The Most Common Face Mask Annoyances: Solved

Wearing a mask has become commonplace as the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic. While the act may be uncomfortable or seem like a burden, it's also safe to do. You aren't trying to protect yourself from other people, you are trying to protect them from you. Hopefully, they are also wearing a mask, which keeps you safe. Everyone is in this together.

Having to wear a mask all the time comes with its share of annoyances. Finding a way to overcome face mask problems will ensure that you continue to engage in this practice to keep your loved ones and strangers safe.

Here are some of the most common face mask problems and how to solve them.

Glasses that Fog Up

Probably the most common problem that arises when wearing a face mask is that your glasses get fogged up. This is caused by your breath escaping out of the top of the mask and settling on the lenses of your glasses. When it comes to solving this issue, there some different solutions you can try to solve foggy glasses with masks.

• Seal Your Mask

  Since your breath is the culprit behind fogging your glasses, the best way to prevent face masks with glasses fogging is to seal the top of your mask. Some masks come equipped with a small metal piece that goes over your nose that can be bent to seal your mask against your face.

  However, if you wear a cloth mask, you may not have this option. Probably the easiest way to seal the mask against your face is to use pipe cleaner. It functions in much the same way as the metal piece in other masks, and it will keep the mask close to your face and prevent air from fogging up your glasses.

• Use Fog Spray

  Depending on the type of lenses you have in your glasses, you might consider applying an anti-fog spray. These can be found in a variety of different places, including at local eye doctor's offices, in retail stores and online. Adding this to your glasses could be all that you need to ensure your breath doesn't make it hard to see while wearing your mask and your glasses. 

Sore Ears

Another common face mask problem that many people experience is sore ears from the face mask's loops. If you are constantly asking yourself "why do face masks hurt my ears?", luckily for you there are several ways to reduce the discomfort.

Here's how you can keep your mask from hurting your ears. The first thing you need to check is whether your mask is the right size. If it's too small, then the ear loops will dig into your ears and be incredibly comfortable. You want your mask to fit snugly, but you don't want it so tight that it feels like it's smothering your face or trying to pull your ears off.

Another way to prevent sore ears is to look for masks that tie behind your head and don't loop over your ears at all. There are disposable masks that come with this feature, as well as patterns for cotton masks that you can make at home.

Other options to reduce sore ears include placing the ear loops around your ponytail if you wear your hair up. You might also consider getting a cloth headband and adding buttons to the side that you can connect the loops to while wearing your mask. Or you might consider using bobby pins to hold your mask in place and reduce irritation to your ears. Hopefully these methods of how to keep your mask from hurting your ears will bring you some comfort!

Mask Smells

Why do face masks smell bad? After wearing your face mask for extended periods of time, the condensation from your breath is going to collect on the inside, which could lead to unpleasant smells. More than likely, no one else will notice them, but you certainly will. 

In addition, using a whitening product that uses hydrogen peroxide as the active whitening ingredient will help keep your mouth clean and healthy. Hydrogen peroxide is an antimicrobial that will also help reduce the bad germs in your mouth that can impact your breath and the smell on your mask.

Of course, even with good oral hygiene, it's still possible for mask smells to develop. If you are wearing a disposable mask, taking care of the smell is quick and easy. All you have to do is get another mask. Should you be wearing a cotton mask, you'll need to wash the mask to get rid of smells.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you wash your mask after every use, which means you should be cleaning it at the end of every day. You can place your mask in the wash with the rest of your laundry, which can make it quick and easy to get it clean.

However, you can also hand wash your mask to ensure that it is clean, fresh and ready to go. To achieve this goal, all you have to do is add approximately four teaspoons of laundry detergent or bleach to warm water and dip your mask in.

For best results, you'll want to soak the mask for five minutes before taking it out and rinsing it. Then, you can hang overnight to dry.

Staying Comfortable and Safe

Wearing masks in public is essential to keep everyone safe and get us through the pandemic as quickly as possible. While there are some face mask problems that arise, it's easy to overcome them.

At GLO Science, we have your health and wellbeing at the top of our mind. Wearing a mask may make it challenging to smile at others, but if you participate in video calls or online meetings, you will be interacting with coworkers, family and friends for extended periods of time. Make sure your smile is white, bright and healthy to let your confidence shine through to the people you'll talk with most often.

Having a healthy mouth also makes it more comfortable to wear a mask when you are out - and that includes making sure your teeth are as white as they can possibly be.

Taking care of yourself during stressful times is a necessity. You need to find something that makes you look and feel good. We have the best products for teeth whitening at home that will ensure you look dazzling. Check out what we have to offer so that you are ready to flash your pearly whites when you take your mask off.