Most of us have dozens of styling products taking up unnecessary amounts of space in our bathrooms. From leave-in conditioners to serums and hairsprays, it’s pretty easy to procure a huge collection without even realizing it. Even if your cabinets aren’t getting too full, you may not feel confident in the quality—or even safety—of some of your styling products.

If either of those situations apply to you, it may be time to consider doing a little spring cleaning. Here are 3 signs a product might be better in the trash can than in your hair.

It Has Scary Ingredients

If your product has dozens of unpronounceable ingredients (or, worse, doesn’t have an ingredient label at all), you may want to consider throwing it away. There are many binders and fillers in these products, but some specifically nasty additives to steer clear of include:

1. Artificial Dyes
2. Parabens
3. Pthalates
4. Sulfates

Try to stick with all-natural products that showcase transparent lists of their ingredients.

It’s Expired

Many of us may not know that hair products have real expiration dates. If a use-by date
isn’t listed on the packaging, a good rule of thumb is to keep unopened hair products for no more than 3 years, maximum. Opened gels, pomades and creams are only good for about 18 months, but spray products tend to last a little longer. Of course, if you notice a change in smell or consistency before then, you may want to chuck it. To preserve your long-term products, try to store the backups somewhere cool and dry, and out of direct sunlight.¹

It Doesn’t Work

Sometimes, a product just doesn’t work well with our hair. If you’ve been using a product for a few months and still don’t see any of the improvements you were hoping for, it might be time to throw it away and try another brand. Somewhere out there is the product for you.

If any of these signs apply to your products, it may be time to consider replacing them with something new or formulated differently. We suggest doing a clean-out every six months using the list above to make sure you’re giving yourself the quality hair care you deserve.

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Citations

1. http://www.hairfinder.com/hair2/expiredhairproducts.htm