Throughout the course of this article, I aim to convince you that cleaning your house (and organizing your closet) will give you better skin. I think we both know that it?s not a direct cause and effect, but humor me for a second and let me try to draw the connection for you. I think that by the end of this article you’ll be headed to your closet with a trash bag in hand and a mind for decluttering.
Why Talk About Decluttering
You may have heard of the bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up or the popular concept of the capsule wardrobe ? it?s clear that people are having trouble dealing with all of their stuff, to the point where there are entire books and businesses devoted to helping them do it.
It?s not surprising? We have the temptation of cheap fashion and the convenience of delivery, and so accumulation becomes something we have to actively fight against.
And as we take a moment to recognize that having too much stuff or too much clutter is a problem we are fortunate to have, it becomes clear that it?s our responsibility to deal with it.
Luckily, the other side of a major deep clean promises us a myriad of benefits.
Let’s break down a few of the most popular strategies for cleaning house and how they can revolutionize your life.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Though this book urges you to throw your stuff away, it seems to be nowhere near getting booted off the shelves of eager readers across the globe. Originally written in Japanese, Marie Kondo?s cleaning philosophy manifesto has helped people all over the world, now translated into Korean, Chinese, French, German and English. As of 2015, it was topping charts.
I continue to have friends picking it up and telling me how it has changed their lives. So what’s so magical about this method?
Kondo employs a sort of ?opt-in? approach to possessions. Rather than asking yourself why you should throw something out, ask yourself why you should keep it. Her advice? Touch it, and if it doesn’t spark joy,?get rid of it.
Once readers purge their home of all of these joyless items they are instructed to store everything they own in sight, so it can be grabbed easily and will naturally gravitate back to its appropriate place after use.
Bourree Lam of The Atlantic explains that Kondo?s method demands that we let go of our status quo bias, a bias that tells us to keep things as they are unless we have a good reason to change.
Think of the last time you moved? How many things did you get rid of simply because you did not want to move them? How many items are sitting in your house right now that you only have because you haven’t had any reason to get rid of them? This is that status quo bias at work.
Other aspects of her approach dictate that you move category by category (first go through your clothes, then books?) rather than room by room. Another rule: do it in silence.
Once your space is clear of items that don’t bring you joy, shopping becomes a whole different game. Each item you consider purchasing now has a new set of standards to adhere to. It helps to prevent the sort of mindless shopping that I think many of us are prone to.
Kondo?s work has had a profound effect on her readers and those she has worked with. The psychological benefits to tidying up are real ??though they may come after a bit of anguish ??and the reaction her book has solicited proves it.
If clutter is impeding your ability to flow easily through life or if you simply want to instill more joy into your home, you should try this method.
The Capsule Wardrobe
Not looking to overhaul your whole life? This method is a little less drastic, a little less emotional, and thusly a little less magical than Kondo?s art.
The ‘capsule wardrobe’ is a term that was coined by Susie Faux ??fashion guru and grooming magician ??in the 1970s to describe a way of dressing where you create a mini wardrobe made up of pieces you love to wear that can be combined to create a variety outfits to last you a whole season.
Exact definitions vary, but Project 333 advises choosing 33 pieces ??including accessories and shoes ??and wearing them exclusively for 3 months. Workout clothes and under garments are not included.
The idea here is that you stow away everything else, so for an entire season you’re only wearing these 33 things. This frees up space in your closet and makes morning decisions easier.
Before starting this method it?s a good idea to go through your clothing and get rid of anything you no longer wear. Next, separate out anything that’s not seasonally appropriate ? those things get stored away along with the items you decide not to include in this season?s capsule.
The first benefit here is that you save time. Fewer items in your closet means less time choosing an outfit every morning. And an unexpected benefit that many people report is that their style improves ??they get compliments on what they wear and feel more stylish day to day. The initial time and intention that goes into putting together the capsule wardrobe seem to result in a more composed look day to day.
Okay, one more method to talk about, and then we?ll get to the skin benefits.
Matilda Kahl?s Work Uniform
Often we women feel the need to constantly change up our look, updating our wardrobe according to trends and reflecting the seasons with appropriate colors and patterns.
As an art director, you can imagine that Matilda Kahl felt no differently.
But one Monday morning, after spending too much time debating her outfit and then feeling less-than-confident with her choice as she walked through the door to her office, she vowed to make a change.
Matilda decided to create a work uniform for herself, comprised of a crisp white blouse adorned with a black leather rosette and black pants. This outfit would be her daily work attire.
The initial reactions of her colleagues were those of confusion ??why was she doing this? Some even asked her if it was for religious reasons. But as she explained to them the stress she had lifted by relieving herself of the need to choose an outfit every day, people got it.
She explains her story in this article from Harpers Bazaar.
This method in a sense takes the capsule wardrobe one step further. It’s drastic in a way and may not be right for everyone. But if mornings are a nightmare and work fashion brings you stress, maybe this is your answer.
Your Clutter, Your Skin
Let’s start with the most obvious skin benefit that comes from decluttering: having more time.
Time is a scarce resource for many of us, and time spent picking up after ourselves, debating what to wear, and looking for lost items inevitably ends up taking away from sleep and self-care rituals, both of which are essential for beautiful skin.
Next we have the confusion factor. Having clutter in your home means less organization and more places for your belongings to hide. Do you spend time looking for things? These moments of confusion wear on your more than you probably realize. These are not happy moments ? they bring stress.
It?s no exaggeration to say that our skin reflects our health. In fact it?s the first places that many internal issues like disease or hormonal imbalance can show up.
Creating a space for ourselves that is peaceful and clean is just as important as eating well, exercising, and sleeping. And setting yourself up so that your house stays cleaner without so much effort means more time for all of those things. Fewer possessions, more organization, less cleaning.
Stress can take its toll on our skin in a few different ways, but in general it contributes to inflammation, which is going to spark acne for some and accelerate aging for others.
Learn specific ways stress directly links to acne and aging in my bestselling book, Love Your Skin, Love Yourself.
We have so many opportunities to get stressed, from being in traffic to having work deadlines to difficulty managing relationships. The idea behind decluttering is to set up a system for yourself where your belongings don’t contribute to your stress.
Holistic skincare means tackling skin issues from many different dimensions, not just putting a cream on your skin and hoping for the best. By making a concentrated effort to organize and declutter your space, you can work towards having clear, youthful, and beautiful skin.
I hope you find one of these methods helpful! I’d love to hear how you plan or already have incorporated it into your life!
Have you tried a capsule wardrobe or another decluttering method? Tell me?in the comments below!
