The beauty of upcycling

Make old better

Now for a few weeks we were confronted with the fact that we couldn't buy everything, at least not immediately. On the one hand, there was a yawning emptiness on the store shelves in many places where secret stars like toilet paper and yeast belong. On the other hand, many of us have avoided shops as much as possible. We definitely browsed less enjoyable. So we had to get creative here and there and smart ideas came out of it.

💡 giving a new purpose to the existing and consuming more reflectively are for me two of the most important corona lessons.

It works wonderfully, especially when it comes to bathrooms and beauty. I would therefore like to share some sensible ideas that I saw with you. There are also tips for cleaning vessels and how to get the most out of cosmetic products. But first let's address the question: Upcycling or Recycling ?

When does upcycling make sense?

When bore-out threatens, DIY projects are a welcome change. However, this type of occupational therapy quickly gets out of hand. Spraying tons of acrylic paint out of boredom isn't exactly environmentally friendly. And if you do that with recyclable glass containers, they have to be completely pulped afterwards. If you don't like them two weeks later, recycling would have been more sustainable.

So when does upcycling make sense? Three simple principles help with the decision. At the same time, they prevent self-made dust collectors from piling up.

1. If something short-lived is used longer as a result.
2. If the reworking does not pollute the environment more than recycling, keyword pollutants.
3. If you really use the result .

According to these criteria I have collected some upcycling suggestions for this article. These hacks can be implemented with simple means and give leftovers and packaging a longer life.

Repurpose packaging instead of throwing it away

The fact that the content is finished does not necessarily mean the end of the packaging. Now I don't want to encourage you to hoard medium-pretty plastic jars. But the fact that people used to organize their screws in empty ice cream packages can inspire us.

And there are really beautiful jars and bottles. They often have exactly the shape or size that you need for something else. Stupid only if you notice it too late. Oh man, I had it, but that went in the garbage...Too bad panade! So now before I throw it away I'm trying to think if I don't need a jar, jar or bottle just like that somewhere else

A few suggestions

1. Use glass flacons and bottles as mini-vase. The labels can usually be removed completely. Band around, flowers in and arrange in groups.
2. For homemade hair oil - you may have found the perfect combination of argan and coconut oil for your hair, but mix it in what? Empty facial serum dispensers are particularly suitable here. In contrast to oil bottles for kitchen use, they can be dosed much better. After all, it takes less to care for your hair than you do for a salad.
3. As a travel size for body oil - at some point we will hopefully need it again. Almond or apricot kernel oils, pure or mixed, have proven themselves for body care. Of course, it gets a little cheaper with larger quantities. But who wants to take a liter of oil with them on vacation? The smaller bottles of face care products are perfect for this. Fill up and go!
4. Order Keeper: Bring structure to chaos with the help of empty cream jars, scented candle jars, and jam jars. There are several hotspots there. The desk comes to mind, or jewelry. We're always putting containers in the scrap jar that would solve all of our problems when it comes to storing paper clips, perfume samples, rings, safety pins, spare buttons, and so on.
5. Food to-go – while we were already talking about jam jars, one more idea. Looks chic and is a great alternative to plastic cans, for those who just don't like it that much. Not only are the jars resealable, they're just the right size for a delicious salad or a muesli trifle for lunch.
   
   🐝 By the way, you can also pack the filled baguette with the salad in a plastic-free and sustainable way in oilcloth . This hugs every shape perfectly and keeps your pocket clean.

Tips for cleaning

Of course it's uncool if the ring box on the bedside table still says "day cream". In order to give empty bottles an attractive new purpose, you first have to free them from product residues and labels. Here are a few tricks.

• Remove Oils: Simply fill bottles that contain oils with warm (not hot!) water and let sit for a few minutes. The oil collects on the water and can now simply be poured off. Clean with detergent, done!

• How labels disappear without a trace: With water-soluble glue, peeling off the labels is usually not a problem, but there are also more stubborn colleagues. Then a two-step plan will help:
  

1. 1. First place the vessel in warm water. With water-soluble glue, the label separates from the glass by itself after a while and without a trace.
   2. Then wipe off stubborn glue residue with nail polish remover.
      
      

🌟 Or make a statement: Some packaging is simply graphically beautifully designed and screen-printed. Some manufacturers write their vision on the flag or the jar: ChariTea, LemonAid or the happiness in a jar jam come to mind.And of course FIVE There is not much to do here, because fine designs look like statement pieces on the windowsill.

Homemade body scrub with coffee

The good news for coffeeholics: you can have coffee inside and outside. Caffeine not only invigorates the mind but also the skin. For example, when coffee grounds, which otherwise end up in the garbage or hopefully compost, experience a renaissance as a body scrub. The ground beans are ideal as emery for the body.

Whether the powder was filter coffee or espresso in its previous life is completely irrelevant. If you're using the set from a fully automatic machine, just make sure it's fresh! Mold quickly forms in the collection containers. That's why I advise you to stir the peeling if necessary rather than mix an annual ration.

For the quick coffee scrub you need
2 tbsp coffee grounds
1 tsp honey or sugar
1 tsp coconut oil

Stir the ingredients until you get a slightly sticky paste. Spread the peelingon the damp skin in circular movements and rinse off thoroughly. The legs not only feel super smooth afterwards, they are also well cared for by the oil.

☝️ Did the peeling cool down your coffee? Don't throw away! Placed on a cosmetic pad, cold coffee refreshes tired and swollen eyelids.

Face peeling with chickpea flour

We don't want to neglect the face, but coffee is less suitable for the more delicate facial skin. However, easy peelings can be made from chickpea flour for this purpose. There are countless recipes for homemade scrubs on the Internet and many are really great. I just want to recommend my favorite because...

• The fine, soft grain is just right for the face.
• There is also something for our vegan readers.
• The scrub is super easy to make.
• You save yourself an extra product and thus packaging waste.

And it works like this: 1.) Chickpea flour and 2.) Mix water so that a creamy Paste is created that only slowly drips from the spoon, i.e. between flowing and crumbling. Apply to the face, leave on until the mask begins to dry and wash off with gentle circular movements. A moisturizing serum and facial oil round off your care ritual perfectly.

Yoga Mat Spray

When the studio is closed, the lesson is moved to the laptop. But the mat at home also needs to be cared for. Empty spray bottles are perfect for mixing up your own yoga mat cleaner. Maybe you had a Face Mist or a Balsamico Mist whose bottle is now looking for a job? Perfect! Clean thoroughly (see above) and off you go.

For minimalists:
apple cider vinegar
(distilled) water mix 1:3

For fragrant cleaning:
100 ml (distilled) water
10 drops of tea tree, lavender or orange oil ( that disinfects)

You see, there are many possibilities here. Just use what you already have there. Put the ingredients in the bottle and shake vigorously before use. Spray your mat well, let the spray take effect briefly and wipe off with a soft towel.

☝️ Important: Let the mat dry well before rolling it up!

Shopping cosmetics consciously

With all the good ideas for upcycling, my plea goes in general for conscious shopping. Buy less, but buy better! For me it works like this: I try to only buy products that I need or that I surely will use .

Here it is particularly worthwhile to take a little more time for the color selection when doing your make-up. But sometimes you might dare an experiment and then realize that the lipstick really doesn't suit you or that the new facial oil is too heavy. What to do?

Use bad purchases cleverly

Perhaps the product can simply be used a little differently. This is how too rich facial care for the body can work great. Or a face cream that is too heavy becomes a hand lotion.

A lipstick that doesn't look good on you in daylight can be mixed with other nuances. A little hot pink applied over a nude tone and you have a fresh rosé. Play around here for a bit before throwing away products in frustration.

The End - use up all the products

Not only have we almost reached the end here, complete use up is also an issue. Unfortunately, a lot of packaging is designed in such a way that there are always leftovers. And sometimes a shocking amount! Lipstick is one such candidate. But also cream and shower gel tubes and long-necked pump dispensers keep a considerable amount of the product for themselves. What to do? There are several options here.

1. Buy products with sustainable packaging
   Nothing can hide in a jar. And slim pipette bottles ensure that the product collects neatly in the middle so that the pipette can also pick up small residues. For the FIVE make-up remover we use a flat pump attachment that leaves only a minimal amount of oil. With the transparent bottles you can also see exactly how much is left inside. If the donor doesn't want to, tip 2 applies...
2. Open the packaging
   If you can't get anything out, you can unscrew the pump dispenser or, for example, tubes simply cut open with the scissors , quietly centered, and remove the product as if from a jar. Then simply put the upper end over the lower one and put it back on the shelf. Also lipsticks, which we already mentioned above, you can usually unscrew and push the rest up with a needle.
3. Transfer leftovers
   The spray head is defective but the product is still half full - does that sound familiar? It would be a shame to throw it away. Why not just decant? It is worth picking up small, empty bottles for this purpose. Make sure that they are well cleaned.

Shop consciously, use cleverly

You might not be able to really imagine some things just by reading them. However, there are also many videos on YouTube on how to get out leftovers and decant them cleverly. So there are many suggestions for further use and conversion. Just find out what makes sense for you personally.

Can you still use it? Will you use it too? conscious shoppingis accompanied by conscious upcycling. The aim is to give existing items a longer life and thus beautify your everyday life.

Let's go upcycling! 🚴‍♂️
Your Anna