Drew Barrymore Has No Beauty Regrets

Drew Barrymore has been in the biz since the early '80s, and she's seen and done it all — especially when it comes to beauty.

"I've tortured my hair," she exclaims as we chat over a Zoom video call.

While she's put her strands through the ringer, it doesn't mean she regrets any of her past hairstyles or colors.

"I've tried everything and it was fun," the 46-year-old says. "I'm so glad I did try it all, because I'm so settled in my life now. If I hadn't partied and discoed as much, I probably wouldn't be so happy staying home all the time. And if I hadn't tortured my hair and had every style I might be having that midlife crisis hair nightmare."

However, Barrymore does wish she spent a little more time on haircare. Luckily, she's making up for lost time through her new partnership with Garnier, as the brand's latest spokesperson for the Whole Blends line.

The actress first fell in love with the brand back in Aug. 2020 when she randomly picked up a few bottles of the Legendary Olive shampoo and conditioner for her daughter Olive (yes, she bought it because of the name) on a grocery run. Then one day, after running out of her own cleansing products, she borrowed the Garnier pair from her daughter's shower — and the results, she tells me, blew her mind.

"I felt like I had my old texture back," the mother of two shares. "Like, before I had kids and all this heat damage. I felt good about myself, I love how my hair looked."

On top of that, the affordable price point made it a hit for Barrymore, who admits she's very particular when it comes to shampoos and conditioners. Plus, Garnier's Greener Beauty Commitments, which includes the company's Leaping Bunny certification, using recycled packaging, and the goal of only using carbon neutral gas and electricity for manufacturing and distribution by 2025, didn't hurt, too.

"I wish I was more aware [of our environmental impact] 20 years ago," says Barrymore. "But now that I am, it's taking a major lead in everything I'm doing in life, especially in business and in branding. [The leaping bunny certification] is how we started Flower, it's what Garnier is doing — it's a must. There's no excuses for that, that was always a dealbreaker for me."

Outside of her new Garnier deal, Barrymore is huge on nourishing both her hair and skin these days, sharing that on weekends she enjoys applying vitamin E oil to her face and brushing shea butter through her hair to leave in overnight. "I love drenching myself in hydration," she says. "I never did that when I was younger, I was as dry as an old leather belt [laughs]."

With the plethora of looks Barrymore has given us over the years, of course, I had to ask which one is her favorite of all time. Not only did she dish, she shared the exact dye that was used to create one of her most iconic hairstyles.

"I loved when it was really blonde," she tells me. "I used Goldwell 11N, that was a good color. That was '95 to like 2000."

While the Golden Globe winner's two daughters Olive and Frankie are eight and six, respectively, it seems as though they've both already inherited their mom's free-spirited genes when it comes to playing with their own hair — and some other beauty products.

"My daughters were really into colored [hair]sprays for a while. It seems to have died down, but I was totally into it," she says. "Then when it comes to makeup, these kids are never not in the makeup. It's full face, products are everywhere, everything's sabotaged — it's insane."

As much as the mother wants her daughters to be able to express themselves through outer beauty, her goal as a parent — especially one that grew up in an industry as vain as Hollywood — is to ensure they know who they are as people is what will always matter the most in the end.

She also wants to instill in her kids that no matter their age or what life has thrown their way, they will always have room to bloom.

"I grew up with people asking, 'Are you afraid that you went with no makeup?!' 'Oh, women over 40, they don't get parts.' It's just the stupidest thing I've ever heard — we can't live like that," Barrymore shares. "Why would you put a time cap on yourself? I think it's important to tell ourselves and our kids that you don't have to put all of your stock into one part of you. It's a totally unreliable, silly thing to think you should only be one thing or stay a certain way for your whole life."

And if Barrymore herself isn't a perfect example of someone who's unafraid to try it all, then I'm not sure who is.