Are You “High Maintenance”? Streamline Your Grooming Time

As the only female in a male household of two teenage boys and a husband (even the dog and the parakeet are male), I am frequently criticized and am the subject of exasperated sighs due to the waiting around for me to “get ready” when we are going out.

I have tried to explain to them how very low-maintenance I actually am, but they don’t seem to appreciate it because they have no basis for comparison. They don't know women who have long hair that requires elaborate conditioning, drying, curling and/or straightening with irons and other various medieval implements. And, they have no appreciation that we just went on a 2-week vacation overseas and all I packed was a carry-on!

I want to encourage my female readers to take a look at their grooming rituals and the time and storage needs that are involved. Here are some factors to consider:

• Your hairstyle. Are you fighting nature every day, straightening curly hair or curling straight hair? A simpler hairstyle could save some women up to 30 minutes a day and reduce their hairstyling tools and products storage needs by half. Personally I have a short haircut that requires only a hair dryer and some hairspray, and I can do my hair in as little as five minutes. Have a discussion with your hairdresser about how to reduce the complexity for yourself. One small tradeoff—with shorter hair you may need to get a haircut more often.
• Your makeup. Do you have one of those giant fishing tackle boxes, full of all colors of makeup for all occasions? Or maybe your makeup is not organized into a tackle box but thrown willy-nilly into a drawer instead. When is the last time you actually strayed from the 2-3 favorites you use 90% of the time? Most people have a regular daily routine and something else they reliably do for special occasions, and everything else perpetually sits there “just in case.” Get your “A”-level daily supplies together and simply them into an easily accessible drawer, pouch, caddy, or tray. The rest can either be discarded (it’s often expired anyway in terms of safety and effectiveness) or put away in a less-accessible location as back-stock. Get real about what you use and need and resist buying more until you’re clear on what you already have.
• Your nails. If you’ve been going to a nail salon for years, your stock of polishes probably is separated and old and needs to be thrown out. If you are someone who likes painting your nails regularly, consider the low-maintenance option of acrylic nails. I wish I had done that years ago. (Thanks to my friend Monica for the encouragement to try it!) I can be rough and tough with them and I don’t have to be fussing around worrying about broken nails and ruining my manicure—I just do what I need to do. They look good every day with only minimal monthly attention.
• Your wardrobe. An organized closet helps you pick out jewelry and clothing more easily and quickly, saving time every single day. Are you saving clothing that is too big or too small, because you’re in continuous transitions of weight gain or loss? Our Simple Division® Garment Organizers create sections of clothing to help you get them segregated from your everyday clothes that fit. You can also make sections for capri pants vs. regular pants, long sleeve, short sleeve, things that need ironing… It's kind of like filing your clothes– everything has a place.

So, are you high maintenance? What could you do to streamline your "getting ready" routine? Share in the comments!

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