How to Conquer Your Beauty Clutter

Jill Goldsberry

Age: 37
Her Weakness: Hair products
Her Rescuer: Hairstylist Anthony Dickey

"I'm in a constant battle with my hair," says Jill. "It's so hard to get it soft and manageable." Her solution: Build an arsenal of every hair product she can find. She researched them online, solicited recommendations from friends, paced the aisles of beauty supply stores. It wasn't until Jill agreed to our intervention that she realized how many products she'd accumulated. "I'd totally forgotten I owned some of this stuff," she says. Here's how Dickey brought her back to the basics.

Counting It All Up

Trish's clutter by the numbers:

• 25 shampoos
• 15 oil treatments
• 40 conditioners
• 17 styling products

Space-Freeing Strategies

Stay True to Your Hair Type
Jill's love of new! improved! award-winning! products blinded her to what her hair needs: hydration. Among her piles were mousses, volumizers, even a dry shampoo. Consider what you want a product to do for your hair (moisturize, soften, thicken), look for those words on the packaging, and ignore other claims.

Interview Your Hairstylist
Ask her exactly what products she's using on your hair and in what order. Take note of the ones that make your hair feel best.

Spread the Wealth
If a product's not right for your hair type, don't hold on to it. Perhaps it could work for a friend with different needs.