Upcycling Your Essential Oil Bottles

For those of us that like to do as much reducing, reusing, and recycling as we can, it can be very difficult to toss out things after they have served their original purpose. Essential oils are something that we use often in our daily lives and in many different ways. We have all probably had a moment when we notice the empty amber bottles starting to pile up and start wondering if there is something else we might be able to do with them. Don’t throw out your empty essential oil bottles just yet! There are plenty of fun ideas for reusing these aromatically saturated bottles. With just a few tools such as pipettes, carrier oils, and our favorite diffusers, we can extend the life of our essential oil bottles and do our part to help reduce waste.

Even when a bottle of essential oil may seem empty, we can still utilize the aroma of the trace amount of oil left behind. Remove the cap from an empty essential oil bottle and place it in closets, drawers, or cabinets to freshen up. Essential oils with antibacterial and odor eliminating properties like Eucalyptus, Lemon, Sweet Orange, Rosemary, or Lemongrass are especially great to use in this way.

We can also get additional use from the last bit of essential oil in seemingly empty bottles with something as simple as water. Place essential oil bottles in water and soak overnight. This now scented water (EO Water) can be used to fill your home diffuser or to replace plain water in a variety of diy recipes for an extra aromatic boost.

Simple Surface Cleaner

Ingredients

• 16oz Amber Glass Bottle with Spray Top

• 1 cup White Vinegar

• 1 cup EO Water

• 10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

• 10 drops Lemon Essential Oil

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients together into a 16oz glass spray bottle and shake very well until thoroughly combined. This spray can be used on floors, wood furniture, countertops, tables, sinks, and all of your bathroom & kitchen surfaces. Shake well before each use and store in a cool, dark area out of the reach from children and pets. 

The moment when we reach for one of our favorite essential oils and notice the bottle is nearly empty is the perfect opportunity to create something we can use topically. Fill the nearly empty bottle with a carrier oil and give it a good shake to combine. Be sure the essential oil is diluted to a safe percentage for topical use. Lavender Essential Oil diluted with Sweet Almond Oil is great to have on hand for stress, headaches, and trouble sleeping. Diluting Rosemary Essential Oil with Jojoba Oil makes a simple and effective hair oil for stimulating hair growth, soothing the scalp, and boosting shine.

When we have finally used every last drop of our favorite essential oil, the bottle itself can still continue to be useful. After thoroughly cleaning the bottles, they can be used to store our own diy essential oil creations. This is a great idea for those of us that travel often so we can still enjoy the benefits of our favorite essential oil combinations even when we may not have access to our whole collection. Here are a few simple blends we can use with our Aroma Companion personal diffuser for amazing aromatherapy benefits wherever we go.

Sleep

• 2 parts Lavender Essential Oil

• 1 part Roman Chamomile Essential Oil

• 1 part Frankincense Essential Oil

Headache

• 1 part Peppermint Essential Oil

• 1 part Lavender Essential Oil

• 1 part Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Energy

• 2 parts Sweet Orange Essential Oil

• 1 part Peppermint Essential Oil

• 1 part Rosemary Essential Oil