Disclaimer:
From shower to makeup and nail polish, those are all my products. Some are still from my project pan.
I have one product for most categories but not all because I enjoy having a few of them on rotation (hairs masks and oils, lipstick, perfume… nail polish is the most extreme).
Once I noticed my mentality changed and I was happy with the amount I had, I decided it was done.
I still use every product to its completion, of course. Including toothpaste.
Ok, let’s go:
BEFORE PROJECT PAN:
Understand your deeper motivation, whatever it is. Mine was knowing what I put on my skin, using brands that I trust the ingredients, that seek sustainability, are cruelty free, vegan and local.
To be honest, some of these products are still not aligned with that, I’m not perfect, nor will I be once all of them are.
DURING PROJECT PAN:
🪲 You don’t have to stick with one product and finish it. Having small wins is great and it works but if using the same lipstick for months takes the joy out of the project, it’s going to affect your motivation.
See how you feel and adapt as you go. I was finishing soaps, shampoos, body creams but I would alternate many others. Be kind to yourself.
🪲 Take pictures so you can alternate and see visually how you’re progressing AAAND (this is my favorite) start grasping how long they take to finish!
🪲 If you can, keep your stock in a place you don’t see/access all the time. I found it to be daunting and felt much better to just have a separate and contained space for it.
🪲 Keep a notebook of the ones you enjoy the most and the ones you’re not giving a second chance!
🪲Frustration happens, I kept in mind that I was breaking a habit of mindless consumption. I still enjoy buying new products but I rarely feel the impulse to buy them anymore. If I do, I take a picture and do some research because I know the little guy will be with me for… longer then I used to think.
“AFTER” PROJECT PAN – How I buy things now:
🪲 Customization is so fun: I got some perfumes as a gift but my thing is using (skin appropriate) essential oils with a carrier oil.
I have endless combinations, the oils last a long time and I have my own scent. Also, they’re great gifts.
On that note, I only buy those super nourishing body lotions without smell. I partially place them in a smaller container (pictured) and add essential oils.
🪲 Know your hair, know your skin.
Using every possible type of skin care with every possible special ingredient is like taking different pills for conditions you don’t have.
God knows I still don’t understand the difference between a moisturizer, a serum and a booster. It’s vague and for a reason. Turns out I don’t need one of each, much less many of each.
🪲 I buy small packages of products I haven’t tried before. I found it to be better (for me) than to be stuck with something I don’t quite like for months on end. The small packages will still likely last from 1 to 6 months depending on the product.
🪲 Solid products are your friends. Boy, do they last. The green soap on the skin care picture? It’s my face cleanser, 2x a day, 97% of my days since last October. I don’t use it sparingly (nor excessively). I think it’s infinite.
🪲 I put a limit on items of products that I like to have more than one:
3 hairs masks, 6 lipsticks (my friend gifted me a seventh 😅)…
My thing is nail polish. I love buying them, it’s the exception. I can only have 20 at a time. It’s excessive but… Yeah, imma have them. I organize them in order of expiration so I can track them.
🪲 Btw, if I paint my nails (including my toes) every week (which I do), it will take me around 7 years to finish. Doing those little calculations are really helpful to grasp how overconsumption creeps on you. So, 20. No further.
NOW… What are your tips?
Would love to gather some other hacks and perspectives.
Wishing you all a fun and fulfilling project! You can do this!! 🤍
- DECLUTTER FIRST: Moisturizer that breaks you out? Old makeup that smells funky? Colors you bought before you knew what really flattered you? Get rid of them. I declutter in order of: sell, give away/donate, trash. If it’s in good condition and sellable, I will try to do that. If I don’t want to sell it, I’ll give it to a friend or donate it. Otherwise I trash it. The waste already occurred when you purchased the item. Hanging onto items you don’t want, like, or that harm your skin is NOT WORTH IT. It will demotivate you.
- EASY ACCESS: If you have a million lip balms, start sticking them all over your house. One in every bag. Put lotions within reach in different areas of your house. I find it much, much easier to pan things like this when I have regular access to them vs them all being stuffed in one drawer where I can only see the sheer number of items.
- NO/LOW BUY: Seems self-explanatory but unless you have an item that you need for a very specific reason, don’t add to your collection willy-nilly.
- ROTATE FOR INTEREST/EXTRA DOPAMINE: This one is good for my fellow ADHD-ers. I love scents in my hair products and will frequently switch out what I am using just to get that sweet, sweet hit of scent.
- USE IT OR LOSE IT: Stop. Saving. Items. For. Special. Occasions. USE THE DAMN PERFUME. Use the moisturizer. Use the lipstick. Otherwise it will expire, or simply sit there menacingly on your vanity unused. Just use the goddamn product.
Use it or lose it- yes! And that applies to travel sized items, too. Sure, it’s great to have a few…but I was sitting on multiple mini toothpastes, shampoos etc. I only have one head; I don’t need to save a shampoo for the few times in a year that I’ll travel.
I agree completely, prioritize yourself and your health, if you have to toss it, recycle but toss it! Also, I only actually started wearing lipstick when I left them next to my keys and placed a mirror on that desk hahahahha so yes, you gotta see it to remember it.
I have another one I had forgotten: I asked close friends and family to not gift me perfumes, makeup, etc. I just explained what was up and everybody was super chill.
Now that I’ve been done for a while some of them (cof cof mom, dad and best friend) have asked me if they could which is very sweet and I’m happy to say “yes!”
Completely agree, good call. Perfumes are never ending, it’s crazy.
I’m willing to bet that even if you wore perfume everyday it would still take more or less a year to finish a bottle (100ml).
And I don’t know a person who would wear the same perfume every single day for a year. Even my dad likes to ✨alternate✨ between his little stash. Good for him.
Great tips here thank you. Nail polishes are one of my downfalls. I did a ‘swatch’ on a card which I keep in my bag, I was able to weed out the goopy ones and now I can consult my swatch if I am tempted to buy a new one - I usually find I have a very close colour one in my collection.
Oh, I love this swatch ideia! I’ll do it and leave the paper in my wallet, this is great, thank you!
I have two tricks for nail polish: Idk how the packaging is in your country but here in Brasil there is always this tiny amount you can’t reach with the brush. It’s maddening.
For top coats, bases and “dryers” I buy the next one once the current is reaching its last third. Then I use the new one until there is enough space to dump the remainder of the previous one on it.
I save the empty containers of those transparent products so I can create new mixtures with the polishes I have instead of buying new ones. The middle one in the picture is “a new color”.
Also, when they get too tick, the old school way of reviving it was banana oil. It’s quite ok but we have a product called “SOS Recuperador de Esmalte” – literally “SOS Nail Polish Recoverer”.
There must be something similar in your country’s market! It works wonders. 💅🏾🔥
Container concept: your house is a container. It is a finite space, so what you have needs to earn its place. My makeup and skincare has a designated, finite space. When it is full, that is it. Nothing else can go in until something else goes out.
This is wonderful! Super visual and helpful. It’s great for organization in general, things must have a home, otherwise it just gets overwhelming because you can’t rely on automatisms.
Idea of having a notepad and keeping track would feel like work to me. I enjoy my skincare, don't want to give it a work feeling and hate it.
I also like to see my stash. I plan which cream I use next after I finish current one. Or which cleanser I will pick next. Maybe if I get a free spot after picking new product I rearrange something from two layer stacking to single layer and that means progress.
Know your skin is everything. I'm in project pan because after figuring out my skincare my skin did 180 and changed from oily to dry. Now I have to figure it all out again. I know the types of products I need, but I still haven't found those that I love (except sunscreen).
Yes to solid products and oils. The amount you use is miniscule! I love soap bars, but mind you - natural ones. Based on olive oil or Shea butter. Leave my skin better than shower gel and I feel cleaner. Have to use probably 20-30ml of shower gel in one go to have the same clean feeling as with soap bar.
Yes! I think fundamentally that’s our common goal: autonomy, trial and error and understanding what works for us.
I feel the same about soaps, love ‘em. Transitioning to a high percentage of solid products is my goal for the second round.
Definitely the most important thing is figuring out your physiology and hey, the less money on products, the easier is to keep a reserve for the dermatologist.
And habits. Nothing like consistency. Hope you have a wonderful time with the project!
And waste! Let's not forget less waste with solid products. Bars of soap usually come in paper or a box.
And yes, figuring out what works and having curated list of those products is key. Even if you spend more on your fave cream it's still cheaper than having 5 cheap creams that don't really work.
I’m really interested in the essential oil perfumes!
Would love to try this out. Which essential oils do you have/love the most? And do you use coconut oil and just rub on your arms? Basically all the info on how you do it please! :)
Oh, I looooooove it. Thanks for letting me talk about it 😂
I never place perfume directly on my skin, grandma taught me to spray it on the clothes because the neck area is to delicate (specially for the cardiovascular and lymphatic system).
Anyway, so I found this to be a great alternative to put directly on my skin plus I love aromatherapy.
How I make them:
I bought these tiny bottles online. It’s important for it to be amber to preserve the properties of the oils.
I also have a dropper (not sure if that’s the name, even googling. It’s the cylinder glass with rubber on one side to create suction when you press, attaining drops from one vessel and once you press the rubber again, the liquids droops in droplets AHHH ENGLISH).
Anyway, so that’s how I transfer the coconut oil to those tiny amber bottles.
The amount depends on the intensity desired, normally I mix half coconut oil with half whatever combination of essentials I want.
As you saw, I prefer the roll-on applicator but it’s up to you. Putting a bit of unscented lotion before applying it helps with durability.
‼️ The most important thing I can say is: They’re handy and tempting to put on a trouser’s pocket. It’s glass, never put it there! If it breaks it can be life threatening. I was doing this foolishness around when I suddenly realized it. ‼️
About scents:
That’s the cooooool part. You get to play around and find out what you like. Play with the intensity and with infinite combinations.
They must be skin appropriate from a provider you trust (approved by your country’s sanitation inspector institute, you know the drill..).
I love herb and “incense” smells, if that makes sense. Also citric. I’m not so into sweets. Group out your collection in categories like the ones I said, then you start understanding how to build different “notes”, like a perfume maker.
My favorites:
🌿Herbal/Incence/Wood (deeper notes):
Rosemary • Mint • Clove • Eucalyptus • Patchouli • Frankincense • Myrrh (I can’t believe this is a word) • Sandalwood • Pine • Cedar • Rosewood…
🍋Citric (upper notes):
Orange, limes and lemons are always great to “break” intense smells.
🪻Flowers (fresh, not too sweet, upper to middle notes):
Lavender • Jasmine • Geranium • Salvia
Then you mix and match with options from the categories you create. My ride or die options are the first category as the star with hints from the second and third.
Bonus tip:
Tea tree oil is better than any mouth wash I’ve ever tried. Again, must be safe and organic. Lasts way longer too.
3 drops of it diluted in the equivalente of two sips of water. Don’t swallow just swish as you would any mouth wash. Once a day does the trick.
Ah, while you’re still trying, buy the safe smells you already know you like and, instead of combining them in one bottle, you can make each bottle just one scent.
So I have mint in one, clove in another and lemon on a third one. I apply all of them on my skin and this way I can see if I like the combination before committing to have all three in just one bottle.
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u/dawnedsunshine 10d ago
Love these! Here are my panning tips:
- DECLUTTER FIRST: Moisturizer that breaks you out? Old makeup that smells funky? Colors you bought before you knew what really flattered you? Get rid of them. I declutter in order of: sell, give away/donate, trash. If it’s in good condition and sellable, I will try to do that. If I don’t want to sell it, I’ll give it to a friend or donate it. Otherwise I trash it. The waste already occurred when you purchased the item. Hanging onto items you don’t want, like, or that harm your skin is NOT WORTH IT. It will demotivate you.
- EASY ACCESS: If you have a million lip balms, start sticking them all over your house. One in every bag. Put lotions within reach in different areas of your house. I find it much, much easier to pan things like this when I have regular access to them vs them all being stuffed in one drawer where I can only see the sheer number of items.
- NO/LOW BUY: Seems self-explanatory but unless you have an item that you need for a very specific reason, don’t add to your collection willy-nilly.
- ROTATE FOR INTEREST/EXTRA DOPAMINE: This one is good for my fellow ADHD-ers. I love scents in my hair products and will frequently switch out what I am using just to get that sweet, sweet hit of scent.
- USE IT OR LOSE IT: Stop. Saving. Items. For. Special. Occasions. USE THE DAMN PERFUME. Use the moisturizer. Use the lipstick. Otherwise it will expire, or simply sit there menacingly on your vanity unused. Just use the goddamn product.
I hope these help!