You can upcycle essential oil bottles. Anyone that uses essential oils regularly has a stack of empty bottles that they wonder how to use. We’ve got creative ideas for you right here!
We all wonder what to do with the essential bottles that accumulate when they are empty. They are durable and it seems such a shame to toss them. In fact, I have a hard time letting mine go and I’m constantly looking for ways to reuse them.
One of the first things I do is look for ways that I can create a blend and add a roller to that essential oil bottle. If you add a roller ball you’ll also need to add a longer cap. You can find these on Amazon. Make sure you have the correct size for your bottle neck. Blue bottles and amber bottles might have different size necks so caps for blue bottles may not fit on amber bottles. Usually, within the type of bottle amber or blue, the caps for 10 ml bottles will fit the 30 ml and 50 ml bottles. Check yours to be sure before you order. Other unique caps you’ll find include dropper tops, spray tops, mister tops, and pump tops. I’ve even seen hummingbird feeder plugs.
You’ll want to be sure that you give the bottles a good washing before you use them, that is unless you are making items number 1, 8, or 10 in this list. Those actually use the leftover oil in the bottle.
1) Roller Ball Blends
Reuse those cleaned bottles and make your own rollerball blend to ward off sickness during travel. Get the recipe for essential oils for travel! The healthy travel roll-on essential oil recipe is just what you need to ward off illness when you are traveling. Traveling can be hard on your system and leave you open to catching whatever is going around, especially if you are cooped up in an airplane, on a cruise, or in a train car in close proximity to other passengers.
2) Essential Oil Bottle Mini Vases
Clean the bottles and use them as mini vases for small cut flowers or air plants. Cute, cute, cute! It’s a visual bonus to have them beautifully lined up on your windowsill.
3) Upcycled EO Bottle Macrame Hanger
Make a macrame hanger for your car with this handy tutorial from the Whoot. This one might take a bit of adjusting because you’ll need to use yarn or cross-stitch thread that is much thinner than macrame cord. Watch their tutorial and make one to fit your small essential oil bottles. Add air plants or use as hanging vases and hang them for your car’s rearview mirror or in windows to catch the sunlight.
You could also pack a cotton ball with a few drops of essential oil to the jar and use it as a car diffuser. As the sunlight hits the bottle, it will heat and release the oils.
5 Minute Macrame hanger photo courtesy of The Whoot
4) Colorful Wind Chimes with Essential Oil Bottles
Make a wind chime with upcycled essential oil bottles using this idea from Ankias DIY Life. She’s used clear glass bottles, but you can replace them with cleaned essential oil bottles of varying colors. This would really be something striking and conversation-starting when you place it on your deck, patio, or in the garden.
Photo courtesy of Anikas DIY Life
5) Decorated Essential Oil Bottle Candle Holders
Attainable Sustainable makes DIY candle holders with these dot painted glass jars. You can easily decorate your small essential bottles just like this. Use them as candle holders or decorated vases. She promises that this dotting technique, using 3D paint, is super forgiving and very easy for kids to do.
photo courtesy of Attainable-Sustainable.com
6) Root New Plants in Essential Oil Bottles
One of the easiest ways to get cuttings to root is to place them in water. Many herbs like mint, rosemary, and lemon verbena respond well to this technique. One way to have success with plant propagation is to make sure that there is enough airflow around the cuttings, this prevents mildew from forming.
You can use cleaned essential oil jars to root plant cuttings in your window sill. Since each bottle can only hold one or two cuttings, there will be plenty of airflow all around. As a bonus, it is especially beautiful when you use blue bottles!
7) DIY Mini Planters for Succulents
The website Journey Creativity uses leftover glass candle tops to make small planters for succulents. You can adapt this idea using your upcycled essential oil bottles and give them as inexpensive gifts. Succulents grow in relatively shallow soil and root well in a sand and soil mix.
8) EO Flavored Toothpicks
When you have empty essential oil bottles, consider keeping the last few drops of the oil in the bottle and then make your own flavored toothpicks. You can store these in your glove compartment, purse, or even in an emergency kit. You never know when they will come in handy. It works on the same principle as idea #10, but the picks will be completely contained in the bottle.
Get creative with the flavors and use peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon or orange bottles. The best part, no washing is required!
9) Store Waterproof Matches in Upcycles Essential Oil Bottles
Be prepared for your next day hike and add a mini kit to your pack. Once you’ve cleaned the bottles, use them to store waterproof matches. This is also a useful idea for your emergency kit, camping supplies, or glove compartment. Need a tutorial on making waterproof matches? Try this article from the Art of Manliness.
10) Mini Reed Diffuser
Make a travel size mini reed diffuser using sticks that are cut down to the right size for essential oil bottles. You’ll have your own small, traveling diffuser!
Because a reed diffuser works without heat and without electricity, they can scent indoor air with a light fragrance that permeates a room over time. Even a small diffuser will make a big impact on a hotel room.
A reed diffuser is made in two parts. The first is a container to hold the carrier oil/essential oil mixture (your upcycled essential oil bottle) and the second part is the natural bamboo sticks that wick the fragrant oil up the stick and into the air. For the best success, you may need to cut the reeds down to about 5 inches. Give it a try.
Bonus:
Use them to hold your own DIY Cleaning products or your own DIY beauty and self care products. The ways you can upcycle glass essential oil bottles are endless. Glass is nonreactive and safe for the environment, so why not make good use of it instead of tossing it in the recycling or worse, in the garbage.
Your turn:
What’s your favorite way to use essential oil bottles once the essential oil is used up?
Such great ideas. Thank you for sharing.