How To Reuse Old Beauty Products

How To Reuse Old Beauty Products

By Surabhi Surendra

Hiya,

Those who remember me and my posts on IMBB know that recently I have developed an interest in re-using and crafting old stuff. So this time, I decided to do a post on re-using old, used, cosmetic products.

How To Reuse Old Beauty Products

Make-up Brushes: I do not have many make up brushes as I do not apply blushes etc., but I do use eye shadows occasionally and I have a few brushes left from some old lippers and eye shadows. I find them very handy to apply eye shadow or using a thin brush to use as a lip brush.

  • If your brush is loose, you can trim off its loose bristles so that the brush stands stiff.
  • If you have enough brushes for make up, use them for painting your nails or just for plain paper painting – I used one such brush to paint a Tricolor on my daughter’s forehead! 😀
  • An old mascara brush can be used to clean cuticles as its tiny bristles will reach the inner most cores of your nails.
  • If nothing else, then just use them to apply glitter, glues, etc., on your crafts. I use them for the same purpose.
Lipsticks: Lipsticks can be reused in more than one way.
  • Mix and match two lipsticks into one and make a new color.
  • If you think your lipstick is too thick or drying in nature, add a little gloss and make a lip gloss like the way I did a tutorial here.
  • Use a brush to use every bit of the lipstick.
  •  Mix a lipstick and a balm and make a tinted lip balm.
  • Don’t have a blush but have a lipstick instead in the same color? Go on, dab a little lipstick hint on to your cheeks and no one would mind it.
  • If your lipstick is broken, just set it with hands and keep it in freezer or refrigerator for a few hours or days respectively and it will be set.
  • Ran out of paints and have a craft to make – use an expired lipstick. Check out the texture etc., before you go on with the experiment.

Nail Polish: This also can be used in multiple ways.

  • Mix and match works with it beautifully.
  • Add a little bit of spirit or nail paint remover to liquefy the solid color.

Pots, Boxes, Cups, Palettes, etc:

Do not throw away any bag/pot/tube etc., that you have paid for. When we buy a cosmetic or anything for that matter, we pay a huge amount for the packaging as well and thus I feel we must reuse to get some paisa vasool 😉

    • You like a cream pot for its color, size and shape? Use it as a piggy bank. I once had a L’Oreal hair cream that came in a lovely, sturdy, plastic grey colored pot. I now use this pot to hold coins that come handy when I step out for shopping.

Lush

  • Using a home made mask or scrub? Store it in a professional looking cute pot. See the way I used a pretty Lush box to use my lip scrub and a Himalaya pot to store my homemade aloe vera gel.
  • Have a spraying bottle? Make a toner or facial spray (there are many tutorials on IMBB) and store in one of them.
  • Use them to store buttons, small earrings, etc.
  • If you have a small pack, you may want to store a bit in it and use it while travelling.  Like I use Fab India Vitamin E cream which comes in a big, heavy glass pot. I have stored some of it in a small, plastic pot and whenever I travel, I carry the small pack with me. In this picture, I transferred the cream to a smaller, plastic tub and store oil in a very small pocket size bottle to use during travelling.
  • Use palettes and eye lens cases to store eye shadows and loose powders etc.

Soaps That You Don’t Like:  Do you have soaps that you don’t like or use any more? Reuse them.

  • Make a hand wash by mixing distilled water in the soap. Just melt or dissolve the soap in liquid, mix some water as per the consistency that you want and refill it in a hand wash bottle.
  • The soap is too drying? Melt it and add a little glycerine and it will not dry you anymore. I did it to my tea tree face wash. The face wash dries my skin, but I otherwise like it. So, I added glycerine to it. This not only gives me moisturisation that I need but I am also glad I am getting the benefits of glycerine.
  • The soap doesn’t have fragrance? Repeat the above and just add perfume drops (test it before you use it and just use a drop or two) or better still, add a few drops of essential oil. Want some cooling sensation – add peppermint or mint leaf water; think its too greasy like Doe – add oat meal or multani mitti or tea tree oil drops.
  • Don’t use soaps at all, but still have some left – make a body wash!
  • Don’t want to make a body wash? – okay. Make a pedicure/manicure soaking agent – melt the soap, add few essential oils, add distilled water and you are done!

Himalaya Pot

Leftover Creams – use them to the very last bit. I will tell you how.

  • You don’t like a face cream but don’t want to throw it away – make a lotion of it by adding some agent depending on your skin and the cream type. For dry skin, add glycerine; for oily skin add tea tree oil or lemon water (some lemon juice or lemon rind boiled in water) and use it as a body lotion.
  • You can also use a face cream for softening your elbows or on neck or on intimate areas like underarms.
  • Use them as scrubs – if it’s a body cream, mix it with sea salt or sugar or lemon peel powder and use as a scrub or if it’s a face cream mix it with oat meal or sugar and scrub it off your face.

Finally, give it away to someone who may still use it.

Note:  If the product is expired, please do not use it on your skin. Use it in crafts but not on your skin.  If you have allergy with a product, please do not use it on your skin. Re-using it may not solve the allergy problem.

In the next coming days, I have a few tutorials coming up with use old items. So, please stay tuned.

Hope you liked my article.

If you did, please check out WOMANATICS and show your appreciation by either following me on TWITTER or by clicking LIKE here. The sooner you do it, the more honored I would be.

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32 thoughts on “How To Reuse Old Beauty Products

  1. wow Surabhi… this was a very thoughtful article…everyone on IMBB knows that you love re-cycling and making things from scratch…thanks for sharing your fab ideas with us all!
    I have a few left-over creams… was thinking of putting them in the bin… will use them up now… 🙂

    1. Hey Ritu… thank you so much! Your comment has motivated me a lot.. will try to do more such posts. Thanks a ton dear again.. you on FB..? Will add you.. I love being surrounded by positive pple like you.. 😀

  2. very useful article…. some creams that I dont use on my face… I use them on my elbows and knees… this way they get used and I dont feel bad about wasting money

  3. Very interesting article, Surabhi! I love the idea of re-using pots and tubs as coin boxes. I usually save all my loose change every day for a few months (usually 10-15 bucks) and within a few months, I feel as if I am Uncle Scrooge with his endless coins. 😀

    Will try the soap idea too. I always waste way too much handwash.

    1. Yeah.. I have like 2-3 coin boxes.. I am too fond of some of the pots and their colors so wanna have them around..

      And this uncle scrooge thing.. he hehe.. i had a similar thing when I was in NL and i was helpless then.. with change allllllll over literally..

    1. Mild herbally shampoos can be used to wash clothes. Google it if you want.

      Another thing that you can do is to use it in your manicures and pedicures.

  4. A very interesting article indeed!!! I do some of the things u said … Like some jars I use for storage after the product is over…. We all hear abt go green save the earth!! These are great tips to do so…… Thanks fr sharing 🙂

  5. great tips surabhi. i especially loved the soaps and brush tip. i dont recycle my makeup. i just like to discard them off after a point of time. I also keep my jars. they always come in handy for rubber bands , hair clips etc. 😀

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