10 Other Uses for Hairspray

I went to an ’80s Party last weekend. I had a little anxiety about what I was going to wear, until I walked into my closet and realized I need look no further. I know. It is pretty sad. What’s even worse is that a few months ago my eight year old needed to be Benjamin Franklin, and I pulled this ensemble right from my closet as well.

Lord help me, I need a personal shopper.

Turns out, even though 80’s garb made the night more fun, I really only needed to buy a bottle of Aqua Net. In the ’80s, hairspray was my best friend. I would spray first, they curl, then spray while curling iron still in, then spray after, then pick and tease and then spray again. It is amazing I ever made it out We even put vodka in the empty bottles to hide from our parents. To this day, a good martini still tastes a little like Aussie Scrunch Spray.

In 2013, I rarely use hairspray, at least to the extent I did in the ’80s. But, I still have it in my bathroom. Here are 10 other uses for hairspray.

1. Stop nylon runs – a little hole can turn into a big run in a matter of seconds. Squirt some hairspray on the hole to stop the run from moving up your leg.

2. Protect pumpkins – Spray hairspray on your pumpkins to prevent squirrels and chipmunks from having a feast.

3. Preserve artwork – Let them enjoy their sidewalk chalk drawings a little longer by spraying with hairspray. This also works great on pictures made with paint and markers to keep the colors from running together.

4. Stop the glitter mess – Are you finding glitter in all the strangest places after they play dress up. Use hairspray on shoes and accessories with glitter to keep it in place and off your floors.

5. Clean up spilled nail polish or get out lipstick stains — Spray stains with hairspray, let it sit for a minute or two and then dab with a rag until the stain is gone.

6. Recycle newspaper for wrapping paper — Out of wrapping paper and the party is in 1/2 hour? Be creative. Wrap in newspaper and then spray with hairspray to keep the ink from running.

7. Clean up pet fur or lint — Spraying a little hairspray on a rag turns it into a lint roller.

8. Protect recipes on index cards — Do you have some favorite recipes given to you on index cards by your mom or grandmother. Spray hairspray on them to keep them from getting ruined by spills.

9. Preserve the color of fallen leaves — My kids love to collect interesting leaves. I like to leave them around the house, but they brown so quickly. A little hairspray will allow them to keep their bright autumnal colors for a few more days.