Paige Bueckers’s final March Madness tournament is officially here, but this year, her hair might look a little shinier and smoother thanks to her role as Head of CeraVe. Not head as like CEO, but an equally important job, IMO, as an official partner with the brand for their new haircare line (which, btw, Cosmo editors loved when we tested all of the products last fall). Paige is an especially big fan of the CeraVe Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner, which focuses on scalp health. Something we as editors know is wildly important if you wanna keep your ends long and healthy and something the GOAT needs to keep her blonde ponytail ~luscious~.
While I’ve watched Paige dominate on the court, I was super curious about her beauty rituals, her fave products, and how she does her iconic pony. So, naturally, I caught up with the basketball star over Zoom:
What drew you to CeraVe?
I’ve been using their face products for a while. I’ve partnered with them in the past for the Foaming Cleanser and I love their moisturizer for my dry skin too. I do a lot of damage to my hair—I color it, I wear braids all the time, I straighten it. So to be able to do something nice for my hair and partner with CeraVe through it all was a very cool opportunity.
I need to know more about your hair. It’s so shiny. Tell me about your routine:
Well, first, thank you. But, yeah, I do blonde highlights since my hair is naturally a dirty-blonde, light-brown color. I’m not a natural blonde. So to keep my hair as healthy as possible, I rely on the right products for preventing breakage, like hair masks, so it can be moisturized and fresh.
I also try not to blow-dry my hair and avoid braiding it while it’s wet so as not to cause any more breakage. It obviously gets sweaty and oily from playing sports, so I try to undo that with dry shampoo. And then sometimes, honestly, I’ll just wash my hair and leave my braids in. I try to find a balance of not washing it too much, but playing a sport, you’ve gotta wash it sometimes.
Would you ever cut your hair?
Probably not. Maybe once I get older? I always need it to be long enough to fit in a ponytail. So, yeah, short probably isn’t in the cards right now.
You can’t get rid of the ponytail.
Yeah, I don’t know what I’d do without it.
Personal style is really important to you off the court. How about beauty?
Beauty is such a subjective term. It looks different for everybody. And my beauty is different than your beauty, which is different from somebody else’s beauty. It’s what you look good in, what you feel good in, and just being confident in that. I feel like my fashion is a mix of masculine and feminine and not being held to a standard of what I have to wear or what I should wear. Like, I wear suits—women can wear suits. I also love bright-pink and purple colors. So it’s, like, I love wearing crop tops and cargos, but I also love baggy clothes too.
What do you keep in your gym bag?
CeraVe face wash and moisturizer, deodorant, perfume, a hair wax stick, Vaseline, toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash. I have a good travel kit that I keep with me.
Paige's Go-To Moisturizer
CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion
Let’s play a game of this or that: beauty edition.
Straightener or curling iron? I’ve always been a straightener girl. I recently learned you can even curl hair with a straightener.
Blow-dry or air-dry? Air-dry.
Face moisturizer or face serum? Moisturizer.
Claw clip or hair tie? Hair tie.
Ponytail or bun? Ponytail.
Wait, can you tell us the secret to your ponytail?
I always use a hair wax stick to get rid of flyaways and get my part as smooth as possible. And then I flat-iron the ponytail to make it shiny.
Mascara or brow gel? Mascara.
Perfume or body spray? Perfume.
What’s your fragrance vibe?
Honestly, I like unisex perfumes. I don’t like flowery scents. My go-to one is from Valentino—the black one with the pink writing.
[Editor’s Note: That’s gonna be Valentino Uomo Born in Roma Eau de Toilette—a spicy scent with violet, vetiver, and ginger.]
Natural deodorant or a heavy-duty antiperspirant? Heavy-duty.
Blush or bronzer? Blush.
Lipstick or lip gloss? Lip gloss.
Nighttime shower or morning shower? Nighttime shower.
Manicure or pedicure? Pedicure.
Shaving, waxing, or none of the above? Shaving.
Regular soap or bar soap? Regular soap.
Long nails or short nails? Short nails.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
