With nearly 3 million followers on Instagram, Negin Mirsalehi is garnering attention due to her enviable sense of style, Persian roots and business acumen. In our March issue, the style blogger and beauty entrepreneur gave us an insight into her beauty and health regime.
Interview by Susan Devaney
How would you describe your style?
I find my personal style to be a combination of sensual femininity and high-fashion elegance – with a touch of sporty edge or a bit of a fun twist.
What changes do you make to your skincare regime as you move from winter into summer?
I always try to make sure I moisturise my skin, use sunscreen and drink lots of water, whatever season it may be. During winter, I pay extra attention to hydrating my skin, because of the cold weather, rain and wind, it can eventually takes its toll! To stay hydrated, I use my dad’s raw honey as a face mask every now and then. When summer arrives I try to be out in the sun as much as possible, while wearing sunscreen of course, and get all of that vitamin D. This is the perfect natural way to take care of your skin during summer.
What’s the best piece of beauty advice you’ve ever received?
Because my mom is a hairdresser I learned some things from her. In general I don’t experiment with my hair too much and I don’t wash it that often. Besides that, the best beauty advice I can give you is to never sleep with your make-up on, eat healthy, drink lots of water, extra moisturise your skin and always use sunscreen.
You have Persian heritage, what beauty lessons have been passed onto you from previous generations?
I like the fact that my mom is always looking for the next best thing. She knew about the benefits of goji berries and ginger, before it had been discovered by everyone else. Something that has been passed on by previous generations is ginger tea with lemon. This has always been used by older generations and is something traditionally Persian I think.
You’ve recently created your own hair oil, Gisou. Why did you decide to do this?
When my parents came to the Netherlands almost 30 years ago, my mom was studying to become a hairdresser. She was not pleased with the hair products available at the time and decided to make her own hair products. Because my dad has always been a passionate beekeeper, my mom knew about the health benefits of honey—it contains hundreds of vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. She knew it was going to be the key ingredient for her products and she was adamant about keeping them free of parabens and sulphates. It took my mom years to develop her products. Now I wanted to share my favourite product with my followers, which is honey infused hair oil.
What is it about the honey?
Next to having hundreds of vitamins and minerals, I really believe in my dad’s honey because it is also known to be a natural humectant. This means that it attracts and holds moisture, which revitalises your hair. The honey infused hair oil keeps my hair in great condition, because I can use it for multiple purposes on a daily basis. I use it after showering, before styling to take care of my hair, after styling to give my hair a healthy glow, and I mix it in with my hair masks to create a stronger effect so my hair feels incredible afterwards.
Negin Mirsalehi
What do you do to keep fit and active?
I try to keep a good balance between healthy eating and exercising. I get easily motivated when I see the results from my workouts such as Pilates or tennis. When I do not have enough time to go to the gym, I go for a run and get a boost from the beautiful natural environment or from a great workout playlist.
Describe your typical everyday eating habits.
When I am back home the first thing I do in the morning is drink one glass of water and eat one teaspoon of honey. It is one of my father’s recommendations. In general, what I try to do is eat healthy, eat lots of vegetables, fruits, fish and pasta. I find it important that everything I eat is of nutritional value, but I also never want to deprive myself of food or eliminate things from my diet. I just know to eat everything in moderation.
What vitamins and supplements do you take, and why?
I always try to get enough vitamins from nutrition, without taking extra vitamins and supplements. Whenever I am travelling or have a busy schedule and need to boost my immune system I take Propolis.
What’s the secret to your healthy glowing skin?
I think a healthy skin is solely dependent on good nutrition, hydration and sleep. Also, whenever I find a beauty product I’m satisfied with I try not switch to another one too often. Why fix what isn’t broken?
Where would you say you’re at your happiest?
On a beach or when I’m with my family.
Where’s your favourite place in the world and why?
I think this would be my dad’s bee garden, because I’ve been spending time there since I was young and I have a lot of good memories from these moments.
What do you do to relax?
I do yoga, boxing and take Pilates.
