21 Insanely Helpful New Ways To Use Your Hair Conditioner

Hair conditioner: It's total wonder stuff. Finally, some ideas on how to disperse all those hotel-size samples.

1. DIY dry clean your silk clothing.

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About a tablespoon of conditioner and a sink filled with room temperature water saves you a fat dry cleaning bill. Keep garments submerged for a few minutes, rinse and then hang to dry.

2. Wash lingerie and other delicates.

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Handwash your fancy (or not fancy) underbits with just a dollop. Do with your unmentionables as you do with your mentionables, as described above.

3. Protect leather shoes from snow and salt.

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Make sure your boots are completely dry before applying small amounts at a time. Work it into the leather itself by buffing with a clean rag.

4. Remove eye makeup.

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Use a cotton ball, a swab, or (my favorite) a crumpled wad of TP to dismiss today's makeup before tomorrow's morning meeting. Because eyelash mites are real.

5. Soften makeup and paint brushes.

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Keep bristles flexible and non-stabby (have mercy on your liquid liner ritual...and your kids' art class grades) by applying a little while wet or dry.

6. Use as cuticle cream.

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Smear some over unruly cuticles to soften before pushing them back.

7. Tame static-y hair.

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Rub some between your palms and smooth over your hair. Weighing your hair down a bit keeps it less susceptible to static.

8. Smooth hair frizzies.

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On a humid day, apply just as you would to battle static. This defeats your flyaways.

9. Detangle.

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Add conditioner and water to a spray bottle (about 1:9, conditioner to water). Shake until mixed. Spritz and use a comb to gently work the tangles out from your roots down.

10. Freshen fabrics.

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Now you're tangle-free, turn the nozzle to various plush furniture, curtains or — eek! —actual clothing. The same spray adds a burst of clean smell to things that might not smell great otherwise.

11. Soften clothes and other linens.

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Grab a washcloth, dampen with conditioner, and toss in the dryer with a load.

12. Attempt to rescue a shrunken sweater.

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This isn't 100%, but it's a good shot at saving the sweater you accidentally dried on high. Mix about a tablespoon of conditioner in a bucket of water until dissolved. Let the sweater sit submerged so it softens. Gently stretch back out to its original size.

13. Prevent tools from rusting.

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Apply a thin layer to various household tools to keep them rust- and Tetanus-free! Try this with other appliances too, like faucets.

14. Unclog drains.

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Squirt a little in a clogged drain. Run hot water over it to lubricate the blockage and hopefully dislodge it.

15. Inject moisturizer in your bathwater.

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Rub a quarter-size amount in your hands under bathwater. It's just like bath oil and helps keep skin smooth during the winter's harsh dryness.

16. Shine stainless steel.

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Apply little by little to stainless steel appliances like your stove, refrigerator, faucets, etc. Buff with a clean cloth to get it glittering. You can even try this on golf clubs.

17. Remove stuck rings.

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Add some at the base of your finger, above the ring and as close to under the ring itself as possible. Gently shimmy the ring off. You're free!

18. Painlessly(ish) remove a bandage.

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Wipe a liberal amount around the edges of your bandage to loosen the adhesive's grip. Yank off with remarkably less pain.

19. Silence various squeaks.

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A much better smelling alternative to WD-40, use it to grease and silence squeaky door, cabinet or gate hinges. (And sure, drape runners.)

20. Loosen sticky zippers.

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Use a small amount to grease zipper tracks. This dramatically decreases chances of it getting stuck on other clothing or you yourself.

21. Lastly, use as shaving cream.

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Don't you ever listen?