Help with hairspray

Problem: If you need to apply hairspray daily to keep your tresses in place, chances are, you’ve battled with a clogged hairspray nozzle on more than one occasion. Hairspray — composed of gums and resins designed to keep stray hairs in place — can also stick to the nozzle opening, creating a gooey mess.

Fix: To keep the nozzle clear and spraying freely, rinse under hot water to remove product build-up; then spray a few times to remove excess water from the opening and blot dry. Do this once a week to prevent the nozzle from clogging with product. If hot water alone doesn’t remove the blockage, use a toothpick to gently remove build-up from the nozzle and continue as above.

Pump bottle problem

Problem: Body lotions and creams that are packaged in pump bottles also tend to suffer from over-use meltdown. Moisturizers for the face, often packaged in air-tight bottles with one-way pump valves, can also present a problem.

Fix: Prevent product build-up by using a cotton swab or tissue to remove any excess product from the nozzle opening after each use. If, however, the opening is already backed-up with excess lotion or cream, use a toothpick to loosen and remove the blockage. Once cleared, continue to rinse the nuzzle opening with hot water weekly.

For face creams, try this quick fix: Turn the bottle upside down and tap it gently against a hard surface to remove excess air.

Nail polish nuisance

Problem: Nail polish also comes in a tricky bottle that hardens with excess product and becomes impossible to open.

Fix: After your manicure, gently swab a small amount of nail polish remover around the grooves of the nail polish bottle to remove excess product, close tightly and store upright in a cool place, such as a closet. If the top is already stuck, wrap a rubber band around the lid before opening to ensure a firm enough grip to break the nail polish seal. Also, try rinsing the lid under hot water to loosen hardened polish.

Compact crisis

Problem: Another container that tends to break easily is the makeup compact — be it powder, blush or eye shadow. On a daily basis, these tiny containers get carried around in bags and briefcases and dropped — quite a bit. So, it’s common for compacts to break and makeup to shatter, leaving a fragmented mess.

Fix: An easy way to protect the makeup itself is to place a cotton ball inside the compact before closing. For delicate powder, the cotton will act as a buffer against any potential bumps or drops.

If it’s too late and the compact has already slipped and shattered, don’t despair. You can revive most powder, blush and eye shadow with this simple trick: Place as much of the shattered powder as possible back into the compact, add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to the item (in the compact), smooth back into shape with a small knife and let it dry.

Another option is to place the shattered product into a re-sealable bag, crush into a uniform loose powder and use with a powder brush. If the compact itself has broken into two pieces, use a rubber band to secure the two sides together while traveling, at least until you can get a replacement.

Avoid lipstick loss

Problem: Lipstick is especially delicate and tends to break easily. If exposed to high heat, such as in a hot car or confined space, almost every lipstick will melt.

Fix: Instead of trashing your newly liquefied lipstick, place it upright in the refrigerator for an hour or so, which will reset the lipstick, making it usable again. If the lipstick bullet is broken, yet hasn’t fallen out of the tube, heat the base of the lipstick with a blow dryer, set to low heat, and then gently press the lipstick back into the base. The heat will help to reattach the lipstick to the container. As a last resort, store the lipstick in an empty lip gloss pot or contact lens case and apply with a brush.

By being resourceful and maintaining and repairing your cosmetic bottles and containers, you can hold on to your most treasured beauty products longer and stay on budget.

See also:

When to Pitch Beauty Products

The Key to Younger-Looking Lips