Do you have a ton of skincare products, but can only use a select few at a time? Do you have them thrown in a basket in the closet in the bathroom only to forget you have them? If you do use the products, what order do you use the products? If you are wondering who I am describing, well, I am describing myself, and you if you are the same way.

I desperately needed a method to organize my skincare products that worked for me, and a way to keep the clutter at bay in the bathroom. In the past, I have used baskets on the vanity, baskets in the cabinets and closet, or just stood them nicely on the vanity in the bathroom. There isn’t a medicine cabinet in my bathroom, so that was not an option.

While all of these methods worked a little, I still would either only use a few of the items, and not all of them, or forget what order I did them in. I also didn’t like all the clutter on the bathroom vanity. I prefer everything to be put away.

So I came up with the idea for a skincare drawer. In this drawer, I would lay the items in the drawer in the order I put them on or the order I use them. That way when I was done with one of the items, it went right back where it came from. I never had to wonder if I was using the same order as the previous day, because the products are always in order of use. This also helped me to use all the products, while keeping them organized.

I titled this post with the acronym DCO because in a previous blog post, I explained in detail about what DCO means and how it is an easy method to utilize in every area of your life that you want to declutter, clean, and get organized. And that is exactly what it stands for: declutter, clean, organize. This is the order you should use when getting any area of your home or life in order. If you missed that post, or want to learn more about my DCO method, check it out here.

Ok, back to the skincare post, I have a 7 step routine, so I only have 1 row of skincare products. If you have a longer routine, you may want to have 2 rows of skincare products in the drawer or use two drawers.

I often buy products that I want to use or try that I see in the store I like, but don’t use all the time. Or products that will replace a product I am currently using that is almost empty. What do you do with those products? This is where a small basket or bin to go in the cabinet below your drawer or in a closet would be good. So you could get it out when you decide you want to add it to your routine. It becomes sort of a swap in swap out routine with your products.

One major thing to remember though, is that skincare products can expire. You should always read the labels if you have had a product for a long time, and see if it is expired. There are some products that can cause a chemical reaction on your skin if they are expired. I have had some that have caused severe redness and burning sensation like a chemical burn. So steer clear and throw away any skincare products that are expired, just to be safe.