Skincare Spring Cleaning

Two weeks ago I sat down and wrote a spring cleaning checklist. Each day I tried to cross off one or two of those tasks, like organizing my junk drawer or scrubbing down my fridge. And I’m feeling so great that I want to take the “spring cleaning” spirit to every area of my life – including my skin.

Confession? I have hardly been washing my face lately. With a new baby, a wild preschooler and a new season of House of Cards . . . I have shamefully climbed into bed in a zombie-like state . . . with zombie-like skin to go along. I can’t believe I’m admitting that I go to bed with makeup (and dirt, grime, pollution, oil) clogging my pores. But it’s true. I’ve been slacking and my skin has been suffering for it.

Here is my skincare spring cleaning checklist:

1. Declutter the skincare: I really don’t need a medicine cabinet bursting with creams and cure-alls. I got rid of everything I didn’t like or didn’t use, along with anything more than a year old. Bonus points for me: I also tackled my makeup!

2. Like, LITERALLY clean the dkincare: If my skincare bottles and facial tools are covered in germs and makeup dust, how much good is it to get my hands covered with that stuff and then go rubbing my face?! Yuck. Warm soapy water and some clean towels made everything look fresh and clean. Oh yeah, and the same goes for makeup, makeup brushes, etc. I also cleaned the storage zones for my toiletries, just because I was feeling a tad overachiever at the moment.

3. Analyze and make a wish list: After decluttering and cleaning, I analyzed what was missing in my skincare products, like an eye cream, a new mud mask and a big stock of nose pore strips, which I’m always running out of. I made a wish list and have slowly started looking for the right products to fill those skincare needs.

4. Set up for success: I created a face-washing station. I filled a cute basket with some headbands, hair ties, bobby pins and clean white washcloths to dry off with. And of course my favorite cleanser and lotions.  Instead of having one bottle of cleanser that goes back in forth between shower and bathroom counter, I bought an extra for my shower! If you travel a lot, take this time to have your toiletries bag stocked with all your best skincare items. Make it easy to be good to your skin!

5. Be a realist: I SHOULD wash my face properly before going to bed. But as Voltaire once said, perfection is the enemy of good. So I loaded my bedside table drawer’s with a package of the wonderful Burt’s Bees Sensitive Skin Facial Wipes. If worst comes to worst I can at least get the top layer of gunk off before heading to sleepy town. I also included a container of Neutragena Acne Stress Control Cleansing Pads, in case I am feeling extra oily and a tad ambitious.

Alright, so now I am feeling a huge improvement in my skincare. Do you have any other steps to spring cleaning your skincare? Comment make me happy and just might cure your seborrheic dermatitis.*

*No, it won’t. Sorry. That was manipulative.

(For your convenience I linked to some products on Amazon. For my convenience, they are affiliate links! Thanks!)