Ashley Tisdale On Tackling Anxiety, Why She Has Zero Regrets About Breast Explant Surgery and Exclusive Details on Her New, Under $15 Hair Care Range, Being Frenshe

23:19So you launched this in 2022. Yeah. So your number one bestseller is Cashmere Vanilla Line. Is that correct? The scent. Yes. Okay. Yeah. So tell me about the inspo and everything. Yeah. I mean, I had came out with a blog called Frenchie during COVID. And that was really my journey through like wellness. Like basically my journey was through mental health that led me to wellness. So I had just like realized that I had been suffering from anxiety and depression. And I met with so many different people. And throughout that, I just learned so much. And I learned that everything is really a balance.

23:56And I just felt like, for me, what we know about clean or wellness was just so expensive at the time, like what we were just what we had. And I was just like, man, there has to be something where it's like, we can share like where to get the best clean, you know, supplies for the house that are not like breaking the bank. And I just felt like there's really a space there. And so that's kind of where Frenchie was created from. And then being Frenchie was basically a company I had reached out to years ago when I was trying to do another line and failed miserably. I had called them to see if they would help me and want to do it with me.

24:36And they're like, well, we create our own lines. We don't really take over lines. And I was like, okay, great. But they had reached out to me after Frenchie and they were like, you know, we really love what you're doing with that. Like, have you ever thought about doing something with products? I'm like, no, I'm never doing products again. But we sat down and we were like, what could this look like? And obviously for me, I had so many rituals because I was not a person to stay home. Like if I was home, it was really rough for me because I was so used to working. And especially like I had lost my dog Maui prior to that, like two years prior.

25:13And so just kind of being still would always bring the grief. And so I really had to create because we were like all being told to stay home. I need to create some rituals to just ground me. And I'm someone who's obsessed with candles. And so I always feel like whenever you have a rough or insomnia, like, you know, you can just open a window that next day and like light a candle and just really feels like it changes the energy of the room. And so I talked a lot about scent and just my rituals and basically being Frenchie was born out of that. So it was really based off of my own personal rituals and giving love to our bodies.

25:51Yeah. And I, we have the mood science technology in it, which makes you feel a different way. So yeah, so it's been pretty amazing. We launched with five scents and it turned out that cashmere vanilla, when we were developing the scent, you know, I really kind of used a lot of the candles as inspiration. And the one we did for cashmere vanilla was not over a candle, but I was like, you know what? I was like, have you ever smelled Trader Joe's jasmine rice in your kitchen? And they were like, oh yeah, jasmine rice smells so good. I'm like, no, no, the Trader Joe's jasmine rice you have to make and it smells amazing.

26:28I'm like, we need to capture that scent. And to be honest, my ex-boyfriend taught me how to make that jasmine rice. So that relationship was horrible, but something amazing came out of it because cashmere vanilla is the top selling scent. And it's basically literally like the lab was able to create a bubble around the jasmine rice and take the notes. And that's really where cashmere vanilla came from. Wow. I know. I feel like you struck with that scent combo right at the right time. because I feel like vanilla fragrances were so not happening for so, so long. I know. And then it was just like everything has vanilla in it again.

27:04And Moon Milk is like taken off. Yeah. And that has a vanilla in it as well. So what's the Moon Milk? Moon Milk, it's just like it's it was really inspired by my love for chai tea lattes. OK. We were obviously doing a holiday scent and I was like, OK, what would I do in holiday? Right. You know, I really for me, I want to create scents that are like, you know, that you're going to use all year round. And I felt like with Moon Milk, it has chai in it. And it just smells warm. It just smells like the holidays, really. And I was like, this is a good vanilla scent besides, which is not going to compete with cashmere vanilla.

27:36Right, right. So that's what Moon Milk is. And it's the, so it's a scent name. And then also the mood name, of course. I've named them 500 things. But yeah, Moon Milk is like one of my favorites. And then also the Palo Santo Sage is by far one of like, I mean, I use the perfume and people ask me if I'm using Byredo and I'm like, no, it's mine. Wow. They're like, whoa. Wow. But I use that for a full year before we launched. And I knew that was going to be a really big one because people asked me so many times when I was out. That's great. We don't have the moon milk here. I need to Google it now.

28:11I know you need to get moon milk. So is it the moon milk is a scent, correct? So yeah, basically we have the mood, which is always like, you know, a mood and then the scent. So the moon milk is the scent name. I see it. Okay. Oh, yeah. Lovely. I need to also try that jasmine rice. I will be picking that up. It's really good. The cashmere vanilla. And you should, I mean, it depends on what type of girly you are because Palo Santo sage is a little bit more like earthier. Okay. I don't know if you can smell this right now, but. I am really into anything that smells like Palo Santo. Okay, good. Yeah.

28:44Yeah. Because yeah, this one is basically I developed this mood off of my postpartum journey the first time. Oh, okay. I just felt like I wasn't present. So I was like, I need something that makes me feel present and grounded. Oh my gosh, it smells so good. Okay. I love that one. She's getting high off her own supply, everyone. It's my favorite. Oh yeah, this one is the body lotion, everyone, that I'm trying. It's so good. So yeah, I mean, it's everything from obviously body wash to bath bombs to hand lotions to the serum stick, the Soothing Body Serum Stick actually has that one viral for us because it has magnesium in it.

29:20Oh, yeah. So it's like for attention anywhere you feel, you know. So you could put it like on the back of your neck, that kind of thing. Yeah. My husband steals mine all the time. Yeah. I have to say this is giving me like Zen vibes. Yeah. I mean, listen, if I can give Zen vibes to anyone, I've done my job. That is like my favorite thing. I just love to create an experience for people, whether I'm like hosting a dinner party or, you know, doing an event for being Frenchie. it's like my favorite thing is to like make their experience really lovely. And that's basically what this line is. Okay. Now I noticed on Instagram that you just did a whole hair makeover.

29:58It was giving movie montage because it's like you got bags, you got a new color, you got a cut. It was like the whole thing. It was a spiral. She's ready. She's back. Yeah, she's back, everyone. Don't mess with her. So what was the inspiration for the transformation, first of all? Well, I think I was just getting ready for postpartum hair. Yeah. Hair loss. So I was like, okay, I don't want to bleach it anymore right now. My hair is always the healthiest when I'm not bleaching it. So I think I just was like trying to prep for that. Also, I just have had a journey with my hair too. I have like, for me, I call it hair wellness, where it's like, I just, you know, where I started years ago to where I am now, where I don't have to wear extensions.

30:40It's like so nice. And I remember like having like the top layer of my hair was like this short at one point. So it was just like damaging. And it was so much. And then I was diagnosed with alopecia in my 20s. And so I think that's when I did like a hard stop and realized, oh, shoot, like I can't just like keep abusing my hair in some way. Like I can't just be like expecting it to do so much at all times. So I think at that point, I really like looked into scalp health. And also I've never been bright blonde like I used to because of that. So I really try to do masks. I do, I like do tons of oils in my hair and just try to let it relax.

31:20And I think, you know, with pregnancy towards like the last two months of pregnancy, since I wasn't like on camera, I really just let my hair like just air dry. And I think it like for me, it just keeps growing, gets so much healthier. So it really kind of stemmed from me being like, OK, I I'm prepping myself for this postpartum hair thing. So I'm going to do, I had been wanting bangs again. Yes. And so I was like, I'm going to do bangs. But then I was like, when I have bangs as a blonde, it just reminds me of like old characters I've played or like, I feel like a little bit like an American Girl doll.

31:54So I'm like, I need my little bit of edge. And so I was like, I've got to go back to dark. So I just kind of darkened it. And it was just like a spiral that turned out great. Yeah, it was great. Thank you. And it's so much easier to do now. So that kind of like teases what's coming next, right? Yes. For being Frenchie. Yes. So tell us everything. So excited. Yeah. I mean, basically, obviously, I just was thinking of, you know, where we would expand to and hair was my next thing because that's just like all of my, I mean, I'm not a hairstylist, but I'm someone who, because of my, you know, journey, just have always wanted to take care of my hair in ways that I could, you know, make it healthier.

32:35And so it really inspired the line. And it's basically, there's the three collections. So it's basically kind of like how we launched with the five different scents. There's three scents. One is Cashmere Vanilla, which is the Moisture Collection. Salty is the Clarifying Collection. And then Lavender Cloud is the Restoration Collection. collection so it really is about giving your hair a break I just felt like there's so many like obviously collections and hair that is styling yeah but there's nothing that's like actually take the night off right and just give your hair some you know a treat and I was really excited because for me I've always loved to do a mask at night so I like one of my favorite things in life is to be able to wash my hair and then just put it up and leave it wet with a mask in it.

33:28Okay. And then just do it the next day because I have curly hair. So I'm always like low drying and putting heat on it. And it just feels so freeing. I think it's like, reminds me of like a day at the beach or the pool where you just like, don't have to like do your hair right after. And it's just like, oh, this feels so lovely. And I don't have to like think about how much time it's going to take. It is like a freeing thing. I was excited to create an overnight hair mask, which I'm very excited about. But we have a scalp serum in there. We have a scalp scrub. We have shampoos and conditioners and a moisture like a leave-in conditioner.

34:04Okay. That's really great. Just the whole idea is to let's embrace our natural hair texture and let's just, like I said, give our hair a break. And so I'm excited. I mean, it's definitely very different from anything out there. And I'm excited to see what people think. Yeah, that's very cool. Question for you. Did you watch Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reality show? I have, yes. Okay. I'm like, did I? That to me was an awakening about the extensions process because I've never had extensions. Of course, you see celebrities, you know, they get extensions, but wow. That's funny that that show is.

34:39Because one of the girls and her mom are like extension experts. And it was just a revelation to me because it's so much maintenance. It's so much maintenance. It was crazy. damaging your hair in the longs. Yes, exactly. But then it must be like, I could see how you would just get on this treadmill and never get off because if you're used to this very, very long, luscious hair and then you have, the reality is you basically have a pixie cut. Yeah. Well, you're going to be going back and going back. It's like probably hard to break the cycle. It's really hard to break it. You have to, I mean, how I did it, you have to kind of be uncomfortable with the uncomfortableness of the hair because it's like, your hair is not going to be a good length.

35:17You're going to be like, oh my gosh, it feels thinner, you know, but it's, it truly is like you have to give it a break to get it to the other side. Right. And I remember kind of easing off by doing like tape ins for a minute. It was a different style, like extension beads, they pull on your hair as it's growing out. So that's why they're the most damaging. Yeah. The tape ins, at least it's like, it's kind of like a thicker piece. So it's like the hair is growing out together and it's not like one single or two single strands type of thing. Not that I wanted the extension business to go. I'm not saying that at all.

35:51Nobody does. And I'm like so down for anyone who has extensions. Do whatever you want, right? Do what makes you feel good, you know? It is just a long process. The maintenance. I spent hours at the hair salon. Hours. And I just, you know, it was for characters that I played that needed to have the extensions. And I was just like, this is taking up a lot of my life. Yeah. Well, did you work with any of the hairstylists in your orbit to kind of come up with the formulations? Yes, obviously. Like I definitely leaned on like my team of people and they helped. And so it was really kind of a collaborative thing.

36:25Yeah. I obviously was like, you know, this is not my like I've never, you know, for me, I'm like body care was so like, you know, fun. And obviously I knew like the products that I love, but I was just like, okay, if we're doing something different, what does this look like? So yeah, I really leaned on my team.

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39:11I wanted to ask you just before we close out about this makeup line that you referenced before that you had done and maybe it wasn't, didn't go exactly according to plan, Ashley, but can you share some insights about what you learned in that experience and what convinced you when they called you up and said, we should do being Frenchie, you were apprehensive. What, what lessons did you take into this? Yeah. I think for me, it was really about, I basically went to business school that year that I was trying to get funding and trying to do it on my own. I also learned everything from, you know, development of products to Shopify and putting in discount codes.

39:48So I really like learned everything that goes into a business. So I think I came into this line just being grateful for my partner and my team that I have, because I know how much does go into it and how hard it is. And I also think that for me, you know, illuminate my, the old makeup line was really just, I think I looked at like Instagram basically and was like, gosh, it looks so easy to be CEO. Totally. Totally. Everyone's doing it, you know, like that type of thing. And I was like, yeah, you know, and it's not. And when you're really doing it, it's the hardest thing ever. And I was, you know, an actress on two shows at the time.

40:29So I'm like sitting in hair and makeup trying to put discount codes in on Shopify. I'm like, what am I doing right now? Like, am I okay? Like having nervous breakdowns? like, that's where the anxiety came from and the stress and everything. So I just really learned so much during that time. And when I was coming out with this line, I let go. And I think that, I think it had to happen because I think I was just really trying so hard. And I realized, you know, I, there was times where at night I was like Googling like celebrities that have failed because I am not kidding you. I was like, I failed at this and this is going to come out and I need to be prepared.

41:10Does anybody have a failure in their career? I think probably all of them. Every single person had a failure. So I was like, good to have a perspective. But I basically sat there and I realized I had failed and I cried and I had to pay back my investor. And I did. And then I think what I learned was it's how you pick yourself back up. And how I picked myself back up was being creative and creating Frenchie, which really had no, like, I wasn't trying to come out with a line or products. I was really trying to just be creative and have that pressure off, to be honest. And so anybody that asked me, like, where do you see this going?

41:50I wasn't even thinking about this line. I was just like, I'm just happy connecting with people in this moment that we're in COVID. And like, I just want to share my experience through mental health. And so when being Frenchie actually came about and it happened, I realized that when something is meant to happen, it's actually not as difficult as I thought it should be. Like, it felt like I was hitting against walls when I was failing at that other thing. And this was like seamlessly, like, there's definitely hard times. And there are times that I'm still crying and I'm like, this didn't happen like the right way.

42:24And I'm like, obviously, it's not easy running a company, but it has a better flow. And that's what I noticed is the difference is that when it's meant to like when it's successful, it's like, oh, it's like this is falling into place. And I think I also just didn't care what it did at that point because to me, one of the main things I wanted to be in Target with my makeup line. And so when, you know, Target was excited to be with being Frenchie, to carry being Frenchie, I was like, oh my gosh, like it didn't hit me until I saw it in Target. and that's when I kind of broke down and cried because that's all that mattered to me.

43:00Like I didn't know like what the line was going to do and I honestly was like, you know what? It doesn't matter because like I did it. Like I did it and that was a success to me. And so the fact that it has taken on what it has and that people love it and people come up to me and they're like, I'm expecting to say, I love a movie that you're in or like, I love those movies. And they always say like, I just got being Frenchie and like, oh my God, I love being Frenchie. And I'm like, this is so wild. And so it really is like, it's to be honest, the most successful thing I've ever done personally.

43:31So it feels really good. Yeah, it's amazing. Like I, I feel like I'm doing what I'm meant to be doing. And that's really awesome. That's I mean, people coming up to you to say you're and to your point about being just a creative human and like you've poured your heart and soul into something and people are loving it. And it's not like big launch in the movie theater. And then it's like, you know, people are rebuying it and connecting with you every single day. This I'm relying on my intuition at all times because I'm still learning. And so I'm like, oh my gosh, is this the right move? Is this the right like I'm behind everything from like the invitation to our events to the marketing.

44:09Like I am my hands are in it all. And it's because it's important to me. And it's important that it carries what Frenchie originally carries, which is my personal story on mental health. And so it's just like, yeah, to have people love it so much. And, you know, I've done acting since I was three and I will always love it. And it'll always be like something that I will try to find a project that I love that I'm going to want to do. And I'm sure that will come in time where I'm like, I have to do this. But I just love what I'm doing. And I think that for me, I feel like I'm doing something that's more important to me because playing a character is really fun, but it's like someone else's character.

44:53And to me, I feel like this is more meaningful. The events that I put on for being Frenchie, we really we talk about mental health and we like, you know, make it a really safe space for people to talk about what they've been through. And I think that to me, that's like the bigger thing for me. It's not just like selling products. It's like I really want to connect with people on mental health and I want to like be there for people and support them. And so, yeah, I just feel like it's like a little bit more meaningful and more me. And eventually I'll find that acting job and be like, this is the one I'm going to do.

45:26But I'm in a place where I don't have to. And that's really nice. And I have kids and I want to be present with them. And I'm able to do that with this line. So it's been great. Has your older daughter watched your movies? Any of them? She has seen. She has seen High School Musical, I think, when about a year ago, maybe my husband showed her and I was like, what are you doing? I was like, ah. And she thought Zac Efron was her dad. I was like, no, that's not daddy. She's like, daddy. I was like, no, no, no. Just because they have dark hair is not daddy. So, yeah, but it's really funny because she knows I do like Phineas and Ferb because she like can hear my voice and she's seen that.

46:07But but it's really funny because recently I went to the Wicked premiere and we were on YouTube watching. She's very excited about Wicked, the movie coming at. So we're watching behind the scenes on YouTube and the e-carpet came on. And I didn't tell her I went to the premiere because I was like, she will just be like so mad that I didn't bring her. She doesn't really know what a premiere is anyway. And she's like, OK, but she literally has to watch that. She's like, I got to see mommy on carpet. I got to see just like that's the most exciting thing to her is that I'm on a carpet at the Wicked premiere, which I have nothing to do with.

46:40It's like so funny. So she's just like so proud to see me on that. It's really cute. That's so cute. Yeah. I don't think she realizes what I do because I mean, obviously she wouldn't. She's three, but she did start to get to the age where she's questioning why people take pictures with me. Right. Right. And so we were at like Taylor Swift in Miami. and she was like, mommy, why, why are they taking pictures with you? And I truly did not know how to answer that. So I just said, I don't know. And I was like, I don't know. And my husband goes, that's what you said. So I think she actually thinks that you just take pictures with people.

47:14So it's like really funny. But my husband's like, why don't you say that? Like you're an actress and like you're, you know, I'm like, how do I explain that to her? Like, it's just weird. I don't know if she's ready for that. And I don't know if I'm ready to like have that discussion with her. Yeah. Yeah. That's interesting. I like how like she's like got a normal life and it's like her little life is so cute and fun. And, you know, I don't know what to say to her. It's like it's a subject that I have to figure out. OK, so thank you for sharing everything with us today, Ashley. I'm going to do we're going to close it out with a little rapid fire.

47:46OK. OK. So your favorite binge worthy TV show right now. Oh, probably like Real Housewives or something like that. Which one? All of them, basically. Would you ever do that, a show like that? No, no, no, no. I never, never touch like reality like that. Okay. To like, it's weird if people are even doing behind the scenes of me. Like, I'm so used to being a character on film. Sure. There's no way I could be myself. Right. Yeah. There's like, it'd be very difficult. I've tried in the past doing like something. I remember I produced something for E that was like a day in the life. And that was like, I felt so weird.

48:22I was like, this is like, I give credit to all of those reality stars. Like, I don't know how they do it like that. The biggest hair transformation that you regretted? Hair transformation. I mean, I haven't really, I guess I went really red one time and I was like, that was a little bit too red. So I don't know if like that red color worked on me. Right. What is the number one skincare item on your top shelf right now that's, you know, not being Frenchie related? Probably Jan Marini skincare. Yeah. I do love that. What's your favorite product from that line? Oh man, there's like 17 steps. Yeah, I know.

48:57It's so long. But you know what? I think for me, like before I had that, you know, ritual, I wasn't taking care of my skin like I should. And so I think it created a ritual for me because there's so many different things. But I do love her Jan Marini neck. Oh. That's a really good one. People are always looking for a good recommendation on that front. So thank you for that. What's the number one makeup item that you keep buying over and over again? And you'd be like sad if they discontinued it. Ah, man, I think they did discontinue it. What happened to the Kosas mascara? Oh. What happened? Interesting.

49:32I cannot find it. It's gone. Okay. It was my favorite mascara. Really? Like literally, I don't know what to do now. I truly don't know what to do. What did you like about it? Oh my gosh, I really have no lashes. So it like really volumized them, lengthened them. Okay. It was like, and clean. And I loved it. Interesting. Was it called the big, what was it called? Yeah. You know, big clean or something? Big clean or something. Yeah, it was red. Big clean mascara for long wear, fluffy lashes. I don't know where it's gone. I've tried DMing them too. I've gone to the extreme lengths. I've been like, where did it go?

50:06And they didn't get back to you? No. Oh my gosh. There was something that's gone on. Yeah. We need to get like a federal beauty of investigation. We need to download on it. And the one drugstore beauty item or Target beauty item that people might be surprised that you use nonstop. I love Kristen S. hair. Oh, yeah. Yes. Interesting. And she's a friend of mine. Oh, amazing. Yeah. What product do you like? She just knows everything about curls. That woman just knows curly hair. And so I love like the curl cream. it's been one of my go-tos whenever I'm wearing my hair natural she's just like I mean again she's a friend of mine but but yeah she's just always like the products I feel work really well when I'm trying to air dry my hair that's great I mean she's iconic well thank you so much Ashley thank you this was really fun and it's been great spending time with you and can't wait to try more of the Being Frenchie universe and for the and the hair care as well thank you so much thank you thanks for listening you can find details on every product mentioned in today's episode, along with our exclusive promo codes on our blog at breakingbeautypodcast.com.

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51:50See you next Wednesday.

52:08Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.