Repurposing your empty beauty products is something you can easily do at home to become a more environmentally-conscious consumer – and it makes your beauty routine more sustainable! It’s one of my favorite slow beauty practices. The beauty industry has been a significant contributor to the percentage of trash that ends up in landfills. Personal care and beauty products are estimated to make up for about 1/3 of all landfill waste. Over the years, many brands have become more eco-friendly with their packaging – but as consumers, there’s more we can do to reduce waste! Here are a few easy ways you can repurpose your empties.
Droppers
I like to save the empty droppers whenever I finish my serums and facial oils. You can use them to store DIY herbal tinctures, culinary oil infusions for garnishing or custom essential oil blends.
To clean, drop the glass bottle and dropper into a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes to remove any oils and residue. Remove with tongs and let air dry on a clean towel!
Candle jars
There’s SO much you can do with empty candle jars. You can use smaller jars to hold Q-tips, bobby pins, makeup brushes, pens or matches. If it’s a larger candle or comes with a lid, you can use it to store dry goods like spices, herbs or loose-leaf tea. Candle jars also make great planters for succulents and house plants! I love the look of repurposed candle jars because it gives your home decor a unique, personal touch.
To clean, let the jar sit in hot water until the wax softens. The wax will usually rise to the surface but I like to use a butter knife to take out all the wax and remove the wick. You can also peel any stickers off once the jar gets hot enough! Then, wash with soap and water.
Glass bottles
Just like the candle jars above, I like to repurpose glass bottles into home decor. I clean them the same way I clean the jars. These make perfect vases for the bathroom and other small spaces!
Mascara tubes
Mascara tubes can be cleaned and repurposed to hold castor oil, which is a great natural lash-lengthening treatment. I like to use organic, cold-pressed castor oil (you can store this in your repurposed dropper!). I also like to spray hairspray on cleaned mascara wands and smooth it over any flyaways. To clean, use a pipe cleaner brush and hot soapy water! Make sure the wand is residue-free, too.
You can also donate used and cleaned mascara wands to Wands for Wildlife! It’s a nonprofit by the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, who uses wands to help remove fly eggs and larva from wild animals’ fur and feathers.
How do you like to repurpose beauty product packaging? I’d love to hear your ideas!
