This article was originally published in American Spa.
One of the best ways to maximize the results you get from beauty products, tools and techniques is to give your beauty space a seasonal overhaul.
Here, FACTORFIVE offers five ways to clean out, organize, and streamline your products and tools for simpler, clutter-free routines that can save time, money, and even improve outcomes.
1. CHECK EXPIRATION DATES
Review the expiration dates on your beauty products, especially anything with active ingredients like vitamin C or retinol. If the texture, smell, or color has changed, it’s time to toss it. Using expired products can make your routine less effective and may irritate the skin.
2. LET GO OF LOW PERFORMERS
A lot of people hold onto products they never actually use, because they were trendy or expensive. If something has been sitting untouched for months, it’s likely not a fit for you — so send it packing. Stripping your vanity down to your go-to products not only reduces clutter, but it helps you stick to a realistic routine.
3. BUNDLE YOUR BENEFITS
One of the biggest mistakes we see is overcomplicating beauty routines with too much overlap in products and treatments. Check ingredients and benefits in your skin, hair, and body care to see where overlap exists. Going forward, seek out multitasking products that support numerous concerns in one step.
4. SWAP OUT FOR THE SEASON
Rotate products according to season. Heavy and thick products that worked beautifully during winter are not what you need in warmer months.
Swapping out rich moisturizers, for insrtance, in exchange for lighter, barrier-supporting formulas can help skin stay balanced as temperatures and humidity change.
It's also a good time to reinforce that SPF should be part of every daily routine year-round—but with more time spent outdoors during warmer months, that habit becomes even more critical to nail down from spring through autumn.
5. CLEAN YOUR TOOLS & BRUSHES
Makeup brushes, applicators, hair and skincare tools collect oil and bacteria over time, which can contribute to breakouts and irritation, and compromise product performance. Give all of them a good cleaning, and replace anything that can’t be properly sanitized.