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    47 Genius Products You'll Probably Wish You Bought A Long, Long Time Ago

    But now's your chance to make future you glad you grabbed these game-changing products when you did.

    1. heatless curling rod headband perfect for anyone who wants to cut down on the amount of heat they use on their hair but not give up those perfect curls. Simply wrap your hair around the headband before you go to bed, and you'll wake up to big curls (sans heat damage!).

    reviewer showing the cheetah print headband on their head with hair wrapped around it
    the same reviewer showing their curly hair after taking the headband off

    The set includes a curling rod, two hair scrunchies, a claw hair clip, and two duckbill hair clips to set it in place. You can use this on all hair types, but reviewers say it works best when used with damp hair!

    Promising review: "Before purchasing, I’d seen a lot of reviews and tutorials on TikTok showing the results. My hair is thick, coarse, and naturally wavy, so I figured this might be a good alternative to rollers that are time-consuming to put in, difficult to sleep in, and ultimately not worth it. And MAN was I right to be hopeful. Wrap pieces of damp hair around it before bed, the tighter the wrap, the tighter the curl. Easy to sleep in since there’s nothing on the back of your head, and my curls are BOUNCY the next morning. My only complaint is that it doesn’t help give any top-volume, but nothing some teasing can’t fix. 10/10. I’ll never go back to a curling iron." —Mariah

    Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (available in leopard and black). 

    2. A nonstick microwave pasta cooker because waiting for water to boil is the WORST part of making pasta. What's the saying about watching paint dry? Well, when you're hungry, boiling water is worse than that. All you have to do is add your pasta and enough water (based on the instructions) and pop it into the microwave. You'll have al dente pasta in a matter of minutes! 

    A reviewer photo of uncooked pasta and water in the clear, plastic microwave pasta cooker
    A photo from the same reviewer of cooked pasta and water in the clear, plastic microwave pasta cooker

    It also doubles as a strainer, and you can use the holes in the lid to portion out long pastas.

    Promising reviews: "This little thing is great. I wish I'd bought it sooner. It's a very simple container with draining and measuring holes (for long pasta) in the lid. The container itself isn't anything special. Honestly, the part that makes it REALLY worth buying is the little instruction card. It accurately shows you how long to cook many different kinds of pasta, how much water to add, etc. It takes out all the guesswork, which saves SO much time. Every kind of pasta I've tried so far has come out perfectly al dente by strictly following the instructions." —T. B. H.

    Get it from Amazon for $17.99.

    3. A Take-n-Slide medication tracker reviewers swear by for staying on top of their medication. After you take your pill, you simply slide that day of the week over, and you'll know for sure that you've taken it for the day. No more questioning if you took your pill this morning or if you just remember taking it yesterday morning. 🧐

    Promising review: "Where has this been all my life? I love it. This is a lifesaver! I’ve been looking for something like this for years. I always forget 10 minutes later if I actually took my medicine or just put it down. I’ve tried so many different ways, making marks on the bottle, making stickers, and other pill containers. None ever work. And pill containers are so bulky when I only need one pill." —Niki

    Get a pack of five from Amazon for $19.99.

    4. A pair of wireless sleep headphones so you can listen to music, a podcast, or even white noise to help you fall asleep without having to lay on uncomfortable earbuds that die in the middle of the night and wake you up in a panic with the "doo doot" sound.

    The headphones connect via Bluetooth and have 33 feet of wireless range (meaning your phone doesn't have to be right next to you). The controls are on the forehead, which makes it comfortable for back and side sleepers, and they are made to block out ambient noise.

    Promising review: "This is amazing!! I wish I would have bought sooner. My husband has a terrible snoring problem and refuses to go get help for it. I was spending more time awake and resenting him each night than I was actually sleeping. I decided to try this along with a fan app on my phone, and I have had the best sleep in years!! Holds the charge great. It is very comfortable to wear while sleeping, and it doesn’t fall off. I would recommend this to anyone in the same situation." —RG

    Get it from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in 17 colors). 

    5. The Car Seat Key, a must-have for anyone who loves having long nails but struggles with said nails to get their child out of the car seat. You can hook this to your keychain, and it will help you unclip the car seat buckle without breaking a nail.

    reviewer holding the car seat key in black
    reviewer showing how the car seat key works to help unbuckle a car seat if you have long nails

    Promising review: "After I had my first child almost a year ago, I stopped getting acrylic nails because I couldn't get him out of his car seat without struggling or breaking a nail. I’d have to get them as an overlay or extra short. But I saw this product on TikTok and had to try it out and omg!! It works! It took me a while to figure out the best angle to get him out with it but once I did I went to the nail shop expeditiously!! Lol If you’ve been thinking about this for a while, GET IT! It’s worth it!" —Tora318

    Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in five colors). 

    6. A hose attachment you actually use with your vacuum to suck out all the dust, lint, and other debris that's hiding in your dryer. This 2.5-foot kit will get in there deep and remove so much stuff you'll be shocked how your dryer has even worked up till this point.

    reviewer using hose and sticking into dryer vent
    different reviewer image of garbage bag filled 3/4th full with lint

    Promising review: "Honestly, we are speechless! We are excellent about cleaning the lint trap after every load of clothes. We even clean the lint vent outside. But nothing could have prepared us for the amount of lint and gunk trapped in the vent tubing! How we have never had a fire, we have no idea. We vacuumed forever all the way up the vent tube, which we could have in no way done without this item. The suction power was unbelievable! We could not believe how bad the tubing was clogged. Just look at the picture. We removed about 3/4 of a kitchen garbage bag size of lint and gunk! It was amazing and embarrassing! It’s SO inexpensive, but it could literally save you from a house fire! Anyway, just buy it. Excellent value! You won’t be sorry!" —Brian Mattix/Elizabeth Bodnam

    Get it from Amazon for $12.95+ (available in six colors).

    7. An under-cabinet lid opener because I can't be the only one who's gotten so frustrated when I can't get a jar open that I've simply abandoned making dinner and ate popcorn instead.

    hand holding a water bottle using the opener to get the cap off
    gif of a reviewer showing how easy it is to open a jar of olives only using one hand

    Promising review: "Once in a while you stumble on a product that is better than advertised. This is one of them. Having arthritis in my hands, I struggle to open some large jars. This works like a charm and makes it a one-handed operation. Following the advice of another reviewer, we mounted it ‘backward’ so the point of the V is towards the front of the cupboard rather than the back. This allows us to pull the jar towards us, rather than pushing it away. It also means we can’t see the metal teeth from our sofa. Now I want to open every jar in the house. :-)" —Eric K.

    Get it from Amazon for $19.35.

    Read BuzzFeed's full EZ Off jar opener review here.

    8. An auto-shutoff outlet for anyone who has stopped in a cold panic after they leave their house trying to remember if they've turned off their curling iron or straightener (🙋🏻‍♀️). Simply put this in the outlet, plug your device in, and hit the button to set the timer. Then you can go about your day knowing that you won't accidentally burn your house down.

    a flat iron plugged into the outlet
    a lamp plugged into the outlet
    Amazon

    That can't be a fear just I have, right? Right??? You can set the timer on this for one, two, four, or eight hours, or just put it on hold.

    Promising review: "I'm very pleased with this. I use it mainly for at-home hair styling. I often like to leave my styling wand on for last-minute touch ups before leaving early in the morning but, in haste, I often get on the freeway and worry that I forgot to unplug it. No more worries with this attached to the plug. I wish I'd gotten it sooner." —JDubya

    Get it from Amazon for $11.60.

    9. weekly, bleach-free shower spray you simply spray in your shower, leave overnight, and rinse the next day. With this, you'll have one less thing on your to-do list so you can actually enjoy your weekend instead of spending time scrubbing your shower. 

    reviewer showing their shower floor before using the product
    reviewer showing how clean the shower floor is after using the product three times

    Note: Depending on how dirty your shower is, some reviewers say it takes a couple of applications to get it completely clean. 

    I finally bought this after putting into approximately 7,375 posts, and honestly, I'm mad at myself for not adding it to my cart sooner. I am not the biggest fan of cleaning the bathroom, especially the shower. It's just so cumbersome to get to everything and really feel like you've gotten a good clean. But this spray made it SO easy. I just spritzed my whole shower and let it sit — 24 hours later, I came back and rinsed it. I could tell there was a noticeable difference. I'm super happy with this and will always clean my shower this way from now on. 

    Promising review: "I saw this on TikTok and after reading dozens of comments and reviews I purchased it. WOW! One use and our 1984 bathtub is looking at least as good as a 1997 bathtub! Can’t wait to do round two and bring it into this century. Very easy to use. I have tried everything including but not limited to steel wool and bleach… spray this let it set and wiped it out with a magic eraser and could not believe my eyes." —Amazon Customer

    Get it from Amazon for $19.98 (also available in a refill bottle).

    10. A twist-bottom flower vase specifically designed with some unique features that will help you easily maintain your fresh flowers without making a mess in your kitchen. You can drain the water through the bottom of the vase before replacing it and also twist the base off completely so you can trim the steams and make them last longer.

    A model twisting open a white flower vase at the base
    Model cutting the stems of the flowers and draining the water
    Amazon

    Check out a TikTok of the twist-off vase in action. 

    Amaranth Vase Company is a small business that was started to solve the problem of the messiness and inconvenience of caring for a bouquet of flowers. 

    Promising review: "Most genius vase. The flowers last so much longer, because you can change the water and snip the stems to keep bacteria from growing and killing your flowers. It’s also beautiful as a vase itself, super modern and chic." —Eliezer Labkowsky

    Get it from Amazon for $34.99+ (available in three colors and two sizes). 

    11. pet hair remover for any pet parent who can't seem to escape the loads of hair that end up covering their furniture. Seriously, sometimes it feels like they lose every single hair on their body every day. Simply roll it on the upholstery, and it will grab every last strand.

    GIF of reviewer using the chom chom roller to remove fur from a couch
    reviewer image of a chom chom roller open to reveal all the collected pet hair inside

    Promising review: "TikTok made me buy this, and it is money well spent!! I’m convinced that my beagle sheds a full coat of hair and regrows it daily! I use this on my bed every single day and it blows my mind how well it works. Before this I was going through 4–5 disposable sticky rollers a month and spending 3x longer to remove dog hair. I am buying these for everyone in my family as Christmas gifts this year! ❤️" —tiff4short

    Get it from Amazon for $31.95

    12. An adorable octopus-shaped blackhead remover that actually works to pull out whiteheads, blackheads, and any other ~ink~ clogging up your pores. You may be disgusted by what the lil' cutie pulls out of your face, but you'll be so thankful it does.

    A black small octopus shaped remover in a reviewer's hand
    the cap off to show the salt on the top of the remover

    Promising reviews: "After just two days of use, this adorable little octopus has done wonders for me, smells great too. Here's how I used it: I wore down the stick just a little to where the texture from the salt is visible, scrubbed around on my face so there was plenty of product, then I used my fingers to gently massage all the gunk away. Rinse, pat dry, and enjoy the softness. Highly recommended for people with sensitive skin like myself." —LuckLocust

    Get it from Amazon for $12.50

    13. A magnetic ironing pad designed to snap right on to your washer or dryer, so you don't have to keep that big and bulky ironing board around that's also the main reason you don't end up actually ironing your clothes.

    Promising review: "If you're like me and living in a space that doesn't have a ton of room let alone space for a big old ironing board, this is the perfect solution. This mat easily sticks with the magnets to the top of the dryer. It's a great space-saving solution. If you're looking to minimize, this is what you want!" —JD

    Get it from Amazon for $13.87.

    14. A moisture meter you place in the soil of your plants to see exactly how much water it's getting. If you love having real plants in your home but struggle with remembering the last time you watered each one, this is a great tool to have so your plant babies are always getting the perfect amount of water. 

    A reviewer's plant with the meter inside, showing it is slightly over watered
    My own snake plant with the meter in the center, showing it is slightly under watered
    www.amazon.com, Mallory Mower / BuzzFeed

    Promising review: "This item is great. I can check how wet my plants are down where the roots are. So no more over watering! It is very accurate. This works great!!" —Terri Carlson

    Get it from Amazon for