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Eskom has once again made a bold return with loadshedding.
What that means during a pandemic is that the lights are going out more than we do.
Anyway, perhaps it's time we got ourselves a fashion and beauty survival guide for hours during which we can neither iron nor carry out our skincare routine adequately.
READ MORE: See ya later, Instagram Face! Covid-19 has officially shifted the beauty landscape
Here are our fashion & beauty hacks for when the lights go out:
Forewarned is forearmed
By now you should have a fair idea of when load shedding will occur in your area at least a few hours before it happens.
Once you have that info, pull out your ironing board and plug in your iron while you still have power - you know, strike while the iron is still hot.
It doesn't matter if you're not one hundred percent sure about what you're going to wear (waist-up) for your next Zoom or Teams commitment - this is just to help you have your options open.
If you have dresses, skirts and blouses in unforgiving fabrics such as linen and satin, be sure to always keep those ironed during these trying times so you can be crisp-looking should the need arise.
Cheat day fabrics
There's no doubt that load shedding has ushered in a lot of meal plan cheat days since we can't always cook when we want to and some of our food spoils in the fridge at least three times a week now. So if we can have cheat days when it comes to meals, we can have wardrobe cheat days too.
If it so happens that you couldn't get some ironing done before a scheduled power outage, best pull out every item in a textured fabric that you have. Textured fabrics don't require ironing, making them very convenient go-to clothes.
Besides, it's not like we have anywhere to go.
And guess what?
Athleisure and loungewear often come in fabrics that require little to no ironing. So between the pandemic and Eskom, this is really loungewear's moment.
I've even put on my gym gear for the sole purpose of running errands over the past few weeks.
Alyssa Cordes wearing Adidas tracksuits and Converse sneaker on May 05, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images)
Xenia van der Woodsen wearing red jogger track suit pants, flat cap seen in the streets of Manhattan outside Coach during New York Fashion Week on September 12, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images)
Model Adut Akech wears a maroon adidas x IVY PARK tracksuit, white Adidas sneakers after the Alberta Ferretti show during Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2020-2021 on February 19, 2020 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Melodie Jeng/Getty Images)
READ MORE: Why the capsule wardrobe is going to be the next best thing in 2021
Luckily, it's box braid season
Protective hairstyles such as braids and cornrows are usually reserved more for winter due to how damaging this season can be on our natural hair. However, now you have even more reason to get braided.
While a lot of people who have gone natural don't necessarily blow dry their hair anymore to avoid further heat damage, there are others who feel inconvenienced by the inability to blowdry their hair and treat their wigs when they need to.
Braids, cornrows and well-maintained wigs are all we need to steer clear of "bad hair days" for as long as there's loadshedding in SA.
Geyser glitches?
Worry not.
Lukewarm water is good for your skin, so at least you can now join the skin power circle, thanks to Eskom.
According to L’Oréal Paris' head of scientific communications Dr. Rocio Rivera, a lukewarm water temperature "delivers the best skin care results."
L’Oréal Paris' report further highlights that "most skin care products were tested or created with this ideal temperature in mind," adding that "Dr. Rivera also points out that lukewarm water can help ensure that your facial cleanser gets the right amount of foaming action, removes enough dirt from the surface of your skin, and balances your natural skin oils appropriately."
Do you have any other load shedding fashion and beauty survival tips? Share them with us here.
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