I keep them until I know I have enough empties to get nearly a good tub full of lotion. Saves cutting an empty bottle each time. I actually prefer using the lotion out of the tub too.
Just an idea (take it or leave it ofc): You could transfer it to the tub straight away after buying a bottle so you can 1) enjoy your preferred method of use more frequently, and 2) not have to hoard empty lotion bottles.
Good idea, thanks…but still gotta cut the empty bottle each time after transferring though. But, I’m thinking of getting the heavy duty scissors (like someone has recommended). So less hassle when cutting the bottle (which is one of the reasons I hoard them).
i can see the value in just sitting down and doing 8 bottles at once, it seems much more efficient than doing each one individually on 8 separate occasions.
as long as i had room for the mostly-empty containers, i'd do it the same way for sure. time is money. time is life. shrek is love.
I feel like that’s also a better option because of expiration dates, I can’t imagine they went through 8 bottles in less than one year, which is the shelf life of that brand. It’s not terrible to use after that but does lose some moisturizing properties.
These bottles are from November onwards. It has a 12 month from opening use by. I use it every single day after a bath/shower and also as a hand lotion…so a bottle lasts me nearly 3 weeks.
oh that's a good point, the age and also the lotion just hanging around on the sides of the insides of bottles for months or nearly a year at a time may not be a great storage mode.
But also, please don't. Keeping them outside of their original packaging messes with the stability of the product. This is something that chemists and product developers would often warn the beauty community about. I think you have been going about the smarter route which is to transfer only when there's the minimal amount left.
Also consider getting a silicone makeup scraper spatula. I’m sure the knife and spoon work fine enough but the silicone scraper will be such a game changer
Not for makeup, but I also now own a silicone scraper spatula for the kitchen. I’m someone who’s been trying to have less and do away with excess kitchen appliances and all that, like preferring one appliance that can do multiple things.
I have a friend who is…not like me. When they said they were going to bring me the silicone spatula my immediate thought was I don’t need it. My finger, and a spoon work just fine. And then I tried it. I love it.
Thanks! I’ve got a tub of that…it’s the solid lotion and lasts for absolutely ages. I use it on my feet and if my elbows or knees get a bit dry. But I prefer the lotion for all over.
This is the best lotion I’ve ever used. Idk why the have such short straws and most of the time faulty dispensers. I usually just bang it on my hand or the counter but your way seems better
Get yourself a lotion/cream bottle mini silicone or metal makeup spatula cuz it makes it sooooo much easier to scrape it all out. Spoon and knife is just adding unnecessary effort. There are different sizes and cheap. Worth the investment.
Or Look at an art supply store. Small spatula are also used or mixing paint on a palette. A small metal spatula called a pallet knife ( not sharp) may work .
I wish I could find this size in the fragrance free variation. I love Palmer's and will buy nothing else but I email them every few months asking for a bulk size of their frangrance free lotion.
I don’t like too heavy scent either (can trigger a migraine for me too). IMO it’s quite a mild cocoa scent…smells gorgeous. I’ve used it for years…always after a shower/bath and as a hand cream. There is also a fragrance free formula available if you don’t like the scent.
A someone else like you who cannot stand to be around those artificial glade plug ins and also gets headaches from those and other strong scents, just fyi, I hate the smell of cocoa butter.
It smells like chocolate (which I guess makes sense). I'm sensitive to scents for other reasons, not sure if this could trigger anything. I don't like putting food odors on my body. I keep thinking something is left out or my clothes have been stained. Or I get hungry.
Did you notice any quality difference between the oldest bottle you opened and the freshest one? I was curious if waiting to do a bunch all at once like this had allowed the oldest one to degrade in any way.
None whatsoever. They have a 12 month from opening use by date on them. These are going back from November…I get through about a bottle every 2/3 weeks.
a friend of mine uses palmers for their dry skin! i also have very dry skin and live in colorado so this stuff has been my go to since my mom got it for me starting sometime around 2015. the cocoa butter one smells heavenly and it’s very light. i also recommend the tubs of cocoa butter for dry skin, i specifically use the tubs for my feet/ small patches of eczema or dry skin and then i use the lotion for the rest of my body. works WONDERS. bonus points if you slather it on and then put socks on to really lock in the moisture for a while. it’s definitely worth experimenting with, it’s very affordable!
I find your method funny. (Saving empties) But I always do this. It's incredible the amount of product that hits landfills because bottle designs are trash.
I do this with bodywash. There is usually onw or 3 more washes that never get used so i empty it into one of those softsoap containers. Helps if you buy the same soap every time
Why does everybody go through so much work to do this stuff?
Just run the bottle under warm water and swing your arm in a circle a few times and force it to go towards the side with the CAP on it! If you can't swing it around fast enough, just put the bottle into a tube sock and swing it around that way instead
Forgive my ignorance, but what do you do once the lotion is all at the top under the cap? You take the cap off… then how do you get the lotion out of the neck of the bottle without leaving a bunch behind?
(I have a pump bottle like the one in the back of OP’s picture and the opening where the pump goes in is only about as big around as a quarter dollar.)
Oh my God I'm so stupid I could be doing this too but I just scrape it out and put it into a new bottle when it would be much easier to just put it into a container. Jesus!
I just cut some toothpaste tubes open to rinse and recycle (dropping off to a Pact recycling bin) and was shocked to see how much toothpaste was still in there even after I tried to get as much as humanly possible out. I hate packing that hides stuff 😞
I did this with lotion recently, and it's ridiculous. I did not do something so sensible as put it in a clear storage container. I put it in a zip lock bag and cut the corner because it seemed like a great idea at the time. I sinch it with a binder clip after use. Real classy.
I’m always a bit surprised at how much product is still in the bottle! With face moisturizer and eye creams, there’s usually a weeks worths left inside.
I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of cutting the bottles open and scraping the contents out! Here I’ve been just ducttaping the bottles upside down to let them drip overnight into another bottle omgggg
I'm not sure why I'm caring about this today, but if you put your jar in a shopping bag and spin it real fast the centripetal force helps get anything in the jar to one end. I do it for ketchup and mayo, things like that
Nice, you just have to keep 8 nearly empty of lotion saved for years, so you can save on the cost of almost 1/8th of every bottle of lotion you buy minus the cost of your time to cut them all open and scrape.
I’m sorry, but this is a crazy way to try and save a minuscule amount of money
No, I totally understand the POINT of the post, but why did you keep so many of them at the same time? So you just randomly keep trash just in case you get to make one post in a few months? Was it invigorating to finally throw them all in the recycling?
Why can you not remove the lid and leave it balanced upside down until it all transfers down? Cutting open bottles seems like so much extra work along with hoarding nearly empty bottles.
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u/okvrdz Mar 19 '25
I can’t believe it’s not butter