INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Chances are your bottle of unopened vodka is fine to drink after storing it for an extended period of time. If you've already opened the bottle and it's been a long time since you drank it, check the vodka before mixing up a drink. Throw out the vodka if:  You notice a strange smell It has an unusual or noticeably bad taste It looks different (cloudy or simply looks different than when you bought it) Pure vodka will last for years if stored properly. But if you have vodka that's flavored with natural ingredients, you should be checking it periodically to make sure it's not going bad. It's a good idea to clean through your entire liquor cabinet every 6 months or so. This will encourage you to use up alcohol that has a limited shelf life or throw out alcohol that's no longer good. Liquors with dairy or natural flavorings often have an expiration date listed on the bottle. Some of these may even benefit from being stored in the refrigerator instead of in the cabinet. If you have young children in your house, you should take extra care to make sure your vodka is out of their reach. Although your children might not go looking for your alcohol, young children are curious and may find it. To prevent accidents, keep alcohol in a high up place and lock the storage container or liquor cabinet. Even if you trust your older children, locking the liquor cabinet is a good idea. If your teen is being pressured by a friend to take your alcohol, a locked cabinet gives your child a good excuse for not giving in to the pressure. If you have teenagers in your house, you should be monitoring how much alcohol you have on hand. While you should be able to trust your children, studies suggest that monitoring alcohol in the household sends a message to your children that underage drinking is not acceptable. To monitor alcohol in your house, try:  Marking the sides of liquor bottles to track the levels Writing down how many bottles of each alcohol you have Making note of when you open a bottle of spirits or liquor

SUMMARY: Check the vodka before drinking it again. Clean out your alcohol cabinet periodically. Keep beyond the reach of children. Monitor how much alcohol you have.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Before dyeing hair that's already damaged, get a trim. This will help remove split ends, which can keep your hair healthy in the long run. In the weeks leading up to coloring your hair, go for a more aggressive conditioning regimen. An extra hydrating conditioner can help prevent future damage to you hair. Use an extra hydrating conditioner daily, a deep conditioner once a week, and use a leave-in conditioner on hot days to prevent your hair from drying out in the sun. Start using a shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair because they're gentle and moisturizing. Switching your hair products now will also ensure that you have the right products after coloring. Protein treatments can help strengthen and replenish damaged hair. You can get protein treatments done at a salon or buy protein treatments to do at home. You should only do protein treatments every one to two weeks. Otherwise, they could make your hair more brittle.  Protein treatments are similar to hair masks. You saturated the hair with the protein treatment, let it sit for a set period of time, and then rinse it out. Make sure that you follow all of the instructions for using the protein mask. Leaving the product on for too long can cause your hair to become brittle. The day before coloring your hair, purchase a deep conditioning hair mask from a salon or department store. Apply the mask to your hair and leave it in for the recommended time frame before washing it out. This will ensure your hair is adequately hydrated prior to dyeing, minimizing further damage.  If you're getting your hair done at a salon, ask your stylist for a recommendation for a hair mask. They will probably have some experience working with damaged hair and can give you a good recommendation depending on the kind of dye job you're getting. Natural ingredients that are good for the hair include things like olive oil, milk, honey, and coconut oil.

SUMMARY:
Get a trim. Condition more aggressively. Use protein treatments. Use a hair mask.