It’s not impossible to save water AND maintain your hygiene and beauty care at the same time.

If you’re living in Cape Town, it’s time to face the reality that Day Zero is happening and there’s nothing we can do to change it. What we can change however, is our everyday habits and behaviour when it comes to water-usage.

Yes, having our taps run completely dry and having to queue for daily bottled water along with the rest of the city at designated collection points is not something we ever thought would we would have to endure, especially in an internationally acclaimed city such as Cape Town.

But wallowing in denial is certainly not the answer. Rather, we need to think of water-savvy alternatives to incorporate into our everyday routines – and this includes our all-important beauty regimens.

Extensive morning and nightly rituals will have to be cut down to the bare necessities,  but that doesn’t mean we can’t still look (and feel) as polished, refreshed and put-together as we used to. I mean, we do still have business meetings to attend, friends to meet up with and dinner dates to dress up for – with or without water.

These water-saving beauty tips will help you transition into a new water-less way of life while still being confident in your appearance and hygiene standards.

HYGIENE

Keep clean people! It is absolutely essential that we maintain high standards of personal hygiene in the dire situation where bad smells, germs and possibly disease outbreaks will prevail (gross).

Cleansing Wipes

Wet wipes are your new friend. Avoid feeling grimy by having a full wipe down with cleansing wipes on days when bathing or showering is not an option. However, proceed with caution, as those that contain alcohol and fragrance can quickly lead to dry skin and horrible conditions such as eczema when used heavily.

Instead, you can purchase specialised baby wipes which are much gentler on the skin and are often sold in large packs which will be cheaper in the long run.

TRY: Pampers Baby Wipes, R129 from Takealot (336 wipes)

Hand Sanitizer

If you don’t already keep a stash of this potent little product within arms reach, now would be a good time to start. Our fingertips go from a keyboard, to our phones to some cash and then our food – all before extending a handshake. It is important to kill the spreading of germs quickly and effectively.

Camping Shower

If you simply cannot go without showering, a portable camping shower is a nifty alternative. Water can be stored in the shower bag for days and you can easily control your water yield to avoid waste when it is running.

Roll-on Deodorant 

Nothing new here, but to avoid funky smells and armpit sweat, increased everyday use of roll-on antiperspirant is a must.

Avoid Laundry Loads 

Did you know washing machines can use up to 150 liters of water per wash? That’s insane! A small trick to prolong the life-span of your garments until it needs a wash is to keep a spritzer bottle filled with water and stay-soft on hand. Use this to spritz your clothing in between wears so that you’ll need to do laundry less often.

HAIR CARE

Dry Shampoo

If your hair typically gets limp and oily very quickly, you might want to invest in a good dry shampoo to lessen the need for washing. The product is a drying agent which soaks up excess grease and oil in the hair, giving it a cleaner appearance and leaves it smelling fresh. Baby powder does the job as well.

TRY: Batiste Dry Shampoo, R79.95 for 200ml at Clicks

Wet Hair Look? 

Soo why not embrace your inevitable oily hair and transform it into the wet hair look that’s currently trending? Slick it all back, comb it through with some coconut oil and style as desired! (We’re totally kidding but no one would know the difference, right?)

2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner

When it gets to the point where you really do need to wash your hair, opt for a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner. You’ll be saving water by only rinsing your hair once instead of twice.

If however, your hair is very dry and requires a deep condition every so often, try switching to a leave-in conditioner spray which doesn’t need to be washed out.

COSMETICS + SKIN CARE

Waterless cleanser

Waterless facial cleansers such as Micellar Water are all the rage right now. Not only are they a great solution to our impending Day Zero problems, but they are in fact less abrasive to the skin than cleansers that need to be rinsed off. This helps to lock in moisture, leaving your skin feeling soft and supple.

TRY: Garnier Micellar Water, R80 for 400ml at Clicks

Permanent makeup

Perhaps this water crisis will provide the perfect excuse for you to try out that permanent makeup procedure you’ve been curios about for ages. I mean you’d be wearing less makeup so you won’t have to wash your face as often. That still counts as water saving, right? How about a set of lash extensions to avoid the ultimate water-waster – removing mascara.

READ NEXT: 5 Health trends to look out for in 2018

AUTHOR: Farah Khalfe