibilities by this motivational, spiritual coach named Mike Dooley. I stumbled upon him at the height of the pandemic when I had a lot of time to myself and was doing a lot of reflecting. It's so profound and opened my mind up to so many things.
What are some of your go-to bath and/or shower products?
There's a product that I recently discovered that has become my favorite in-shower body scrub: the First Aid Beauty KP Eraser. You know how you can get those bumps on your forearms and elbows, even the back of your legs, from just sitting a lot? This scrub is the perfect texture, and I always feel like I have baby skin after using it. Your body cream and everything just absorb so well—I've actually been using the Kiehl's Creme de Corps Nourishing Dry Body Oil. If you use that scrub and the dry body oil afterwards, it's just like magic. I've also been loving Nécessaire's fragrance-free body wash, because sometimes certain parts of my skin can be really sensitive.
What beauty or self-care products do you use on a regular basis to help combat Zoom fatigue?
There are a few things I like to do after a day of Zoom calls. I like to unwind with a bath using Dr Teal's Lavender Epsom Salt and light the NEOM candle called Perfect Night's Sleep. What I love about the candle is that is has three wicks, so it lasts for a while, and contains lavender, sweet basil, and jasmine, which is a specially prepared scent profile for sleep—I really love it.
Also, my friend got me the Hatch device that allows me to change light and sound settings before bed and really wind down.
Do you have a favorite hand sanitizer, soap, and/or cream right now?
I've been using BYREDO hand soap and lotion sets in my bathroom, most recently in the scent Suede. I tried a floral one before that was way too much for me, but this one is perfect.
Do you ever light a candle or stick of incense to decompress? If so, what are some of your favorites?
It's so funny. My birthday was back in January, and I had 13 of my girlfriends over, and they all got me candles. So some that I was gifted that are really beautiful are the NEST candles; I also have a handful of BYREDO and Diptyque candles. And I also bought some candles during the holidays from my friend's company Chiji, which embeds different crystals into each of their candles. And they all have uplifting themes like purpose and abundance.
What was the last beauty product you put on today?
Probably mascara. And I have to tell you, hands down, the best mascara I've ever used is Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara that comes in the teal tube.
Are you into bold makeup, no makeup, or no-makeup makeup right now, and why?
I love the natural look, but I also love that a no-makeup makeup foundation can kind of give you that nice glow and even out the skin tone, because I do have some hyperpigmentation on certain areas. If I'm going to go out, it's nice to lightly blend it all together with something that's a little bit more sheer, especially if there's sunscreen in it.
And in addition to mascara, I've been using MERIT Beauty's Lip Oil, which I really like because it hydrates your lips but gives them a little bit of tint also.
What's the last fitness class you streamed or attended in person?
Probably Barry's Bootcamp—it's intense.
What's one piece of self-care advice you'd recommend to our readers?
Whether you're an introvert or extrovert, I think there's a lot of value in taking time for yourself each day. And for me, that's always been to go for a 30-minute walk, but I think the key is to make sure that it's something for you. Because sometimes we can use alone time to be productive. It's like, "Okay, I have this time to myself. Now I'm going to clean my closet. Now I'm going to empty my inbox." And that kind of contradicts it. So for me, when you're thinking about alone time, think, How am I reinvesting in myself right now?
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