We’ve all been there: Wanting to give yourself an at-home manicure…if only you could get your favorite bottle of polish to budge! Here’s the reason nail polish sometimes get stuck: Each time you remove the brush, you swipe it against the bottle’s edge to get rid of excess polish. Some drips down the outside and dries—and it’s as good as glue.

Fortunately, we know how to get it to reopen. First, wrap a rubber band several times around the cap to give yourself a better grip. If that doesn’t do the trick, run hot water over the bottle to loosen the dried polish, then try opening it again. To keep the bottle from getting stuck in the future, use a little polish remover on a tissue to clean around the rim of the bottle after each use.

Check out more fixes for broken beauty products, including smushed lipstick and shattered blush.