Myha'la Herrold Changes Her Pillowcase Every Three Days in the Name of Good Skin

Welcome to Beauty Around the Clock, Marie Claire's weekly peek into the daily lives of some of the most game-changing men and women in their industries. Ever wonder how they get it all done in a day? Here's your answer.

When I met Myha'la Herrold, she had slicked-back hair, glowy skin, and simple makeup—with a bright red lip as the focal point. The actress, who's best known for her roles in Bodies Bodies Bodies and Leave the World Behind, appeared to epitomize clean girl beauty, but she later shared that her journey to clear skin has been far from easy.

"It's been a long, long, hard, expensive journey, and my aesthetician is on my ass constantly," she tells me. "I'm really aggressive with the whole routine. I have silk pillowcases and a silk eye mask, and I change them every three days. It's not a joke."

Herrold has developed a strict skincare regimen and is unrelentingly loyal to the brands that changed her skin. We asked her to dish on the beauty practices she swears by, the products she can't live without, and the makeup products that don't irritate her skin. She certainly didn't hold back.

When I wake up, I put my warmest sweats on because I like to sleep with the room cold. Then I go straight to the bathroom and brush my teeth because who likes morning breath? I wash my face and do my morning skincare.

My signature look is nothing. I don't wear makeup in my day-to-day life—I just don't enjoy wearing it. When I wear makeup often, that's when my skin is the angriest. I spend so much money on my skincare that I should be able to not wear makeup. It's just not for me, unless I'm trying to turn a look. I'm not like a full glam, full beat kind of girly.

A huge part of my self-care ritual is my morning and nighttime skincare and shower routines. I like to use that time as my wind-down, to be kind to my body and get myself clean.

Another big part of my self-care is nutrition. I had some gut health issues recently, so I did a bunch of tests and saw doctors, and my nutritionist educated me on the things that my body needed to run at its best capacity. A lot of my wellness is in food and nutrition, making sure that I'm feeding myself the things that I need to poop and sleep and stay awake all day.

The scent that I wear for really special occasions is called Design, and it's super-duper old. I don't even know if they make it anymore, but my mom gave me two bottles. It's in this beautiful, elegant, sort of retro-feeling glass. I found one at a thrift store. Now, I have a little baby stock, but it's the most beautiful, elegant sort of throw-back thing. And, of course, it reminds me of my mom.

Olaplex—it's the best.

I'm pretty militant with my haircare. I use Olaplex almost exclusively—their numbers nine and six. One is a moisturizer and one is a serum, because I have color-treated hair.

I almost exclusively use Biologique Recherche on my face. I do a collagen serum. They also have a regenerative placenta serum that helps with hyperpigmentation and cell turnover. In the mornings, I use their emulsion—it's like a light moisturizer. Then, I use a sunscreen called Black Girl Sunscreen, which is really great if you don't want a white cast when you've got melanated skin. Biologique Recherche also has a VIP O2, which protects you from pollution and locks in your skincare.

Certainly, the most expensive things that I own are my entire skincare regimen from Biologique Recherche. It's so f—king expensive, but it is 100 percent worth it because it fixed my skin. When I have to restock, I say a prayer and apologize to my wallet.

Aquaphor. It's a cure-all. Or Vicks Vapor Rub, shockingly. I feel like most people of color's parents rubbed Vicks all over them when they were a child, and they were like, "this is weird." But my boyfriend recently had a cold and he put the Vicks on and was like, "I feel cured of all my ailments." Vicks is kind of crazy, now that I think about it.

I try to do a microneedle or a chemical peel once a year, or before or after my projects. I find that to be a really nice reset for my skin.

Probably lip gloss. Lanolin—just some basic stuff. If you put enough on it looks like gloss, so probably that.

Dior discontinued their stellar gloss. It's this lip gloss treatment balm with a red tint.

My esthetician really put some work in. Using a silk pillowcase is pretty genius. I thought it felt kind of aggressive to change it every three days. I go to bed clean. But things collect in those pillowcases in a short amount of time!

I did a chemical peel on my face and my back and I peeled like a lizard. It was insane. But, I was reborn at the end of it.

Not flossing my teeth religiously for the first 20 years of my life. I started flossing religiously every day during the pandemic, and it has made a huge difference in my life, in my breath, and in where I get cavities.

One of my best friends in the world is a musician. His name is Jordan Bolden, and he just did a solo concert, so all of his music has been in my head. He's got a really great song called "Morning Affirmations" that I like to play in the morning. And the song is just telling you, "I woke up today; this is a great day; if it's my last day, I want to live it to the fullest." It's a very light, positive way to start the day.

Eyeshadow application, because there's a real skill to blending and using multiple colors.

My mom is a beautician, cosmetologist, and an esthetician. So if I have any questions, I always go to her first, not just because that's what she does for a living, but also because she's obsessed with research. And if I'm feeling lazy, I'll be like, "Mom, what do you think about this?" And then she sends me 10 links to all of the medical journals that tell you why you should or shouldn't use certain products.

Anything with needles. I'm just really prone to fainting, so the idea of anything like a vampire facial—which I feel would probably be so great and effective—I won't do it because I would pass out before it even started.

I double cleanse in the evening always. I use Biologique Recherche's milk oxygenated cleanser, and I use their P-50, which is their toner. Some days I'll mask. And then I have a night cream called Dermopurifiante, which is a deep cleansing moisturizer.

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