A journey through Karrueche Tran’s Instagram archive is a wellness lover’s wildest dream. On any given day, her Insta story boasts deep tissue massages, facial icing, somatic soundbaths and just about every other wellness ritual you can think of.
But these pursuits are not just aesthetic vanity metrics for the Claws actress. Her established wellness habits and routines are integral to Tran’s journey toward a more balanced life.
“I’ve been on this wellness journey of spiritually, physically, and mentally discovering myself, and stepping into my power and figuring out what works best for me in my life,” Tran told EBONY.
This penchant for wellness runs so deep that Tran created her own beauty wellness brand, Ruechi Beauty, which is a portmanteau of her Vietnamese name “Chi” and “Rue” from Karrueche.
The Origin of Ruechi Beauty
Ruechi Beauty has been three years in the making, and all the products are inspired by the beauty tricks and tools that Tran has picked up over the years.
“I didn’t want to start making products just to be another celebrity skincare brand. I wanted to focus on a few items that I authentically use myself,” said Tran.
The Ruechi Refresh Kit, available for $88, includes the Ruechi Nano Mister, the Kryo sculpting tool, a plush headband and a chic vanity bag to hold all your goodies.
“The most important thing was keeping the brand and products true to me.”
Thus, the Kryo sculpting tool was born.
“It started with me putting a spoon in the freezer and putting that under my eyes and all over my face, and then I started to do it with ice, and then I started to do the ice face baths. And as we were creating this brand, I was like, I definitely want a cryo tool to help with the puffiness,” added Tran.
Similarly, the nano mister was inspired by Tran’s long days on set that often left her with patchy makeup and dehydrated skin.
“I came up with the idea for the mister when I was in New Orleans filming for Claws. The humidity out there was just crazy, and my makeup would pretty much dissolve into my skin, and I would get very cakey under my eyes in the concealer. One of the makeup artists, Stephen Moleski, started to bring steamers to the makeup trailers, so we can kind of break down the cakey makeup,” Tran shared.
(@karrueche)Becoming a Wellness Maven
Given her indisputable proclivity for all things wellness, it’s hard to imagine a world where Tran was a sugary drink and fried-food enthusiast who didn’t know the first thing about proper hydration, much less cryo tools or rose water-infused ice rollers.
“I used to never drink water back then. I used to eat a bunch of crap, eat fast food and junk food and all kind of processed stuff, because I just didn’t realize what I was putting into my body,” says Tran.
During her twenties, Tran says she was the queen of indulgences, seldom turning down a night out.
“I would go out all the time, and it’s fine to indulge here and there, but I was just drinking, just to drink, and it’s like, alcohol is fine, but it’s still a poison.”
Her Wellness Wakeup Call
Despite what she recalls as a period of poor diet and relatively no wellness practices, this time in Tran’s life was lionized online by blog sites, and Instagram accounts that praised her iconic off-guard looks and slimmer physique.
Despite what the current cultural obsession with thinness might suggest, skinny and healthy are far from synonymous. In fact, Tran says both her mental and physical health were suffering immensely at that time and seeing photos of herself in that state all over the internet was a major wakeup call.
“I saw old paparazzi shots of myself when I was not at my best, I was depressed, I wasn’t taking care of myself. I wasn’t pouring into my own cup. I was just in another world,” recalled Tran.
Her internal discontent also manifested in external habits. “I was smoking weed because I was depressed and just being much thinner and not eating right, not working out.”
Reflecting on how her previous lifestyle made her feel and look was the ultimate impetus for her wellness journey that quickly turned into a holistic lifestyle. “I wanted to improve and I wanted to look better. Now I make sure that I get seven to eight hours of sleep a night, so I feel refreshed,” said Tran.
A New Era
Nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find Tran out at the club save for a special occasion.
“I don’t want to always put an age restriction on certain things. But it’s like, what am I doing at the club at 36? I’m trying to look for a man and a family. I don’t think that’s going to be in the club,” Trans joked.
Though some of her friends dub her new, calmer lifestyle as “boring,” Tran says she couldn’t be more at peace, prioritizing fitness, nutrition and what a healthy body looks like for her.
“I work out with a trainer. I lift heavy to build muscle and just live in my truth for what I prefer,” said Tran, adding that while a slender build may be on trend right now, that’s not her goal.
“A lot of people idolize being skinny, and I don’t want that. I gotta wake up every day and deal with myself in the mirror and in my life. And so, if that’s what I want, and I can obtain it in a natural and positive way, then I’m going to do that,” she added that a BBL was never in the cards for her.
“I went through a phase of wanting to be thick and have a big butt, but I was like me with a BBL is crazy.”
That’s not to say Tran is anti-plastic surgery by any means, as she herself sometimes considers getting work done herself. “I’m a grown woman. But I’m petite and want to feel like I look like a woman, so I have thought about getting a boob job. I would like some bigger boobs, but I go back and forth on it.” Tran included that her fear of being pricked is a major drawback.
“I’ve never had a surgery. I’m scared of needles, so I don’t really know what I’m going to do about that, but I’m trying to stay as natural as possible. If I did do any type of surgery, it probably would just be a boob job.”
Plastic surgery or not, though, Tran’s 30s have been a holistically transformative era, and wellness has been an invaluable part of that process. “I really love this woman that I’m becoming and evolving into, and I think that this wellness journey is something that’s going to continue until I’m gone.”
