Nikki Reed Shares Rare Look Into Her Family Life With Ian Somerhalder (2024)

Originally appeared on E! Online

Nikki Reed knows that, when it comes to planting a seed and watching something beautiful grow, you need sunlight. And you definitely don't need the glow that emanates from a phone.

"Getting back into the rhythm of the earth and getting our kids outdoors in a world where we're all living indoors, in front of screens and blue light everywhere, we need some red light," the Twilight actress told E! News' Francesca Amiker in an exclusive interview. "We need some sun, we need some fresh air."

Proximity to the great outdoors is one of the many reasons she and husband Ian Somerhalder are raising their almost-7-year-old daughter and 11-month-old son on a farm many miles north of Los Angeles, where—if they can't exactly unplug from the modern world entirely—it's at least easier to get back to basics.

"I can't personally envision a life without that connection to plants and soil," Reed said. "In this day and age, we're getting closer and closer to falling into full tech worlds. No matter how hard we try to shelter our kids from that, we're growing up in the age of tech, and I think the only way to really combat that is through nature."

But just because acting is on her back burner for now, don't mistake the mom and business owner's day-to-day for life in the slow lane. Wearing a host of hats is still the name of the game for Reed, making her a natural fit to partner with Babyganics' "Oops! I Forgot It Again" campaign.

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On social media, people tend to project an image of having it all together, and the campaign celebrates the "perfectly imperfect moments" that are the reality, the 36-year-old explained. "It's important for all of us to talk about the everyday and the grind. It's amazing, and it's beautiful, and it's chaotic, and it's messy—and that's all part of being a parent."

Nikki Reed Shares Rare Look Into Her Family Life With Ian Somerhalder (1)

She was an existing Babyganics customer when the brand came calling, "because I'm also that parent that's always looking for cleaner options," she noted. "In a dream world, I would make every single thing that I use, but let's be realistic. I do make a lot, but I also rely on incredible brands that I bring into our space as well."

While the days of being "that girl who could pack for a two-week trip in a carry-on bag" are over, that doesn't mean she doesn't like to streamline as much as possible, such as when she and Somerhalder pile the kids into the family RV and head off the grid.

Reed, who's happy to slather herself in kid-friendly Babyganics sunscreen and bug spray, maintains that "multipurpose-everything" mentality whether she's headed out for the day or a month, adding, "I am so that parent that's like, 'Okay, let's bring one thing for the whole family.'"

Still, referring to herself as "a student in this life," she is not one to dictate what's best for other families, though she certainly is an advocate for the adage that "less is more."

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But, more importantly, "Don't beat yourself up," she advised. "If you forget things, there's always somebody out there that's gonna have something. Whether you're on a hike or at the beach, don't be afraid to ask."

And if you forgot the SPF and happen to pass by one of the "Oops! I Forgot It Again" stands stocked with Babyganics goods going up in L.A. and New York this weekend, "grab something off the stand," Reed said. "Donate something if you have extra. It's that whole [it takes a] village mentality."

And if you, like Reed, don't have the time to make all of your food and everyday self-care items at home (or, let's face it, any self-care items at home) and are trying to make cleaner choices, take a minute to read the back of the box or bottle before you buy.

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"We don't do that often," she observed. "You think that, if you go into a store and it's in a particular aisle, we can track things as consumers. But it's really important to read labels, know what you're putting on your body, in your body, on your kids' bodies."

Environmental toxins are "an unfortunate part of living in this day and age," Reed continued. "Whether we're talking about what's in the air, what's in the water we drink, what's in the products we use or the food we eat, there are toxins everywhere. So, the less ingredients the better on the back of the label. And I like to pick one or two or three trusted brands in my home and commit to that, and make what you can when you can."

Which, she acknowledged, is a tall order, so "keep it simple" remains her overarching message.

Nikki Reed Shares Rare Look Into Her Family Life With Ian Somerhalder (2)

Of course, holding down the organic fort with Reed for the past decade is Somerhalder. Along with their affinity for wide open spaces, her husband of nine years shares her passion for health and wellness, and their recently launched supplement line, The Absorption Company, is yet more fruit of their healthy-living labors.

"If there were a Venn diagram, the overlap is pretty major," Reed said of her and the Vampire Diaries alum's joint sensibilities, "because we have a lot of shared goals and this desire to create a life—and also businesses that make a better life. I'll just say that he and I have a lot of common interests, so it's good that we're on the same page about all this."

And like so many successful partnerships, "we're very much the yin and the yang in how we operate," she noted. "He's super-creative and a visionary, and I am all about the nuts-and-bolts and logistics, and running day-to-day—realizing the dreams that he can conjure up. Hopefully we balance each other out in that way."

Alas, Somerhalder can't catch up on the sleep his wife is missing.

"I am running right now on fumes," Reed admitted. "I've got multiple jobs: Raising humans, running companies, working full-time."

But early to rise and late to bed allows for leisure time, too, in all its various forms.

"I have a lot of things that I love," she added. "I still want to get outside once or twice a week and get my hands in the soil and, you know, be with my cows and be with my horses—and read medical journals until two o'clock in the morning. There's just a lot of things that are happening in this orbit right now, and I've got to embrace all of it."

Whether geographically or just in spirit, read on for more stars who put some distance between them and Hollywood:

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