Save Your Clumpy Nail Polish With This Easy Trick

If you're a mani addict, like so many of us, you probably have a favorite nail-polish shade that you're fairly loyal to. You might keep a fresh bottle perpetually situated on your vanity, right where you can see it, for weekly polishing and daily touch-ups. Chances are, the shade is Essie Ballet Slippers, or a similarly neutral and finger-flattering hue. But, you have a little secret hiding in the cabinet beneath your bathroom sink: an entire bucket, bag, or box of bottles ranging from a crisp, minty green to a sparkly red that you're glad Memaw didn't witness you wearing last New Year's Eve (we all know how she feels about red polish, and the sparkles, well…). The most unfortunate thing about that stash is the lack of use will surely destine your $10-a-pop beauties to a clumpy, gloopy fate. There's hope yet thanks to a trick that will help restore your old nail polishes. We're sharing how to fix clumpy nail polish and all it takes is a drop of polish remover—and a little shimmy.

Whether you have clumpy nail polish or just a case of thick nail polish, this nail polish thinner trick will have your bottle as good as new in no time. The solution is pure acetone, but there are a few ways to handle it. First you can add just a few drops of nail polish remover (we're talking two or three) directly to the bottle, then gently swirl or roll the polish (this is the shimmy method we mentioned) to incorporate—whatever you do, don't shake it. If you add too much acetone, your polish could become streaky or chip easily.

WATCH: The $9 Polish Queen Elizabeth Always Wears

We've also read that you can soak your brush in acetone and add it back to the jar with similar results. We haven't given this one a test run though, so try it at your own risk. We want to hear from you! Drop us a line to let us know whether it worked!