What can I say to my roommate who took my belongings without permission?

I think there's something weird here. I don't know, getting an excuse to buy a sweater is one thing, people can explain that, but using shampoo without permission? It seems like they've secretly made it a habit. I think they might have had such tendencies in the past; they might have gotten used to it. Why not have a chat and see if they're hiding something?

How long has he/she been doing this? Did you just notice it, or has it been like this from the beginning? Because if this has always been the case and you didn't set a clear boundary from the start, he/she might have normalized it in their own way. If you didn't clearly express your discomfort, maybe he/she hasn't understood.

I'm going to speak openly now, and you should take a bit of this. Is the door of your closet locked? Or did you react the first time? No one can know your limits just out of the blue. I think if you didn't draw a clear line from the beginning, you're at fault too.

When it comes to the unauthorized use of personal items like shampoo or sweaters, communication is the most important thing. Instead of being directly accusatory when bringing up the issue, use a clear expression like, 'I'm uncomfortable with this situation, and I would appreciate it if it didn't happen this way again.' This is important because sometimes people can misunderstand if boundaries are not clearly stated.

I've thought about it a bit, and I guess you are right. I didn't directly set a boundary, I've always brushed it off with phrases like 'what are you doing?' But about the shampoo thing, they also joked around saying 'I just used it once.' So now, I'm going to clearly express my discomfort because of that. Hopefully, they'll take it seriously.

I mean, I don't know, this is a roommate situation. We're not brothers, not family, but we're not completely strangers either. Asking for permission for every little thing feels like too much to me. After all, a sweater gets washed and returned, and think of shampoo like it's for guests. Don't overdo it, I think we shouldn't be so uptight in the house.