I recently asked women of the BuzzFeed Community to share tips and/or tricks they think more women should know, and I've rounded them up so we can all take note. Here are 23 of the most helpful responses:
1."Put sunscreen in your daily skincare routine and always carry travel size bottles on you if you can."
2."If you keep a baseball bat by your bed for protection, keep a sock over that bat. Anyone you swing at will instinctively grab it, and the sock allows you to slip away and go in for a second hit."
3."An oldie but goodie from Helen Gurley Brown’s Sex and the Single Girl: maintain flexibility by washing your feet in the bathroom sink. Balance on one leg (and a nice clean bath mat), hold onto a wall or counter as necessary, and hoist the other foot up into the sink to soap up. Clean between your toes and exfoliate those gnarly patches behind the ankles while you’re at it. Rinse, switch sides, and repeat. It’s like a tiny moment of zen, pedicure, and yoga all in one."
4."I have a few bathroom essentials that are part of a set, like skincare/acne treatments, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, or deodorant. And if I still have some of these left when I get a new set, I use the almost-gone bottles as my travel essentials. It lasts long enough for a trip."
5."Waxing every 4–6 weeks instead of shaving every two days is so worth it if your skin is OK with it."
6."Any time I’m getting a fountain drink, I put the straw in first, and the lid over it. I can fill it to the top, and no soda spills all over the lid while trying to poke the straw through!"
7."Floss in the shower. When you let the conditioner soak in your hair, floss!"
8."If you were looking for an object and eventually found it in an unexpected place, put it where you initially thought it would be to no longer look for it in the future."
9."In a pinch, you can make business cards with 40-pound card stock. It's thick enough for cards but thin enough to fit in a printer."
10."You can bake a pizza from scratch faster than you can have it delivered and it costs less money. About the time I am half a slice into a $30 delivery pizza that took an hour to get to my house from a place six minutes away, I remember why I usually make my own."
11."If going in public, make sure there’s plenty of toilet paper in the stall/on the roll. That waddle is the ultimate walk of shame!"
12."Buy cute shoes with shorter block heels (2–3 inches). Looks just as classy as higher heels at the office when I want to seduce the CEO and my feet don't hurt. (JK.)"
13."Claw clips. Either the regular ones or the octopus-type. Sometimes I don't have time to shower or do my hair in the morning and claw clips are my saving grace. Throw that snarled nonsense up in a claw clip and BAM! My hair looks messy-on-purpose and I feel like a magical princess."
14."Take a few minutes to stretch your feet, and your lower back, before wearing high heels! It makes a huge huge difference in comfort throughout the day and night."
15."Switch to a reusable menstrual disc. It's cheaper (with time), causes zero leaks, and it's comfortable. Win-win-win."
16."Hydrating before, during, and after partying/drinking goes a long way in preventing/lessening a hangover. I've got nothing for the bloat though."
17."Straighten up your room/closet before you leave, after you've done the thing to get ready — you know, trying it all on. Your future self will thank you and you will keep a cleaner space."
18."If your car's keyfob works from your bedroom, keep your keys by your bed. It may not deter an intruder already inside (and it may if they see you push it and hear the alarm!) but someone will eventually check on you if they know it's your car or call for help if your alarm doesn't shut off."
19."Eyebrow maintenance tips from my grandmother: always pluck your eyebrows after a bath or shower. Your skin is softer and it hurts less. Also, leave a pair of tweezers in your car. When you are parked in sunny places use the car shade mirror to get rid of strays you can’t see at home — full sunlight is way better!"
20."My dad used to be a karate instructor. His number one tip in the event of being physically attacked, even if you have zero fighting skills — pop their eyeballs out. Do whatever you can to put yourself in a position of being able to use your thumbs to dig under/up/behind your attacker's eyeballs so that they are permanently removed from the skull. Scratches can be superficial, but having no eyeballs is a much bigger problem/ advantage depending on who you are in the situation."
21."When it’s a certain time of month, sleep on top of a sacrificial towel so that if you do have any overnight spillage it saves you from having to strip and clean the entire set of bed sheets and mattress protectors. Speaking from experience here."
22."A former police investigator once gave his number one safety tip for females living alone — get a big dog. He worked on a local serial killer case where a guy would break into and hide out in women’s apartments, and the investigator said a dog is a better deterrent than any security system. And shelters are full of ones that will give you protection in exchange for love. Obviously, not everyone is in a position of being able to have a dog, but you can play dog barking sounds and leave out fake “big dog accessories,” like a giant food bowl in case someone is casing your house."
23."To get a Tupperware box really clean, first rinse with water and then wipe it with a paper towel. Then wash up. No more orange boxes in the cupboards."
What tips would you add to the list? Let me know in the comments!
