Cut the bottles open!

[lapushka]

My mom went to wash her hair today and had a bit of conditioner left (Gliss Kur for blondes - they don't make that one anymore, I think). She squirted it out until she couldn't anymore and wondered out loud if there was still product left in there for a next use.

So we snipped the bottle open, and lo and behold. Right at the very bottom was pooled... a whole lot of conditioner (at least enough for one go, even more than that, like a palmful).

So from now on we are snipping (SNIP SNIP) each and every bottle open when they're empty, to save up for future uses.

When you can't squirt anything out anymore, believe me, there's a whole lot on the inside just pooled at the bottom that you can't get out anymore by normal means.

So ladies & gents, SNIP those bottles open!

[parkmikii]

I noticed the same thing with shampoo as well. But instead of cutting the bottle I usually put a little bit of water in it and shake it a little. That way everything comes out even from the walls of the recipient.

[TrapperCreekD]

The tops don't just come off? :hmm:

Whenever I get to the end of a bottle I take the top off and add a little water, or if it absolutely refuses to come apart just get some water through where the conditioner comes out and then shake to loosen up the remaining bits. It might be diluted but it's still better than throwing it away!

[lapushka]

I noticed the same thing with shampoo as well. But instead of cutting the bottle I usually put a little bit of water in it and shake it a little. That way everything comes out even from the walls of the recipient.

My shampoo is Pantene, which is *thick*, the Aqua Light bottle is clear so everything usually gets out, I can see that perfectly fine. But with conditioner it's kinda tricky to pour water in, as it is sometimes so *thick* that it hardly will mix and come out.

[lapushka]

The tops don't just come off? :hmm:

From Gliss Kur containers? No. Nor from Fructis containers, or Herbal Essences containers. And you'd be surprised at what's left in there when you see the bottle totally open from the inside out.

[AspenSong]

I agree! Hubby has always laughed at me because I've always done this. I started doing it as a teen when my Dad bought me some nice conditioner back then...I'd scoop a whole use out of an "empty" bottle!

[Arctic]

I'm not a fan of diluting with water, especially if there is more product left than for one use. Bacteria will start grow when it's diluted.


I have done the cutting trick with my favourite conditioners, which I also use as leave-ins. I'll get enough leave-in for a long time from the remnants inside the bottles. And no, they don't come off with just taking the top off and shaking.

[SnottyDotty]

I've always been curious as to whether product was left in the bottle when it seemed empty. I was convinced the bottles were designed in such a way to make it extremely difficult to get all the product out in an attempt to get more money from the consumer. From now on I'll make the effort to cut them open :)

[meteor]

Yes, some conditioners are ridiculously thick and the plastic the bottles are made of is so thick that squeezing out the product gets hard... However, does cutting bottles prevent them from being recycled properly? :hmm:
I like to be able to send all my bottles to the recycling bin (unless I can reuse them for my DIY concoctions, of course). :)

[lapushka]

meteor, here you can still throw them in the recycling bags, even cut up, a bottle is a bottle, in bits and pieces or as a whole - plastic is plastic in whatever shape or form.

[meteor]

meteor, here you can still throw them in the recycling bags, even cut up, a bottle is a bottle, in bits and pieces or as a whole - plastic is plastic in whatever shape or form.

Yay! :joy: Thanks a lot for the info, lapushka! That's a relief, because, yes, I'm one of those folks who can't manage to squeeze out the stuff at the bottom of the bottle, so yeah, now I'll be cutting up those bottles! ;) Thanks for the tip! :thumbsup:

[Carolyn]

I've always done that. I thought everyone did? I also do it to make up items that come in a tube. I can always get at least 3 days of BB cream or concealer out of a cut off tube.

[missblueeyes]

This is so true! When I cut open my 'empty' Desert Essence conditioner, I found that there was enough product left for a SMT!

[spidermom]

I add water and shake for 1-2 more uses.

[lapushka]

I add water and shake for 1-2 more uses.

Yeah, but sometimes even then, there's product residue. Especially with the thicker conditioners. You'll budge a bit of the product out, but not all of it. It also depends on what type bottle/container it is, as well.

[lapushka]

Yay! :joy: Thanks a lot for the info, lapushka! That's a relief, because, yes, I'm one of those folks who can't manage to squeeze out the stuff at the bottom of the bottle, so yeah, now I'll be cutting up those bottles! ;) Thanks for the tip! :thumbsup:

You're welcome.

I used to do it to my daycreams (thinner container), but since I've switched to Nivea cream (it's a tin), that hasn't been necessary in a whole long while. But that's about it. I always thought those conditioner bottles were too thick to cut open. My mom cut straight through, without a hiccup.


Just leave them upside down for about 10 min. so the product can travel down as much as possible, then cut the top off!

[Loktra]

Just did this to a 3 minute miracle bottle that I'd already added water to and shaken TWICE. Sure enough, there was still a good amount in mine. This surprised me, since the 3mm bottle is designed the way it is- upside down.

[lapushka]

Just did this to a 3 minute miracle bottle that I'd already added water to and shaken TWICE. Sure enough, there was still a good amount in mine. This surprised me, since the 3mm bottle is designed the way it is- upside down.

Yep, Gliss Kur bottles are designed upside down, the Herbal Essences ones as well, the Fructis ones as well... Yeah, there was about 2 cm of product left in that Gliss Kur bottle! You can't squeeze the bottle that far down, so no wonder it pools in there.

[lilin]

My mom went to wash her hair today and had a bit of conditioner left (Gliss Kur for blondes - they don't make that one anymore, I think). She squirted it out until she couldn't anymore and wondered out loud if there was still product left in there for a next use.

So we snipped the bottle open, and lo and behold. Right at the very bottom was pooled... a whole lot of conditioner (at least enough for one go, even more than that, like a palmful).

So from now on we are snipping (SNIP SNIP) each and every bottle open when they're empty, to save up for future uses.

When you can't squirt anything out anymore, believe me, there's a whole lot on the inside just pooled at the bottom that you can't get out anymore by normal means.

So ladies & gents, SNIP those bottles open!

That's why I like clear bottles! I also used to add a bit of water to the container, so it would loosen up any conditioner that had stuck to the bottom. Just use a bit more to compensate. :)

[B-ecca]

I always do this unless the plastic is real thick!

[diddiedaisy]

I do this with my face serum, I can get nearly a week out of it!!!

[Alien Girl]

I just add a bit of water and shake :P

[Saproxylic]

I do this as well. Also, īf you cut right around neatly, then cut a slit or two in the sides of the top part, you can pop the top part on the bottom part as a lid in case you have product for several uses left.

[Marika]

I've always done this too (and with skin and body care products also). Companies probably make "difficult" containers on purpose to make consumers buy more because not everyone cuts the bottles open.

[lapushka]

Man, it is such a waste of product. In my mom's bottle of conditioner is enough for her for 2 uses (for me that would be 1 use), but still that's a lot of product.

Especially those Gliss Kur bottles (and I'm willing to bet my HE bottles too). You can't squeeze them properly at the very bottom, so that's where all the product stays.

[Night_Kitten]

I noticed the same thing with shampoo as well. But instead of cutting the bottle I usually put a little bit of water in it and shake it a little. That way everything comes out even from the walls of the recipient.

I usually do that too with both shampoos and conditioners, except that I shake quite violently (which results in a very nice and thick foam, which I like)

[Wusel]

As long as I can remember I cut every bottle of every product open.
I've learned it as a child in Poland in the time of martial law in the eighties when the supermarkets were empty and we had food stamps for food that wasn't there. We cut toothpaste open and shampoo if we had some... So, I'm used to this.
I NEVER throw something away without cutting it open and scratching every tiny rest of product out. For me it's like it has to be done like this. :D

Today I've cut the bottle of my sunscreen open. And yesterday ketchup. :D

[lapushka]

Oh it's a good idea for food items as well, thanks for suggesting that, Wusel. :thumbsup:

[Hairkay]

I don't use shampoos or manufactured conditioners. I do however cut open my toothpaste tubes if I've forgotten to get a replacement as yet. There's usually enough left for the day's teeth brushing.

[TrapperCreekD]

Reporting back, the upside down Herbal Essences caps come right off. I don't have any Garnier at the moment but I seem to remember the cap coming off the TN bottle. My 3MM bottle is actually threaded so it unscrews very easily.

[Halliday]

thanks for the advice, i never thought of that! btw Lapushka, does using sulfates damage or affect your hair negatively?

i see we have nearly the same hair type, and i'm so confused because i'm using a sulfate shampoo bar (Lush) and it's not damaging my hair at all - for years i've been told that sulfates are the DEVIL'S SPAWN so i avoided them, but even SLS does nothing bad to my hair! if anything, makes my hair cleaner and softer!!

[lapushka]

thanks for the advice, i never thought of that! btw Lapushka, does using sulfates damage or affect your hair negatively?

i see we have nearly the same hair type, and i'm so confused because i'm using a sulfate shampoo bar (Lush) and it's not damaging my hair at all - for years i've been told that sulfates are the DEVIL'S SPAWN so i avoided them, but even SLS does nothing bad to my hair! if anything, makes my hair cleaner and softer!!

Nope, I actually *need* harsh sulfates to keep my SD (seborrheic dermatitis) at bay. Non-sulfate shampoos are too mild for me and don't remove the oil nearly as well as sulfates do.

[lapushka]

I used to watch this YTer. She hasn't posted a video in a long while, but I truly admired her because she cut every empty bottle open that she could, maybe silly of me, but I liked it (and she's a wavy/curly):
https://www.youtube.com/user/curlywavydiane

[meteor]

^ :agree: Yes, Halliday, sulfates are absolutely not the devil (unless you have specific sensitivities, of course). For details, I'd recommend checking out these quick posts breaking down different surfactants (she references scientific research to dig further, if you wish) :) :
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2010/06/myth-or-fact-sulfate-shampoo-breaks.html
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/06/sulfate-free-shampoos-genuinely-gentle.html
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/03/natural-haven-on-sulfates-in-shampoo.html
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/01/what-causes-shampoo-to-be-harsh.html

[AnqeIicDemise]

I got these little baby spatulas. They got super long handles and a rubber tip. They fit perfectly in my conditioner bottle and I can just scoop it out that way... but I'm currently using the Wen knock off and the mouth of it is round versus the Herbal Essences stuff. I let my other one sit upside down for a few days and I *still* had to cut the top off because the square neck got it to pool there instead of oozing out.