Do you read the back of your shampoo? Do you check the instructions on your facewash, niacinamide serum, and conditioner?

Do you tick “yes” on the Terms & Conditions when you know damn well you haven’t read them?

We always think we know more than we know.

I rarely read the product instructions. They get a quick skim when they arrive at my well-stocked doorstep (excluding shampoo. I’m short shampoo options – I only have four different bottles and two overlap – they’re both clarifying options) before they’re put away in the appropriate storage container and slotted into rotation.

Part of it’s vanity. I read the directions more when I didn’t need glasses for the suddenly small print.

Part of it’s assumption. I know what I’m doing. Although which serums go together and which ones hate each other still occasionally gets me in a twist.

Retinol is picky.

I’ve got skin cleansers, serums, and moisturizers for days, but I like to mix things up. My results aren’t worse than what I might see if I had brand loyalty (I have a friend who’s a Clinque lifer that I can use for comparison) despite each brand’s claims to the contrary and this means I hit the stores and clearance racks with enthusiasm.

I like beauty and skincare stuff. I can be sold.

What if I feel the need for exfoliation? What if I feel the need for a deep and moisturizing clean? What if I’m feeling St. Ives in front and The Inky List in back?

And what about when I need to replace them? My Head & Shoulders haircare duo is cheap enough (good for itchy scalps and back breakouts), but that Ouai deep conditioning treatment (once a month) is a little dear.

Ditto my Dr. Brandt salicylic acid face wash and Benefit anything. The prices once you move out of drugstores go ka-ching. The prices in the drugstore too, occasionally. Sephora is my happy place, but it’s not cheap.

And who does Oil of Olay think they are?

Most of the premium products currently in my possession came via subscription box (the memberships have expired, but the products remain) though I’ve bought some at full price when the spirit moves (Rare Beauty highlighter, JLo face mask, Fenty lip balm).

We sure pay a premium for the celebrity connection.

I guess they need the money.

They don’t nag consumers about using less, however, not on the packaging and not at the point of sale (that last doesn’t apply if you shop online). I get why. Telling us to use less of a product isn’t going to swell the bottom line.

And yet, with most face and body stuff, less is still more.  

One of my favourite cleansers, following Noxzema (cheap, brilliant, love the smell), is Vichy Laboratoires ProEVEN Brightening cleansing foam with Ceramide Bright and Vitamin C and LHA. It’s lovely. The foam. The name’s a mouthful. And with the foam, if you dispense more than half a pea-sized amount onto your hand, you’ve used too much.

Half a pea, some water, rub your hands together, and you’ve made foaming suds for you and three friends. It’s around twenty-five dollars a bottle, a midpoint price until you realize that one tube is going to last a decade.

Trust me. Others haven’t to their peril. You’ve been warned. It takes a bit to rinse off excess. It clings. Or maybe jump into the shower and turn it into a body wash. Be cheap. Use little. It’s the only way to fly.

Ditto when it comes to serums. When they say four drops, they mean four drops. Collagen serums cover a lot of real estate with little effort. It’s not that helpful, but it feels nice. And the hyaluronic acid that comes next does best on slightly damp skin, so a win by default. I sometimes use five drops as a treat on Sunday, but never more. Four covers the face, neck, and décolleté easily. ^[i]

Don’t be that person. Don’t test the paint. Don’t lick the cold metal. Don’t be me and think you need to use more. You’re not improving efficacy, but you’ll shrink your wallet faster. And serums are your big-ticket item. That’s where you spend your coin. So don’t waste it.

Slapping it on by the handful as I used to was wasting it. I do like the single-dose ceramide ampules. Perfectly portioned and free from my tendency to excess.

When it comes to shampoo, also use less. Put less than you think you’ll need in your hand and then lather up before applying it to your scalp. Rub it between your hands for a good thirty seconds.

But I can’t – it drips off my hands and goes everywhere.

You’re using too much. You’ve also been doing it wrong. Focus on the scalp, only lastly massage it into the tresses. Then rinse, and well. People skip the rinse step. Also, use a water-preserving showerhead. We’re not animals, and they make great ones that still have the gift of water pressure.

I know. I sound like your mom. Don’t you hate it when moms are right? You don’t need to buy as much as you thought, and you don’t need to spend as much as you think. My favourite and most effective products are generally the cheapest.

Except for perfume. Don’t ever let anyone give you a sampler of expensive perfumes. It’s cruel. I don’t want to spend more than a hundred dollars.

But I digress.

You can use your beauty and grooming products correctly and go greener at the same time and the only people it harms are the people who stopped telling you to use less so they could bump sales.

Ignore the commercials. Corporations aren’t your friend.

---

[i] Collagen serums don’t help the skin beyond feeling lovely. The molecules are too big to be absorbed. I didn’t know this before I bought the serum, but it was only nine dollars at Winners and it smells and feels divine. So there, science.

---