Neha Dhupia–actor and mother of two–on her evolving relationship with skincare

Having embraced motherhood twice, the celebrity lets us in on her idea of self-care and looking after your skin

From a hydrating and protecting morning routine to a repairing and nourishing bedtime routine, women’s perception of and commitment towards skincare has undergone a metamorphosis of sorts, and for good. However, you may have seldom caught sight of your mother or grandmother investing time and effort into a skincare regimen in your growing years. Perhaps adhering to a moisturiser or a bourgeois powder’s application was where skincare began and ended for them. 

Over the years, with changing times, mothers think much differently from the conformist mindset when it comes to self-care and self-love; prioritising one's mental, physical and emotional health comes with a comparatively smaller baggage of guilt. Mothers are more mindful of the way they feel, which includes caring for their inside-out health, staying professionally active should they wish to,  and doing everything else to make sure they’re holistically saner and happier. For actor and mother of two, Neha Dhupia, beauty equates to health and happiness. “An individual is the most beautiful when they take care of themselves. If you’re healthy and happy from within, you will radiate beauty,” says Dhupia in a brief chat with The Established, where she talks about motherhood, skincare and how she has successfully kept at both.

A progressive relationship with beauty

“My personal relationship with beauty has evolved over the years,” shares Dhupia. “In the initial stages of my career, my idea of beauty depended on the trends and [by seeing] what others did. The things I came across in fashion magazines were the gospel truth,” she says. “But over the years, I realised there is no ‘one standard’ for beauty—it comes in all shapes, sizes and colours. Today, I am able to have extremely real standards of beauty by being able to discern for myself which comes from being comfortable and confident in my own skin.” If there is one piece of advice that Dhupia would want to give her younger self, it is that “don’t waste the most beautiful days of your life thinking about how beautiful you should be looking, because none of that is important or relevant.”

The place that skincare holds

“For me, skincare equals self-care,” affirms Dhupia, who claims to have been a skincare junkie ever since she can remember. “I’ve discovered over the years that having healthy skin is unbeatable. Dull, unhealthy skin cannot be concealed or covered up with make-up. I make sure to give my skin the attention it needs despite having a busy schedule both at work and home.”

Dhupia attributes the good health of her skin to a consistent skincare regimen that helped her combat the negative effects of continuous layers of make-up, irregular work hours and harsh lighting on set. “No matter how exhausted I am or how busy my day has been, I always make it a point to take off my make-up,” shares Dhupia.

A holistic routine

Dhupia pivots on products that are effective yet skin-respecting. “I love brands like Dermalogica that promote skin health and empower women and men to feel good in their own skin, which aligns with my personal morals,” she says. “SPF is a must every single day, even when you are at home. I have been enjoying the Prisma Protect SPF 30 moisturiser and sunscreen from Dermalogica since it allows me to skip my base.”

New mothers have a long checklist of things to tick, and thus, skincare (and self-care) invariably takes a backseat. “It is important to take care of yourself while taking care of your baby. Indulge in regular skin, hair and body care—they can help elevate your day. Along with a good skincare routine, I want to tell every mum to nourish their body with nutritious foods. Healthy food, with proper hydration, is key to having healthy skin and hair and feeling your best,” recommends Dhupia. And, enumerating the basic, no-frills skincare tips, Dhupia says, “Use multitasking products to reduce the number of steps in your skincare regime. Apply sunscreen, even when at home. Additionally, new mums must take time off to consult a professional skin therapist to address their skin concerns.”

The role of motherhood

For Dhupia, motherhood is a sense of feeling complete because your whole world is right there in your home. “Today, my relationship with myself has grown in a way that I have clearer communication between my body and mind. My mind respects what my body has done, which is giving birth twice over,” she shares, bringing a whole new perspective to the fore. 

Dhupia has passed on her love for skincare to her daughter, Mehr, as well. “I’ve already introduced my daughter to skincare; she is very well aware of the fact that she needs to wear sunscreen every time she steps out of the house.” However, as far as the definition of, and relationship with beauty is concerned, Dhupia wants her daughter to orchestrate them for herself. “When it comes to beauty, she needs to understand that her beauty standards are something she will set for herself. She will define beauty in the way she wants. Most importantly, beauty comes from within; you must be a beautiful person first, to look beautiful.” Dhupia also wants her daughter to know that beauty is not what anyone thinks; it’s not the superficial stuff that you see on the outside. “No one can define beauty for you, but you. That’s why, you do you!” she concludes.

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