We’re pretty keen on recycling here at Evolve - every single one of our products is packaged in recycled and recyclable packaging - and we hope you are too. There’s something else we’ve been exploring, though, and that’s how we can upcycle to reduce waste. While recycling can transform one product into another, upcycling is traditionally more of a DIY adventure, and retains the basic structure of the initial object. Think turning ladders into shelves and glass bottles into chandeliers!
One of our favourite ways to upcycle is to use surplus products from other industries in our recipes. We’ve recently revamped our much-loved Radiant Glow Organic Face Mask to include blueberry particles, which are produced from the waste seeds of the juicing industry. Once the oils have been extracted, the seeds are crushed and make their way into our deliciously chocolatey Glow Mask, buffing away dead skin and leaving your face bright and smooth. This physical exfoliant is a great choice if you love a good scrub, and allows the other star ingredients - including Raw Cacao and Sweet Almond Oil - to work their skincare magic. Your visage will be nourished by the high doses of Magnesium, Vitamin C and Omega 6, which help to repair and look after your skin.
We’re not the only ones who can upcycle though - and we’ve put together some easy ideas that you can try! One of our favourites is to repurpose our empties: sadly we haven’t yet found an environmentally friendly way to collect and reuse them once you’ve bought them, and we’re sure that you - like us! - have a couple lying around. The Radiant Glow Mask pot makes a fantastic home for a fledgeling succulent, or you could pour in some fragranced soy wax and voilà - your very own homemade candle!
Empties also make excellent containers for any DIY scrubs you’ve mixed up - we love making up a lip scrub to keep our lips plump - and another great way to upcycle is to turn your morning cup of java into an invigorating body scrub. Once you’ve made the coffee, combine the ground beans with an ingredient like coconut oil and you have your very own easy scrub. The caffeine in the beans can dilate the blood vessels in your skin, aiding overall blood flow and reducing cellulite. Meanwhile, the grounds themselves are working to exfoliate your skin and leave you smoothed and glowing. It’s best to keep this scrub to your body, though - the delicate facial skin could easily be hurt by the size of the particles.
Sticking to a coffee theme, one of the cleverest ways we’ve seen to upcycle involves wooden coffee stirrers. With a little TLC, these overlooked items can become a bold feature mirror for a wall. Stain or paint the stirrers your desired colour, grab a round mirror from a craft shop, and stick everything together, stirrers pointing outwards like the shape of the sun. If you don’t fancy that, why not repurpose an old window frame as a mirror? The sturdy wooden edges can easily be decorated in any style you like - we love the idea of using gold leaf to give an unfinished edge some antique finesse, or sanding it down to paint in pastel colours.
In general, frames are a fantastic place to start if you're a little nervous about upcycling. Combine an old frame with an antique map and you have a unique piece of wall art that can mark a special point in your life. Alternatively, start by just switching out details: furniture gets a new lease of life when you get creative with colours, or even just swap out the plain drawer knobs for something a little more exciting.
The whole point of upcycling is to reuse the things we already have around the house. Whether that means getting crafty with things from the kitchen cupboard or just jazzing up your tired old chest of drawers is entirely up to you. Just don’t blame us if you get hooked - upcycling is recycling’s fun cousin! Not only do you have control over what happens to the piece, but you get to keep it afterwards too - and in the case of our empty pots, you might end up with quite a collection! We’re picturing gorgeously rustic ladder shelves dotted with a selection of our pretty products and matching succulent pots - who could resist?
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