Spring Cleaning For Your Skin and Beauty Essentials

Decluttering and organizing your home are often the first things that come to mind when you think of spring cleaning—but don’t forget your beauty cabinet. Skipping your skincare and haircare products is easy when completing a deep clean. The mindset is often to keep what you have in case you need it later. And let’s face it, beauty essentials are an investment. As such, you don’t want to toss your investment. Here’s how to take a strategic approach to free up storage space without waste.

Why Spring Clean Your Beauty Essentials?

Many of us have drawers and storage bins full of makeup, haircare, and skincare products that we never use. From cosmetic products you purchased to create a one-off look to hair styling products used for a previous hairstyle, and trending skincare products that didn’t work for you.

Even if they never worked or you won’t use them again, you may be hesitant to toss them. Just like clothing, beauty products can incite nostalgia. For example, the amazing memory of the last time you wore that bold lip color. Or you hesitate to toss the $120 night cream that didn’t work for you. It would feel like throwing away your money.

As difficult as it can be to let go of makeup, haircare, and skincare products—these products expire. Using expired products can irritate your skin and may be toxic.

A bright side of completing a deep spring clean is that you’ll find at least a product or two you misplaced or forgot about and can still use.

#1 Remove All Products

This is one of those times where it may get worse before it gets better. Begin by pulling everything skin and hair-related out of your drawers, cabinets, and closets so that you can take a full assessment. Maybe spread them out on the kitchen counter.

Sort your beauty essentials into 5 categories:

Current: Products you use regularly and only need to sanitize and reorganize.
Seasonal: Products you only use fall/winter or spring/summer.
Hair: Haircare products, heated styling tools, and hair accessories.
Face and neck: Skincare and cosmetic products used from the décolletage up.
Body: All bath and body products used from the décolletage down.

#2 Check Expiration and POA Dates

Yes, beauty products expire! They also have a period after opening (POA) date. This is how long a product is safe and effective after it’s opened. If you’ve ever put on the lipstick you haven’t worn in years and it smelled bad, tasted bad, or the texture isn’t smooth—it’s expired or past its POA date.

When buying products in person, read the expiration date before purchase. The expiration date is on the outside of the box just like on food products. Then, complete an online search for the POA date. For products you don’t use frequently, write the POA date on the bottom of the bottle, jar, or container with a Sharpie. Or use a labeling system or digital log.

Most skincare products last a year or less. Here are some general expiration and POA guidelines for spring cleaning your beauty essentials.

Lipstick: 1-3 years
Lip gloss: 1 year
Body lotion: 1-3 years
Sunscreen: 2-3 years
Fingernail polish: up to 2 years
Toothpaste: 2 years
Mouthwash: up to 3 years
Haircare products: 6-12 months
Mascara and liquid eyeliner: 3-6 months
Cream blush, cream eyeshadow, and liquid foundation: 1-2 years
Facial powder, powder blush, powder eyeshadow: 2-3 years
Perfume, fragrance, and cologne: 3-5 years
Razor blades: swap every 4 to 6 weeks, weekly if you shave daily

Extend Product Lifecycle With a Cosmetics Fridge

Proper storage can improve product performance and lifecycle. Bathrooms are hot and humid, and some products are designed to be kept at cooler temperatures. To ensure a consistent temperature, consider investing in a cosmetics refrigerator. These micro-refrigerators have the capacity to hold about a 6-pack of soda and can be used for cosmetics.

#3 Deep Sort

Now that you’ve tossed everything that’s expired, you can begin a deep sort. You may need to challenge yourself a bit here, as the temptation to keep once-beloved products is high.
It’s helpful to re-sort into a few additional categories:

Current: You already have products in this category, but you may be inspired to add a few more. For example, to recommit to weekly clay masks.
Seasonal: Products you want to keep, but don’t use all year round.
Gift: Give products to your kids, friends, or family.
Donate: You can’t donate open cream, liquid, powder, and gel-based products, but you can donate gently used hair accessories and styling tools.
Repurpose: There are a variety of ways you may be able to repurpose some of your beauty essentials.

How to Repurpose Facial Moisturizers You No Longer Use?

Use them as hand, body, or foot lotion! You aren’t alone if you tried a new anti-aging serum or moisturizer, and it wasn’t right for you. Or you transitioned to a new product, and still have some of your old product leftover. Pop these creams in your purse to use as a hand moisturizer. With the combination of thinner skin and frequent handwashing, hands tend to age faster than the rest of your body.

#4 Clean and Sanitize

When was the last time you cleaned or sanitized your skincare bottles and jars? Makeup applicators? The cupboard and drawers you store everything in? If you’re like most, not often enough. The bathroom is humid, creating the perfect breeding ground for mold and bacteria. Also, feces can spread throughout your bathroom when you flush. So, don’t just clean and sanitize the bathroom, but also your beauty essentials.

Drawers, Cabinets, and Storage Containers

Clean and sanitize drawers and cabinets by hand. Since plastic organizers can be difficult to clean by hand, wash them in the dishwasher. Ensure all drawers, cabinets, and containers are dry before returning your products.

Bottles, Jars, and Containers

Many containers can be washed with soap and warm water. You can wipe the outside of most bottles down with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Some labels may bleed when wet or when they come in contact with cleaning agents.

Shower Items

Even if you utilize a shower caddy, soap scum, and product buildup can accumulate on the outside of jars and bottles. This buildup can quickly lead to mold and mildew. It can also corrode metal shower caddies. Get in the habit of rinsing bottles off once a week in the shower or when you clean your shower.

Heated Styling Tools and Skincare Devices

Clean and sanitize as directed. If you aren’t sure how to clean and sanitize, perform a brand-specific or product-specific online search. Cleaning isn’t just for hygienic purposes, as it may extend the lifecycle of your tool or device.

Hair Brushes and Hair Accessories

Don’t forget your hairbrush and hair accessories. Some cloth and elastic headbands and ponytail ties can be machine-washed. Place in a laundry bag and air dry or dry lightly in the dryer. Some plastic headbands can be washed in the top rack of the dishwasher, but many hair accessories must be sanitized by hand.

Makeup Brushes, Sponges, and Applicators

Cosmetic applicators should be cleaned every 7 to 10 days. This includes brushes, sponges, powder puffs, and all other applicators. If your applicators are dirty, it may be why your skin is irritated, inflamed, or breaking out. Clean each applicator as directed by the individual beauty brand or utilize these beauty applicator cleaning instructions from the American Academy of Dermatology Association.

#5 Reorganize

Once you’ve completed the spring cleaning of your beauty essentials, and all items are dry, it’s time to return everything to your bathroom and beauty cabinets. Now is the ideal time to reorganize, so you may want to invest in a few storage tools. From standard hooks, storage cubes, and drawer organizers to item-specific organizers.

Organizing doesn’t just ensure your essentials are easy to find, it can double or triple your storage space.

#6 Rinse and Repeat

Try to maintain the routine above so that it’s faster and easier to deep clean the next time.

Check the expiration date on all products pre-purchase or post-delivery. Then identify the POA and write the date it needs to be tossed on the bottom of the bottle or jar. Or add a label, create a spreadsheet, or schedule a reminder to toss.
When you purchase a lipstick, eyeshadow, haircare product, or anti-aging skincare product that doesn’t work for you, don’t keep it. Immediately give it to someone who will use it.
Schedule a set day each week (or up to every 10 days) to clean makeup applicators and clean and sanitize the outside of all beauty product bottles, jars, containers, tools, and devices. However, some tools and devices need to be cleaned directly after use.
The day you clean your beauty essentials is an excellent time to quickly reorganize your products, devices, and tools. On a weekly basis, this should only take a few minutes. If you only do this quarterly or in the spring, it can take hours.