DIY: How To Create Faux Cement Pots Using Baking Soda (From Upcycled Conditioner Jars!)

Quick background information: this is the first in a DIY series called trash to treasure. It’s a pretty basic idea where we’re just going to take everyday household trash and upcycle it into something fabulous. Someone pray for my boyfriend because our cupboards are honestly about to be crammed with recycling.

Hello, friends, I hope you are well. Today is technically the first DIY going live on this blog – and I think we’re starting with a bang! I’m going to show you the easiest way to upcycle anything (I’m telling you, anything) into a gorgeous faux-cement centrepiece item.

How pretty is this? Would you believe I made it from an old plastic conditioner pot? Single use plastic doesn’t have to be single use, my friends.

WHAT YOU NEED / SUPPLIES:

• Something to paint! Plastic packaging and old alcohol bottles work great for this! You could even head to your local thrift store to find quirky items.
• Baking soda or baking powder (I’ve tried both before and the finish is pretty much the same)
• Acrylic paint in your chosen colour

That’s it!

How To Make:

I made a handy TikTok tutorial that explains this process in under a minute. (Make sure you’re following me on TikTok, by the way!)

@crystalsandcurls

super easy #diyproject to upcycle old hair conditioner pots. not perfect but a fun idea! #plantlover #diy #diyplanter #diyplantpot #craft#upcycling

♬ Goodbye – Toby Hobart

My crafting tips:

• To create a more aged look, I layered the pot with two different shades of grey paint
• To achieve a real concrete texture, add multiple thick layers of paint
• You can add as much or as little baking soda as you like, but I find being really heavy handed definitely creates a thicker, stony texture
• Give the paint drying time between coats!

As mentioned above, going heavy on the paint really gave this the concrete texture I love; however, this technique is also fabulous for creating faux ceramic pieces. Just ease up on the amount of baking soda you use in the paint!

And that’s it! I know – this is so easy that it barely feels like a DIY project. However, it’s such an affordable way to create cute plant pots (and we all know those normally cost a pretty penny…) so I just had to share it.

If you’re a fellow plant lover and crafting enthusiast, make sure you check out a few of my other posts below. I’ve got just the thing to keep you occupied while you have your morning coffee: