When we first spoke with Caroline Arapoglou five years ago, she was a tinted-sunscreen aficionado about to start Season 2 of Netflix’s Outer Banks (she plays Rose). Today, she’s just as serious about her SPF, but with a mega-hit, two children and some hard-earned humidity hair hacks she’s picked up along the way.
Ahead, our conversation with the actress about her go-to hair hacks on set, how motherhood reshaped her routine and the Southern staples she’ll never give up.
What’s your glam routine like filming in Charleston’s heat and humidity for months at a stretch? Any products that saved you?
“Because Rose always has straight hair, my hair takes a bit of beating in filming, so our focus is just getting as much moisture into it as possible. I use the Kérastase Blonde Absolu line—that leave-in serum ($50) gives me so much heat protectant and shine. We also have to be really diligent with sunscreen on this show! I love Skin Pharm Clear Defense ($60) and La Roche-Posay Ultra-Light Mineral ($43). Those are my go-tos.”
You became a mother of two while working on the show. How did pregnancy and postpartum change your relationship with beauty and self-care on a demanding filming schedule?
“I would say I’m much kinder to myself now, or at least I try to be. I was pregnant for the entire filming of the fifth season and it was definitely an exercise in trying to watch any negative self-talk. I’m sure anyone who has ever been pregnant will tell you there are days you wake up and look in the mirror and go: ‘Huh?’ There were also a lot of days where I woke up and felt great!
I think in a lot of ways, filming actually helped my confidence because you just don’t have time to sink into the insecurities. You have a crew of a hundred people that are all doing their job and need you to show up and do yours. I’ve also been really lucky to have two easy—for the most part—pregnancies that felt really good physically, which obviously helps.”
Any go-to products or rituals that helped you feel like yourself again after each pregnancy while still working?
“We built a home gym when I was pregnant with my son, and getting out there for workouts was really important to me postpartum. Even at first, right after birth, when all I could do were core reconnection exercises and 360 breathing, I’d go out to the gym to do them. And I think the first time I lifted dumbbells after I was cleared for exercise I cried, I was so happy. Also, since you can’t use retinol while you’re pregnant, I was very excited to reintroduce that into my routine. I literally took it to the hospital with me!”
Rose’s arc involves a lot of transformation. Did playing that shift change how you think about your own image or beauty choices off-screen?
“Rose’s style and beauty choices are very polished, colorful and Southern. She wears a lot of feminine silhouettes, and she loves a wedge heel. My personal style is a lot more laidback—and I think I leaned into that even harder when I wasn’t filming. In the same way putting on the dress and heels signified the start of Rose for the day, putting on denim and a T-shirt is part of how I would wind down even just for the drive home from set. I also really favor breathable, low-key makeup (if any) when I’m not working.
I really love Saie’s entire product line. It’s so breathable and easy to use and you can still see your skin underneath. I love their Dew Blush ($26) in the color Cherie—it’s bright red and looks like it’s going to look crazy, but it goes on so beautifully. A dab on each cheek and a tiny dab on my nose and I’m out the door.”
As the series wraps, is there a beauty or self-care ritual that’s become tied to your time on Outer Banks—something you’ll always associate with this chapter?
“I’ll never see a hair straightener and not think of Rose! My hair is actually quite textured, so many an hour was spent in that chair every morning. The hair and makeup trailer is almost like the spiritual center of any film and TV set. It’s where everything goes down and where we all start our day. When I see a hair straightener, six years of gossip and memories and fun will flash before my eyes.”
As an Atlanta native who filmed for years in Charleston’s Lowcountry, any Southern beauty staples or wellness habits you picked up locally?
“Look, I know that undone, natural hair color is ‘cool’ right now, but you can pry the bleach out of my cold, dead hands! That feels properly Southern, and very Rose.”
