It feels as though the term “self-care” has seriously catapulted into social media stardom over the last year. From Instagrammable bathtubs decorated with candles and bubbles to somewhat exhaustive 24-step nighttime skincare routines on TikTok, self-care can really be defined as whatever makes you feel good and allows you to take a breath (both physically and mentally). For actress and model Brooke Shields, her own self-care rituals have admittedly evolved over the last year along with her outlook on the practice itself. “I have learned to respect the ritual of it all a little bit more. I used to rush passed everything and after this last year, I’ve learned to appreciate the more ritualistic approach to self-care and it being a time for myself, not just a chore,” Shields says.
Part of this updated outlook on self-care rituals came as a result of Shields partnering with Colgate this year, marking the duo’s third time working together since the first Colgate campaign Shields starred in at just nine years old. “I used to separate my teeth from my skin by sort of brushing, flossing and just getting it over with. Colgate has taught me so much more about the importance of gum health and oral care and the routine of that,” Shields says. The new Colgate Gum Renewal toothpaste targets and actually reverses early gum damage and offers four types: Whitening Restoration Gel, Whitening Restoration Paste, Sensitivity Repair Gel, and Enamel Fortify Gel.
![Brooke Shields for Colgate](https://dujour.com/wp-content/uploads/27af60dcb8e1.jpg)
Brooke Shields for Colgate
“I think we compartmentalize so much of self-care and one thing that I found during COVID was that I went through a lot of extremes until I found a balance. The pendulum had to balance out in the middle for me and now that involves making my teeth important and taking a more well-rounded type of approach to self-care,” Shields explains.
While Shields now embraces the circularity of her self-care rituals from oral care and diet to exercise and skincare, the 56-year-old mother of two admits there is one thing she wishes she had started practicing from a younger age. “I wish I had started using sunblock a lot earlier. I’m from the era where you put baby oil on and baked out in the sun,” she says. “That damage doesn’t show up until later and I’ve had stuff taken off my face and I just really wish I would have been more cognizant of the damage back then.” Shields adds that with the advent of spray tans and self-tanners, today’s generation is lucky to be able to get that bronze glow without the damage.
“Your body and everything you are, physically, emotionally and mentally, does a lot to take care of you so we need to take care of it.”
![Brooke Shields on Self-Care Rituals Brooke Shields for Colgate Gum Renewal](https://dujour.com/wp-content/uploads/384160dcb8f7.jpg)
Brooke Shields for Colgate Gum Renewal
So, with oral hygiene and skincare morphing into one as part of her self-care routine, what would be Brooke Shields’ top three desert island skincare products? “I would definitely bring sunscreen, a very strong lip balm and a thick nighttime moisturizer,” she says, along with a tube of Colgate Gum Renewal, of course.
By teaming up with Colgate once again, Shields is revitalizing her own smile and hoping to spread much more than gum health awareness. “Your smile is how you greet the world. It’s what you put forward and it emanates from you. I think that it’s infectious,” she says. “I think to smile with confidence, it just beams out of you and you make other people smile. It’s like you can’t help but feel that positivity that’s being put forth into the world.”