How to Declutter Your Self-Care Products — In Just One Hour!
To many of us, our skincare and beauty routines are a critical part of our self-care. Skincare is preventative, sure, but it also provides a few moments in our busy daily lives where we can take a beat and take care of ourselves.
Self-care is doubtlessly important, but it's not as cut-and-dry as "oh, treat yourself and splurge on something new!" Sometimes, the best medicine is mindfully evaluating what you already have instead of jumping to the next trendy product.
Here's a guide to decluttering all of your self-care products — in just an hour, we know you’re busy! — so you can simplify your routine going into Spring and make future purchases that better align with your values.
Why Declutter At All?
Research on decluttering suggests that having a tidy field of vision can affect your wellbeing for the better. There’s a reason why TikTok videos on how to organize your space abound, and why Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up sold millions of copies around the world.
So why declutter (beyond the obvious)? Well, it not only keeps your mind clear but influences your longer term purchasing and decision-making. You’re less likely to buy things you don’t need if you know what you already have.
Let’s get into the tactical parts of tidying up.
6 Tips for Your Next Decluttering Sesh
Not sure how to start decluttering? Follow these 6 tips:
1. Set a timer for one hour.
When you bite off more than you can chew (organizationally, that is), you end up with a bed full of unfolded clothes, tables strewn with items that you’re ready to say goodbye to, boxes left and right, and general chaos.
We recommend you start with a 60 minute timer. Choose one room or section of your place — for example, bathroom shelves and cabinets — and see what you can get done. If you feel like doing more, great! If not, you’re done!
2. Get rid of anything that's expired.
Spoiler alert — beauty, hair skincare products DO expire. That eyeshadow palette from 2010? Time to toss. That lotion you were gifted several Christmases ago? Gotta go.
3. Toss, donate, recycle, or regift.
We call it “TDRR.” You can make separate piles for different actions! While you might feel tempted to toss everything, we recommend taking a long, hard look at giving your products a new life.
Remember that many brands have established recycling programs where you can send in your empties. Some brands even give you loyalty points for returning plastic and glass bottles from their products.
Donating beauty products like fragrance, makeup, and skincare to your local shelter or nonprofit serving the community is a great way to give your lightly-used items to someone who really needs it. Consider packing up shampoos, conditioners, travel-sized products, not-expired makeup and skincare and giving them to community orgs.
Another underrated way to declutter? Regift that too-rich moisturizer to a friend with dry skin, or ask your bestie if she wants that retinol that was way too harsh for you.
4. Organize what's left.
Once you’ve done the hard work — sorting everything into piles, throwing away the olds and empties, and texting your friends to see what swaps they’ll take — you can get the fun part: organizing your shelves and cabinets till they sparkle with tidiness. This is when you can take shelfies of your ✨new and improved, minimalist routine. ✨
5. Make a plan for restocking.
Knowing when you need to re-up on your favorite serum or moisturizer can end up saving you time, money, and energy. That’s one of the reasons why Covey offers subscriptions that deliver every 30, 45, or 60 days (your choice!) — because not running out of your fave self-care items keeps you from scrolling TikTok looking for the next coolest product, or mindlessly “adding to cart” when you’re shopping at Target.
6. Keep things simple.
If you feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices out there, take a step back. We recommend leaving a tab open for a full 24-hours before you click “purchase.” Let’s face it — we all think we need something, only to completely forget about it a day later.
When you feel the urge to buy something new, take a deep breath, drink a glass of water, and evaluate if that’s something that’s a must-have or a nice-to-have. Your wallet and peace of mind will thank you!
Want to dive into skinminimalism and its wider movement to save time, money, and storage? Read more. Or, ready to simplify your entire beauty shelf and stop accumulating tons of products you won’t use?