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GOOD SKIN Blog

5 Must-Do’s for Spring Cleaning Your Beauty Routine

We all know spring as the season for packing away your coats and sweaters, deep cleaning your fridge, and reorganizing your linen closet, but what about using that time to freshen up your skincare routine, too? Skin is the body’s largest organ—it requires just as much upkeep (if not more) than your home and wardrobe. Taking the time to cleanse your routine (not just in the springtime!) also ensures your regimen stays effective and reduces the chance of spreading germs and bacteria.

Not sure where to start? Step away from the Clorox wipes and consider this your handy guide to cleaning up your beauty regimen.


Check Expiration Dates

While you’re scouring expiration dates during your fridge cleanout, do an audit of your beauty products as well. In case you missed it—yes, your skincare expires. Look for the PAO (period after opening) symbol that is found on most products—it looks like a jar with the lid propped open—and toss any items you’ve been harboring too long. No symbol? The majority of products remain effective for 12 months. For super active products, like acid-based treatments, assume six months, to be safe. And get ahead of it for next year! For recently-purchased items, take the time to write the date on the bottom with a permanent marker or set yourself a calendar reminder for the time indicated by the PAO symbol so you remember when it was first opened.

Swap in Water-Based Products

A rise in temperature often equals a loss in hydration. It’s also the time when dry, winter air starts giving way to humidity (a.k.a. moisture in the air). So put water-based products at the forefront of your vanity. Oil-based creams may feel too heavy for your skin during the spring and summer months, but a lighter moisturizer filled with water-binding ingredients (like the aloe found in Dew Point Moisturizing Gel-Cream) will keep your skin from feeling parched.

Disinfect Your Beauty Tools

Any tools that touch your skin should be cleaned on a regular basis, but we all know that doesn’t always happen. Avoid spreading dirt, germs, and bacteria—which can contribute to acne, dermatitis, and more—by deep cleaning any and all beauty tools: heads for cleansing tools, makeup brushes, facial massagers, loofahs, dermaplaners, and micro-rollers… pretty much everything. 

Metal Tools: Dip them in or spray them with rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) and let them air dry for 5-10 minutes. 

Brushes: To clean them, massage baby shampoo or a gentle cleanser (our Gel Cleanser works for this) into wet bristles and rinse. To disinfect them, create a solution of two parts white vinegar and one part water, swirl the bristles around in it for 3-5 minutes, and rinse. 

Stone Rollers and Massagers: Wipe down using a cloth dipped in warm (not hot) water and a gentle cleanser.

Loofahs: Rinse with hot water before soaking in diluted hydrogen peroxide for 30 minutes. Let air dry in a well-ventilated space.

Donate Unused Products

We all have a beauty junk drawer—you know, the one filled with misfit products you were either gifted or decided didn’t work for you. Ask yourself honestly: If I haven’t used this by now, am I really going to? But before you toss anything, consider donating unopened, unused products to a charity (like Beauty Bus) or gifting them to a friend. If a product has already been opened, try finding another use for it. A moisturizer that breaks you out can still be used as a hand lotion. Something too thick for your face? Put it on your body. 

Don’t Forget Sun Protection

We already know that sun protection isn’t reserved for the warmer months and should be used daily year-round, but because longer days and higher UV indexes are coming now is a good time to take stock of your sunscreen supply. Check those expiration dates—expired sunscreen doesn’t stand a chance against UV rays—and make sure that you have a SPF you like enough to wear every day (in the amount of ½ teaspoon, of course). It’s also a good time to up the antioxidant protection with more vitamin C in your daily routine. Stroke of Brilliance Brightening Serum has you covered.