Help! My zipper is stuck!

Dear Rissa

Boots are back in fashion and I brought out my pair to use. Since I haven’t used them for quite a while, the zipper doesn’t seem to open and close as smoothly. I want to fix them before they get stuck. Any tricks I can try before I bring them to a shoe repair shop?

 Tammy

 If a zipper is stuck or will not open and close properly, try rubbing candle wax up and down the entire teeth of the zipper. Open the zipper so it’s in a position where the teeth are separated and simply run the candle wax along the outside of the zipper’s teeth. Pull your zipper up and down to distribute the wax evenly. The oil in the paraffin will lubricate the zipper’s teeth and the zipper should be easy to open and close. 

 My new favorite product I like to keep in handy is the WD-40 No-Mess Pen (I found mine at True Value). This legendary multi-purpose lubricant now comes in a pen-shaped applicator. Pocket-sized and handy, it can easily fit in your purse or kikay kit. The uses of WD-40 are no longer limited to the garden, garage, and cars — they can now be a fashionista’s new best friend. It can lubricate stubborn zippers on your favorite boots, jackets, handbags, and luggage. After a vacation, use it to get rid of the scuff marks on your designer luggage. If you’re OC like me, use this to flawlessly remove sticky labels, adhesives, and price tags off your shoe bottoms, accessories, and plastic organizers. It can even remove the sticky residue on those newly-sent credit cards and membership cards. And if you’ve ever experienced sitting on gum, yes — this can remove that, too, as well as any sticker residue on clothes. Just be sure to test the product first on an area of the garment which won’t be seen.

WD-40 can be used on almost everything — metal, rubber, plastic, wood, and painted metal surfaces. Good luck!

Rissa

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Addressing a Sauna Problem

Dear Ms. Tingting,

What does sauna do to our skin? Do you know of any alternative to steaming other than going to a sauna?

Chat

Steaming, or sauna for that matter, gives the skin a deep-down, smooth and painless “scrub” clean from the bottom of every pore. It causes us to sweat and sweating has proven its effectiveness in flushing out toxins and diseases, and maintaining physical as well as mental health.

You can actually get some of the same effects by sitting in a sauna right in your own room and steaming just your face in a bowl or in the shower by bathing in very hot water.

Here, make your own sauna for your face: Fill a bowl with near-boiling water and add a few drops of essential oil. Lemon for oily skin, chamomile for dry, and mandarin for normal skin. Protect the thinner skin around your eyes by smoothing on a moisturizer, then holding your face over the steam. Place a towel over your head to keep the heat in. Follow with a face mask to remove sticking dirt or use a small towel and, with circular motion, rub gently on the face to remove blackheads and grime. You can do the same with face and body, and finish off with cold water to close pores.

Tingting

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Send e-mail to tingtingcojuangco@yahoo.com, ltg@pldtdsl.com, and stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com.