A really quick easy way to make an upcycled dish for your shampoo bar.

This is such a quick idea I almost didn’t share it here. But it’s working really well and I though it might just be what someone is looking for so here goes!

A lot of people are moving to solid shampoo, conditioner, body wash and moisturiser bars in an attempt to reduce packaging and waste, especially plastic waste.

I was given a really lovely shampoo bar last year for my birthday. It’s called Jason and the Argon Oil and is from Lush. It smells amazing and has been lovely for my hair and really long lasting. I didn’t start using it straight away back in May as I had a couple of traditional shampoos to use up first. I’ve been using this one regularly for about 3 months now, and wash my hair twice a week. This information is just to give you an idea of how long they last for really.

I was enjoying using the shampoo bar but wasn’t sure on the best way to store it between uses. I was putting it on top of the paper bag it came it to dry and then just putting it away in the cupboard in the bag.

After a month or so the bag got a bit gross as I needed a new idea. This is what I came up with. I am going to preface this by saying I am considering this a temporary measure as it’s not especially pretty. I will keep my eyes open at craft fairs and art festivals in the summer and look out for some sort of lovely handmade china dish. Until then this upcycled dish is working well.

To make an upcycled dish for your shampoo bar you will need:

• 2 x Pringle lids

• Something metal and pointy - I used a trussing needle as that is what I have. A skewer or knitting needle would work too.

• A source of heat

• Sandpaper

Pringle lids have a little bit of a lip on them meaning you can stack them. I discovered this by accident at Christmas (we always have a couple of Pringle tubes at Christmas, one red and one green) when I picked up the lids to tidy up.

Take your metal pointy thing and heat it up. DO THIS CAREFULLY. Use an oven glove or pot holder to protect your hands, don’t put the hot thing down on your counter, maybe open the window if you are worried about plastic fumes, just be sensible and careful.

Poke holes in one of your Pringle lids using the hot metal pointy thing. You might need to reheat it a few times but it will slide very easily through the plastic. You can see from the photo I attempted a bit of a design with my holes.

Use sandpaper to smooth any rough bits around the holes.

That’s it!

Stack the holey lid on top of the other lid and you are good to go. They stack upside down, so what was the top/outside of the Pringles tube is now at the bottom and there is a lip all the way round that sticks up. That is much more difficult to describe in words than I thought it would be!

I leave my shampoo bar on the windowsill (out of direct sunlight) rather than in the shower as it needs to dry out between uses. The holes in the top lid allows air to circulate, any drips go into the lid below. It’s easy enough to wash now and again too.

I didn’t sand the rough edges at first and so the first time I used it my shampoo bar stuck to the dish. Not a big deal as it was easy enough to prise it off and then I washed my hair next time using the bits that were stuck to the lid but since I sanded it all off smoothly it’s been fine.

Not the most complicated tutorial I’ve ever shared and definitely not the most beautiful upcycle either but a cheap, quick solution to a minor problem.

Julie

I’ll be sharing this idea at some of these link ups

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