47 Time-Saving Products You’ll Wish You Had Sooner

This brush is designed to work on all hair types, but reviewers with 2c through 4c hair say it has worked well for them. It also works on wet *and* dry hair, so you don’t have to time out your brushing.

Promising review: “My daughter has a lot of hair that tangles very easily. Her knots get so bad that they needed to be cut from her head at times and even after cutting those knots would not come undone despite pulling with all of our might. To me that was evidence that her hair is just impossible. Then we came across this brush. We saw a commercial for a different brand but when I logged onto Amazon I saw that this brush had far better reviews and has been around for quite some time. I ordered it and was not sure what to expect as many other detangling brushes simply failed even after adding large amounts of leave in conditioner and detangling spray to her hair. Lo and behold, this brush does as it promises. IT WORKS! My daughter went from dreading getting her hair brushed to doing it herself. She is 5 and says this brush is relaxing. I highly recommend this product. It will save you time, money and sanity. It should say NO MORE TEARS FOR PARENT AND CHILD.” —Nicole W.

Get it from Amazon for $11.88 (available in five colors).

Each planner comes with 50 tear-off sheets the size of a standard piece of paper.

Promising review: “So glad I bought this! This is a great little notepad! Cute, practical, and with just enough writing space to capture the most important things. Well worth the price!” —Nikki Grillo

Get it from Amazon for $10.99.

Promising review: “These are amazing! I was skeptical at first but I followed the directions (which are super easy) and was grossed out and satisfied at the same time to see the gunk that was removed. You put the entire packet down your disposal (I read that twice too) and magic happens in under two minutes! That is what I call powerful and successful cleaning! The scent is super clean and light with a hint of lemon. These will definitely be a cleaning staple for me.” —KPITT

Get a four-pack from Amazon for $9.04.

Unlike other hair dryers, this one can be held closer to the roots and scalp for a higher volume and lift, and helps you curl hair at the end while it dries. It comes with three heat settings and is designed to work on all hair textures — reviewers with 2a through 4c hair mentioned it working for them, and especially noted that it helps cut down on drying time!

Promising review: “OK. I never write Amazon reviews which isn’t cool since I rely on them so much … but I just had to write one for this!!! So my BFF has been trying to talk me into this for dyer for a while. I have REALLY thick, wavy, frizzy hair that never dries pretty naturally. I either get blow outs or spend about 20 minutes blow-drying my hair and THEN flat iron it. So I finally caved and tried this dryer for the first time last week. I started out with pretty wet hair and product in it. About 90% of the way into the dry, I thought it was OK…but then everything came together. My hair was straight, smooth, and styled in about 10 min tops. I couldn’t believe it. I immediately called my friend who told me to try it with my hair almost air dried. WHAT? So I did it the next time and again…WOW! This time I dried my hair in about three minutes…not as straight and smooth as the first time but pretty darn close. This dryer is a GAME CHANGER. I can’t believe the amount of money I’m going to save on blowouts!!! My BFF said it’s also great for bedhead and quick touchups too. Can’t wait. TRY IT…you won’t be disappointed!!!” —Ann

Get it from Amazon for $40.99+ (available in three styles).

Promising review: “I absolutely love this diffuser. I had been using a hooded hair dryer on wash days for years, and was getting frustrated with the 45+ minute dry times along with ‘triangle hair’ and lack of volume due to the dryer blowing down on my hair. Not only do I get wonderful volume with this diffuser, but I’ve more than cut my dry time in half with only needing about 20 minutes. Mind you, I have very thick 3b/3c curls that are a couple inches past my shoulders. Works wonderfully.” —SarahG

Get it from Amazon for $19.87.

Promising review: “I am SUPER STOKED with this blow-dry spray. My hairdresser has been using this on my for years and I finally purchased it. I wish I hadn’t waited so long. It cuts my blow-dry time down by at least 40%. My hair is much smoother and healthier since I have been using. I like that it protects my hair from the heat of the blow-dryer and my flat iron. I would highly recommend!” —Roxy

Get it from Amazon for $13.

Promising review: “I am an avid (i.e., daily) iced coffee drinker, but I have been extremely hesitant to make my own iced coffee at home because I didn’t want the bitter flavor from two-day-old coffee or the watered-down nature of just adding ice to coffee. Thanks to the HyperChiller, I have now found a solution!!! The HyperChilller worked like a CHARM!!! I was able to create my own iced coffee directly from my coffee maker in the comfort of my own home.” —Chelsea

Get it from Amazon for $24.99.

Promising review: “I’ve been eyeing these for a few months and finally caved.. Man do I regret not picking them up as soon as I saw them! They work GREAT! We rent an apartment that has a 30+-year-old shower/tub. I’ve used everything from abrasive powders, gels that sit, to most recently the bathroom Magic Erasers and nothing really got the grime out. These WORK and they work fast. Ten minutes with my handy drill and the shower has never been cleaner. I love that I don’t have to throw money out on cleaning products anymore and that I can be a little more environmentally friendly with no waste and no chemical cleaners! Just a little dish soap, baking soda, and a spin of the brush. If you’re on the fence, just buy them!” —Becky Adie

Get a set of three from Amazon for $14.99 (available in six colors).

Promising review: “Saved me from buying a new dishwasher!I have to admit that I was skeptical that this product was actually going to do anything. I’ve noticed my dishwasher wasn’t cleaning dishes very well lately, and I did everything I could to get it working properly again, but was ready to finally give up and buy a new dishwasher. I bought these tablets thinking they were designed to eliminate odors, but I was willing to give them a shot before buying a whole new dishwasher. I put one in the bottom of the dishwasher last night per the instructions and woke up to completely clean dishes for the first time in weeks. They look perfect. I don’t know why these tablets work but they absolutely did and I am a happy customer!” —B. Turner

Get a six-pack from Amazon for $5.39.

OH! They’re also stackable, so no space wasted in the fridge. We love to see (and eat) it.

Promising review: “These are spectacular!!! They are airtight so the week’s food I do for lunches and such stay fresh for the whole week. They are strong and very durable. The four-part latching system ensures your food is completely sealed. The seal ring is removable for easy cleaning. The nice pop-top vent allows food to cool if packed in hot. Once cool, close pop-top and stick in the fridge. Husband is rough on things including his lunch box and so far these are holding up so nice!! Many others I have tried have been broken in a matter of days. I love these!!!” —Deborah

Get a set of five from Amazon for $25.99.

Mod 86 Designery is a Minnesota-based Etsy shop established in 2009 that specializes in planners, address books, password books, and more.

Each of these laminated planners has 60 weeks’ worth of pages, plus a double-sided pocket in the back for coupons on receipts.

Promising review: “I use this meal planner every week! The layout is clean and pretty, and I love the pockets in the front and back for coupons. Keeps our meal planning super organized from week to week. I staple our grocery receipts to each week too for extra tracking on what we are spending.” —Kristin

Get it from Mod 86 Designery on Etsy for $18+ (available in two sizes, with your choice of personalization on the front with eight font choices).

This tool also helps soften skin by gently exfoliating as you use it!

Promising review: “I had been getting a professional lip and chin waxing every three weeks for the past 10 or more years. I was VERY nervous about switching to shaving. After all, we have been indoctrinated with the idea that shaving will only make things worse. I did some research online, and read over and over that shaving does not make hair get darker or grow faster. Of course, unlike waxing you are cutting it off at the skin line, not pulling it out below the skin line. I finally tried shaving, and I love it. I still pluck stray hairs regularly (as I did with the waxing), and shave about every two weeks. I can determine when I need it, and I don’t have to let the hair grow out to a certain length, as I did with waxing. Saving money, saving time, and looking better more consistently, What’s not to like?” —Deb

Get a set of three from Amazon for $4.99.

The razor has two edges, a fine-tooth one for thin hair textures and a wider one for thicker hair textures. (FWIW, people also use this on their pets as a quick grooming solution!)

Promising review: “I recently got a pixie haircut, I was hesitant to get one based on the fact that I’d have to get frequent haircuts, the cost of which would add up quickly. I did some research on youtube and found some videos using the Tinkle Hair Cutter to trim hair in between salon visits. I LOVE this thing! It is easy to give a little trim or a drastic cut, both of which I have done since getting the Tinkle cutter. I was very nervous to try it fearing that I might mess up my hair so I just did a little bit first, but it was easy and only takes off small amounts of hair at a time. Remember, I have a pixie cut — if you have long hair it will cut that off! Basically all you have to do is comb your hair in the direction it grows until you’re satisfied with the cut. Seven months post pixie haircut and I have only been to the salon once to have a reshaping done of my hair. I will say that when the cutter feels like it’s ‘pulling’ your hair, it’s time to get new razors. I still prefer my pixie cut to be pretty short and assuming I would have to go to the salon once a month for upkeep I have saved $210 since having my hair cut. TOTALLY WORTH IT!” —brandi in louisiana

Get it from Amazon for $3.93.

(Psst — you can also use these to reheat french fries, pizza, and even mini tacos, and get all that glorious heat without them getting all soggy from the microwave. Leftovers just got lit.)

Promising review: “I had no idea how well these would work. You can put toast or rolls or anything that will fit in the slot — even if it has jelly or spread or anything on it — in the bag in the toaster and it doesn’t hurt the toaster, and the food comes out warm.” —mare36

Get a four-pack from Amazon for $7.99.

Sagely is a family-owned small business founded by husband-and-wife team Ellie Glazer and Ivor Miskulin, who spent three years designing the ideal, stress-free pill storage solution. The silicone lids are super secure, but also designed for gentle and easy opening and closing to account for users with dexterity issues.

Promising review: “Love this thing!!! I’m only 30 and didn’t want an old-lady pill box…and this one was modern and cool. The little slots to push in pills is fantastic and the containers are very large. It keeps my huge vitamin pills on either side and could fit over 10 large ones if needed. Love this thing. Worth the price and looks like it’ll last forever. I do wish the magnets were stronger. They just keep them in place but will slide off if bumped. I assume this is helpful for people with arthritis. It’s an easy fix. I take down one day’s worth of pills, set it on my counter, and now I’m not too lazy to take my pills!” —Chicken McNugget

Get it from Amazon for $34.99.

Psst — this tool is double sided, so you can choose the thickness of your wing, and comes with two stamp pens — one for each eye!

Promising review: “This stamp has totally changed (and elevated) my eyeliner game! I was a little dubious at first because I have literally, tried everything in an attempt to make a flawless wing/cat-eye look. I’ve never been able to master it and therefore, had pretty much given up on trying to make that happen for me. THIS STAMP IS A GAME CHANGER! The first couple of times you use it will be some trial and error to determine where the appropriate starting point is on your lid, but once you get that down, it’s literally SO EASY and looks perfect every time. I stamp and then fill in the rest of my eyeliner with my normal product — presto! Perfect wings in three minutes. And it DOES NOT budge. You can put this on at 6 a.m. and it still looks good at 6 p.m. It is also easy to remove with any drugstore makeup remover or towelette. If it came in other colors I’d buy them all!” —J.S. Massie

Get a set of two from Amazon for $14.97 (available in two colors and four styles).

I’ve owned one of these babies and have faithfully used it every week for upward of two years, and especially love it during quarantine — it simplifies breakfast because I know no matter what weird assortment of groceries I’m working with, there are precooked eggs to add some protein to it (I like mine medium-boiled 🍳). If my dinner is boring or seems like it needs a little extra “oomph” to it, I’ll throw in an egg from this, too. Some reviews note that the alarm on it is a little loud, but the new models have significantly decreased the volume and sing a little song instead!

Promising review: “You know those objects that are totally unnecessary, but you see them and fall in love and live forever in happiness with your random kitschy thing? This is that thing. I saw this egg cooker on a BuzzFeed list and, even though I am a fully functioning adult who has never had trouble cooking eggs before in my life, I knew I had to have it. I have not been disappointed. It makes especially lovely, perfectly round omelets with minimal cleanup required. Hard- and soft-boiled eggs cook evenly and taste great. The poached eggs are tender and melt-in-your-mouth over toast.” —Sonnet A. Fitzgerald

Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in five colors).

Promising review: “This thing is a miracle worker! I’m a little ashamed to say that getting my ring cleaned had become low priority in the past eight or so years, kids, moving, etc. took the top spots. My ring was so dirty that I was starting to worry that if I took it somewhere to clean it they’d be disgusted! I randomly saw this product mentioned by someone as a way to shine up their ring occasionally. I bought because it was pretty cheap and why not take a chance? I soaked my ring in some warm water and dish soap for about half an hour then took it out and started using the stick on it. I should’ve taken a picture of all of the gunk I got out of the crevices! I went over it thoroughly and then rinsed it off, OMG! My husband said he could see it sparkling from across the room and said maybe he needed to use it on his ring now! It’s been about a month since I’ve last done it and it’s only now starting to lose some of its sparkle, very long lasting!” —Browns

Get it from Amazon for $7.96.

Promising review: “This literally changed my life. I was one of those people who used to complain about needing to wash my hair DAILY. I have thin, light blonde hair. I looked greasy and unkempt after one day, not even taking into consideration working out or sweating. But now?! A whole new world. I shampoo my hair in the shower on Sundays, just rinse my hair in the shower after days I do high-intensity sweaty exercise (three to five days per week), and use this in my hair every morning. It fluffs it, gives it volume, and makes it look brand new. I honestly can’t believe how much this changed everything. Now my hair can look smooth and straight because I don’t need to wash, dry, then straighten every morning (what a time suck!). Now I just straighten and use dry shampoo. I’ve used the extra time in mornings to improve my makeup routine, take my dog on longer walks, etc. AND I look more put together at work. Get this stuff. Conserve water. Never look back.” —Eemn83

Get it from Amazon for $9.38.

Read BuzzFeed’s reviews of dry shampoos for more deets!

Pssst — Batiste also sells dry shampoos for specific hair colors and in different scents!

Promising review: “Love this little steamer! For the price, you can’t beat it. I use it almost daily. My old one was a different brand and would randomly quit in the middle of steaming and need to heat up again. This one has not done that at all, keeps going strong day after day.” —LoveLeoCustomCrafts

Get it from Amazon for $27.97.

Check out BuzzFeed’s full review of this mini steamer for more deets!!

Theresa Rose is a California-based Etsy shop established in 2007 that specializes in custom birthstone and personalized jewelry gifts.

Kayla Suazo, an editor here at BuzzFeed, tried these out and loved ’em: “I recently bought a couple of these and had one of those very real, WHY DIDN’T I BUY ONE OF THESE SOONER moments. They do an amazing job at keeping your necklaces from tangling as you wear them, and I love that I can layer multiple of my favorites at once. I am forever sold on these.”

Get it from Theresa Rose on Etsy for $12.49+ (available in gold and silver, and with two, three, or four clasps).

Chic Geeks is a Black woman–owned tech accessory company that specializes in the “reintroduction of color and personalization” to bring back the nostalgia of colorful tech infused with modern devices.

Promising review: “I bought this keyboard cover as a gift for my niece who uses Final Cut Pro often. She absolutely loves it and discovered new shortcuts for editing. It’s totally worth the money.” —Staci Rutherford

Get it from Chic Geeks: the Adobe Photoshop Shortcuts cover for $20 and the Final Cut Pro X Shortcuts cover for $20 (both available in most MacBook models and sizes).

Psst — you can check out MORE shortcut laptop keyboard covers on Chic Geeks’ site!

Promising review: “Oh man, this stuff is awesome! I sprayed and left it on overnight. I had no idea what to expect. I took a paper towel and started wiping out the oven. The grime just melted away. It was awesome! I am VERY pleased!” —Ksgirl

Get it from Amazon for $7.02,

This three-in-one tool can split an avocado with its pointy tip, remove the pit with its center, and make perfectly even slices with the bottom — a much safer alternative to using a regular knife and potential falling prey to the dreaded “avocado hand.”

Promising review: “Avocado? Yes, Please! This tool is awesome. Easy to cut open the fruit. Pit remover works well, just push onto the pit and give it a twist, and the pit pops right out. The best part is the slicer. Makes beautiful slices for a great presentation. The tool can then be used to scrape any remaining fruit out of the skin. Really happy I bought this tool!” —NPR Man

Get it from Amazon for $9.99.

A Dozen Cousins is a San Francisco–based, Black-owned small business that specializes in 100% plant-based food and provides an annual grant and volunteer support to nonprofits working to eliminate socioeconomic health disparities in the US.

Each of these packs comes with four packs of black beans and four packs of pinto beans, which can be heated up in the microwave in 60 seconds.

Promising review: “What a great, convenient, healthy meal solution! I used the Cuban Black Beans in a breakfast bowl with scrambled eggs and they were an awesome addition. So easy to heat up in the microwave in their pouch and mix right in with the rest of my bowl. I’ll definitely order these again to help me save time on my meal prep. I can feel really good about this company’s social mission to help families in underserved communities eat well!” —Amy

Get an eight-pack from Amazon for $29.99.

It’s got two sides — one that can wipe off all your makeup with water and a light scrubbing, and another that exfoliates your skin. Plus, all you have to do when you’re done using it is wet it and hang it up to dry! No more wasting money on icky washcloths that hurt your skin!!! I can hear your pores singing from here.

Promising review: “This did exactly what it claims to do, I use some warm water on a little part and my whole makeup comes off, even mascara! I used to always buy makeup wipes and this has saved me so much money. I just throw it in with the laundry and it’s perfect. I’ve been using it for over six months now and it hasn’t failed me at all, it’s worth the money!!” —Sharmin Rahman

Get it from Amazon for $18.20 (available in nine colors).

Hairbrella is a Black-owned small business established in 2016 that specializes in hats combining fashion and function to protect against all types of weather.

Promising review: “I never carry an umbrella cause they’re too bulky, so when I saw the Hairbrella I was so excited. It keeps my hair dry and my curls nicely quaffed, rather than me looking like I stuck my fingers in a light socket. I’m telling everyone I know about it, it’s an amazing alternative to those wide-brimmed hats or a briefcase LOL! Truly it’s never going to leave my side from now on! I definitely recommend it.” —Gina C.

Get it from Amazon for $40 or Hairbrella for $39.99 (available in five colors).