Declutter Your Bathroom - My Current Top Bathroom Essentials 2016 | Beauty.

It wasn't until moving day I came to realise just how much stuff I had acquired in my bathroom. I had so many half used bottles of shampoos, conditioners, hair serums, body creams, hair mousses and the list goes on! I even had products I know I had bought well over 3 years ago that I just thought 'I'll keep that because I never know when I will need it'. It doesn't help a lot of the stuff was handed down to me from my mum but I never got round to using everything/finishing it off because more and more kept piling up. I would often also get half way through something before wanting to try something else which resulted in half used bottles laying around taking up space.

My first step to de-cluttering was to throw anything away that was at least 1 years old. Even if it was somewhat new. Have you ever looked at the back of a beauty product and noticed a small tub like symbol that has a number in it, usually there is a 12M or 24M? Well, that number is I guess what you could call an expiry date and the M is months. That little number is telling you when you need to have used the product by or have thrown away. So, that is the first step you need to take to decluttering- just bin it if it's old. If you haven't used it by now you're not going to so stop telling yourself you will. 

The next thing I did was to stop myself from buying anything until I had officially used everything I needed to. Within 3-6 months I saw myself finish off 8 different bottles of moisturiser, 3 body oils, bin 3 bottles of hair mousse, finish off 3 bottles of body wash, 6 bottles of shampoo and conditioner and 3-4 bottles of hair serum. I threw away 2 maybe 3 because they just weren't worth using.

The next step is buy only the things you know you will use and then wait to finish them before moving on. Something I love doing is trying different body creams because they are all different and it's good to switch things up so you don't get bored. I am a huge sucker for going crazy in Boot's just wanting to try everything. Don't do this. Finish off what you need to before moving onto something else.

Having de-cluttered my bathroom and having found my top beauty products that I just have to have in my bathroom it is now a place of tidiness, more space because there are less products taking up room and I know that everything I use works for me not to mention actually gets used.

So, here are my current bathroom beauty products.

Bath and body

Body wash - The body wash I like to use is Original Source. These days I tend to try and stick with beauty products that are organic, natural or vegan. I love Original Source because they're vegan which means they're also cruelty free (don't test on animals) and not to mention smell divine! They are made with natural plant extracts and authentic fragrances which suits me perfectly.
'We believe in respecting the world we live in' - Original Source.
Generally, I will stock up on them 4-5 bottles at a time because often they're on offer for £1 down from £2.30. My favourite ones are the coconut, mango and raspberry.

Body cream - Has to be Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Nourishing Body Lotion. I've used many body creams and lotions some of which have become favourites and some not so much. I have to say by far this one is my favourite. It smells gorgeous, it's easy to rub in and light weight and keeps my skin from drying out. Developed by Dermatologists it is also ideal for sensitive skin.

Body scrub - I tend to dry body brush which is when you rub a body brush over your dry skin before showering. You start at your feet and in circular motions work your way up to your heart. Not only is this an effective way of removing dead skin cells, and getting your blood pumping to the surface of your skin it also means you're using one less product that could be potentially damaging to the environment not to mention one less product you're spending money on. I am looking into making my own body scrub for in shower purposes as lets face it doing my current method is not fun during the cold winter months and I would prefer to make my own as shop bought scrubs contain so many chemicals.

"Dry body brushing helps shed dead skin cells (and encourages new cell renewal), which results in smoother and brighter skin. It can also help with any pesky ingrown hairs. It assists in improving vascular blood circulation and lymphatic drainage."

 Skincare

Makeup remover - To remove my makeup Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water is my favourite method. It's clean and by that I mean it doesn't leave oil or traces of the product on your skin like other removers. It's simple yet very effective and I just won't use anything else. Unless of course it's the Bioderma H20 water the very original before Garnier.

Cotton Pads - These I use in conjunction with the Garnier Micellar Water.

Face wash - To cleanse my face morning and night I use the Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash a very delicate yet effective face wash. 

Face Exfoliator- On Wednesdays and Sundays to deeply cleanse my skin I use the Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser which has exfoliating beads in it to really clean deep down and remove dead skin cells as to allow my skin to renew itself.

Toner - To tone my skin I follow with the Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract Toner. It smells so beautiful and feels very delicate on the skin.

Face Cream - In the mornings I like to use the Boot's Simply Sensitive Day Moisturiser with SPF 15 -very important to wear SPF every single day. In the evenings I use a richer cream which is the Nivea soft moisturising cream.

Hair

Shampoo - Currently I am using the Aussie Mega Shampoo. I can't say I really rate this shampoo it's a little drying on my hair and scalp. When it comes to my hair products I am still trying and testing different companies to see what is right for me. I will be waiting to finish off this product (please be soon!!) before I move on and I think next on my list is Aveda.

Conditioner - I am using the Natural World Coconut Water conditioner which is infused wth Certified Organic Coconut Extract. It has a lovely weightless formula, smells very nice and leaves my hair so soft. It is also paraben free which is something I look for in all my products.

Dry shampoo - As I wash my hair every third day I like to use Batiste if I feel like I ever need it. This one at the moment is my least favourite partly because I'm sick of the smell but because it leaves my hair looking ashy. I prefer their version for brunettes.

After care - My favourite serum is the L'Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Oil. I put this on my hair when it's damp before drying it and my hair is left silky soft and smelling gorgeous. It also protects your hair from heat up to 230 degrees.

Deodorant

Currently for deodorant I am using the dr.organic coconut oil deodorant. It smell's so nice and often I can smell it on myself throughout the day. It works wonderfully and I just love that it is natural and better for your heath than others.

Miscellaneous 

Of course I've got some miscellaneous products sat around that I don't use often such as E45 cream. This stuff is a staple in my bathroom I am never without it because it is very effective and does the job if I ever have very dry skin. 

The next product being my face SPF for during the summer. This I actually picked up back in January in Australia while I was travelling. My face had got very burnt so this stuff proved very useful throughout my 4 months of travelling. I picked this up in a chemist after a lady recommended it to me  and so I used it right through to the end of summer and I will continue to use it next summer.

Aside from other random things such as baby wipes, flannels, combs, razors and so on that is essentially all my bathroom products. I don't like to hoard a lot of stuff and it really is so much better to finish something off before moving on because when the bathroom looks tidy I am most happy. It's also just nicer going to grab 1 product of something rather than having to pick and choose.