Bath and Body to the 10th Power!

I admit it. I love scented body lotions. I love toiletry SETS even better. If they have the shower gel, bubble bath AND body spray I am IN.  Name brands do not necessarily matter. I have sets from the drugstore as well as department stores and specialty stores. I even have a couple of home-made “organic” spa products from local entrepreneurs.

The “3 for 2” or “5 for 3” sales at the chain retail stores don’t help at all, they actually aid my little predilection. However, I am NOT blaming the suppliers!

The downside of my in-house spa experience is the lack of complete usage of all of my products. Each scent or line would have a “season” so to speak. I may grab one scent randomly or stick with basic body lotion the next. I don’t methodically rotate each set. I use what I use whatever I am feeling and the others sit on the shelf. So ultimately some of these products can go stale. The product can separate in the container. The scent, color, and or consistency changes, you get what I am saying. You don’t REALLY want to slather this all over your body and get a negative reaction.

So this week I decided to go through my bathroom and medicine cabinets to clear out old product or nearly empty containers.

I am kind of proud to say that I recycled 20-something containers! Old vitamins and expired medication bottles are also included in this count.

Although some spa products do not usually have an expiration date stamped on them, there is a shelf life for them. Certain ingredients and usage determine shelf life. You can check out the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for more information on this. (Keep in mind that home made products have an even shorter shelf life because no preservatives are added to them.)

Body Lotion – 2 or 3 years

Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel – about 3 years

Bath Oil – 1 year

Bar Soap – 18 months to 3 years

Body Scrubs – About 3 months to 2 years

Body Spray – Up to 3 years (These should be kept in a cool dry space, not in the bathroom)

Perfume – About 2 years (These should be kept in a cool dry space, not in the bathroom)

Next up will be my makeup bag!