Brutally cold and dangerous temperatures continue to plague the Midwest. It's so cold that residents of these areas are throwing boiling water into the air and freezing their clothing within minutes. It's so cold the city of Chicago has literally set its railroad tracks on fire so trains can continue to run on them.
Well lucky for them, earlier this month, a popular Instagram account called "5-Minute Crafts" shared a compilation video of "useful hacks to help you survive the winter."
The video claims to have one especially simple and effective "hack" to keep you extra warm this winter season.
Good news: It costs absolutely nothing, and it takes just seconds to complete.
Bad news: The hack involves tying your hair across your face to create a face mask — but with your hair. A hair mask.
The trick did not go unnoticed on social media. In fact, it's gone viral on other platforms, like Twitter, for the absolute absurdity of the "hack."
Still, people were tempted to try it for themselves. For this we are extremely blessed and grateful because many of them shared the results online.
@molly_taberner
@molly_taberner
@molly_taberner
@molly_taberner
@molly_taberner It works
(Everyone looked great, by the way, and there are tears streaming down my face from joy/laughter/cold.)
BuzzFeed News has reached out to the popular account, which has more than 25 million followers on Instagram, for comment and clarity on this hack.
If you try this for yourself, please report back with your findings — is it effective? Does it keep your face significantly warmer than, say, a traditional scarf or face mask? Do you feel supremely stupid? Please sound off in the comments or send me an email.
Thank you, and please stay safe and warm.