On committing to finishing products!
I wouldn’t have pegged myself as a hoarder. While I’m not exactly a minimalist, I like everything to have a place and I don’t tend to shop unless I need (or really want!) something. My clothes all have a place in my wardrobe, I have space for my shoes and accessories. Even my handbags fit snugly on a shelf in my wardrobe. And then there’s the bathroom…
We have a crazy amount of space in our bathroom – drawers and shelves galore. I’m also fortunate in that I get sent new beauty releases now and again, so there’s always a few extra products waiting in the wings should I finish up my favourite conditioner or face mask. The downside of all the new arrivals and extra space is that I rarely finish products. I use about half the product and I just can’t bear to part with the rest. Or I get something new to try and I can’t wait to finish up my current stash. The result is an overwhelming amount of products covering every inch of my bathroom!
This year I set myself a small goal to actually use up products. I noticed that it was mostly my favourite products that were sitting unfinished so I knew I had to get over that and just finish them up!
I also had a lot of back-ups waiting to be opened, and products I didn’t get along with (hair oils too heavy for my fine hair, moisturisers that broke me out, lotions with scents I didn’t enjoy) so I either used these up, gave them to Jordan or got rid.
I also cleared the shelf in our bathroom and put out all the products I needed to finish, and I made a point of using most of them daily to use them up. I’m terrible for forgetting that products (even my most loved staples!) exist unless I can see them – so having them out reminded me to use them up.
Having more time over the last few months has meant I’ve been a bit more dedicated to my beauty routines too. I’ve been putting on body lotion, hair oil, salt spray, and even sometimes a mask or two in the mornings every day. I hope this is something I take in to my post-lockdown life because I love how good I feel after spending a bit of extra time making myself feel lovely each day. I used to be so slap-dash with applying products, but now I take care to pamper myself a little.
& on to recycling…
So one of my main goals for the year was to properly recycle my bottles, jars and tubes. We’ve always just popped what we can in to our household recycling bin, but I’ve been meaning to collect everything and pop them in to the Origins or L’Occitane stores that offer the recycling programmes. You can take back empty products from any brands, and there are rewards too. There’s more information here and here if you’d like to find out more.
I hung a string bag on the back of the bathroom door to encourage me, and this helped me to finally finish up many of the products I’ve had sitting out! I recently had to empty the bag and I filled up three tote bags full of products, it was impressive. I’ve stored them in the cupboard to take them down to the stores when I can!
I still have near-empty products that I need to finish up, but I’ve managed to declutter my bathroom a fair amount and I feel a lot better for the progress I’ve made. I no longer feel quite so much like a product hoarder, and my bathroom feels a whole lot more zen too. It was like an aisle of Boots at one point.
It’s also going to be easier to keep on top of my recycling efforts as I now have a more steady stream of products being used up. Phew!
Is anyone else a bit of a product hoarder? What do you do to help you finish up the products you love?
