Chef Giada de Laurentiis Tells Us the Culinary Secret for Clean, Shiny Skin

Giada de Laurentiis is one busy working mom. Serving as both Food Network‘s resident Italian, and the face of Clairol’s Natural Instincts hair care line, she can whip up a mean risotto, and look good while doing it. Earlier today, we sat down with de Laurentiis to talk two of our favorite topics: beauty and food.

First on the agenda, we wanted to know how Giada keeps her skin looking so clear. The secret, she said, comes straight from the kitchen pantry. We’d expect nothing less from the television chef.

“I exfoliate every day,” she told us. “My face, my neck, my chest, and my hands. And it can be a light exfoliator that you buy, or you can use some baking soda and water or baking soda and olive oil. It kind of depends on the season.”

“Right now, I’ve been traveling a lot,” she explained, “And it’s really dry in New York, so I mix a little baking soda with olive oil because I need that extra moisture. But if you feel like it’s really humid out, and you don’t need it, then just do it with some water. Almond oil is nice, too. You just kind of put it everywhere to keep your skin nice, shiny, and clean.”

“Olive oil, coconut oil, and almond oil. I think those three oils are sort of the keys,” she said, speaking more generally of her natural beauty routine. “The fact that you can buy these ingredients at the grocery store just makes life so much easier.”

Watch Giada answer a few food-related questions below, and check back later this week for her top hair care tips and her favorite fall recipe.