It’s been 4 months since a national state of emergency was declared for the pandemic in the United States. Two weeks after that, was the first day I wore a mask to go to the grocery store. I remember everyone looking at me like I was insane. Now, it’s more the norm to wear masks and here in NJ it’s required to wear one when entering any indoor space.
Since mask use is becoming more prevalent and we are wearing them to do different activities, I thought I’d take a moment to review some of the various masks that I’ve tried over the past few months and review them based on a number of criteria and hopefully, that will help someone make a decision on what type of face covering they choose to wear.
I’ve rated the masks on the following criteria on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best.
Wearability
This criteria is based on how well the mask fits and how easy it is to wear. You don’t want to be pulling it up consantly, but you also don’t want it to be too tight so that it’s pulling at your ears. The goal is to have a mask that’s comfortable enough to wear that you don’t have to touch it or your face while you are wearing it.
Washability
It’s recommended to wash your mask after every use, so you want to make sure that the one you are choosing is washable and keeps its shape and design.
Breathability
It’s important that you can breathe in the mask or you won’t want to wear it or keep it on for long. Based on the activity you are doing, you may be breathing heavier than other times. You want to be able to breathe through the mask no matter how hard you are breathing.
Cost
Cost is always important to me but never more than right now when most of us are not working or working reduced hours. You are going to need multiple masks, so you want to make sure that they are worth the money.
Homemade Contoured Mask that Ties Around Your Head
This is a two layer mask made out of 100% tightly woven cotton for the front layer and a heavyweight t-shirt for the inside layer. The top part is meant to sit snugly on your nose and extend down below your chin. The sides come close to your ears and it is secured with 4 strips of grosgrain ribbon that tie around your head.
Breathability- 7
It’s not hard to breathe through. A third filter layer can be used for added protection which would knock the breathability down to a 6 depending on what you use.
Wearability- 9
This is my favorite kind of mask to wear. It sits snug on your face and the contoured shape leaves enough space to breathe. The ties that go around your head can be adjusted to your exact level of comfort. The only reason it’s not a 10 is because it’s not easy to take off and put back on quickly. If you tuck it underneath your glasses, they won’t fog. Also, this works better when secured over a ponytail.
Washability- 10
It’s made out of clothing material, so it washes like a dream. In fact, it’s even softer after it’s been washed. I fused the end of the ribbon so that it won’t unravel in the wash.
Before and After being washed. The left mask has been washed, the right mask has not been washed yet.
Cost- 7
Since I used repurposed t-shirts for half of the mask, the cost isn’t that bad. The front material was a little bit more expensive since I splurged for the licensed patterns. I got the ribbon wholesale, so the whole mask probably cost me between $2-$3 to make.
My overall impression-
I love the security and breathability of this mask. I wear it to places I want full coverage and where I will be near a lot of people, like the grocery store. It fits snug against my face and gives me the coverage I need to be in a public place. I can adjust it easily. I wear it when I plan to leave my mask on for the entire activity without having to take it off. The kids do not like it because it’s hard to tie behind their head. If you have small kids, this may be good because they won’t be able to easily remove it.
Homemade Contoured Mask with Elastic
This is a two layer mask made out of 100% tightly woven cotton for the front layer and a heavyweight t-shirt for the inside layer. The top part is meant to sit snugly on your nose and extend down below your chin. The sides come close to your ears and it is secured with two elastic bands that sit around your ears.
Breathability- 7
It’s not hard to breathe through. A third filter layer can be used for added protection which would knock the breathability down to a 6 depending on what you use.
Wearability- 8
This is the same design as the other homemade mask except for the elastic around the ears. My kids wanted something that was easier to put on but liked the contoured design that was snug and didn’t hit them in the eyes like the straight across masks.
Washability- 10
It’s made out of clothing material, so it washes like a dream. In fact, it’s even softer after it’s been washed. The elastic seems to hold up well too.
The below mask is before its been washed. The red star mask I am wearing above is after its been washed.
Cost- 8
Same as the other contoured mask, I used repurposed t-shirts for half of the mask, so the cost isn’t that bad. The front material was a little bit more expensive since I splurged for the licensed patterns, but I found some generic patterns that were less money. The mask only takes 12″ of elastic to make so it’s slightly less expensive to make than the kind with the ribbon. It’s about $2 to make.
My overall impression-
This is a great mask to wear when you want the security and comfort but need to be able to take it off and put it back on easily. I wore it to a BBQ recently because I had to take it off to eat or drink and I didn’t want to untie my mask constantly. I also wore one when I went to deliver signs on front lawns since I was in and out of my car a lot. Tying and untying my mask would have been a pain. It’s not as comfortable as the mask with ties though because the elastic goes around your ears and can irritate them after a while. It’s fine for short outings though. I keep one of these in my car for curbside pickup or in case I forget another mask.
Old Navy Rectangular Mask
This is a 100% cotton mask with elastic that goes around your ears to secure it.
Breathability- 3
I thought for sure with this design that it was going to be easy to breathe. The mask opens up so it forms a pocket in front of your nose and mouth but the cotton is so tightly woven that it’s really hard to breathe through.
Wearability- 4
Since it’s a very stiff material and it’s cut straight across, it hits my eyelashes and causes me to have to pull it down the whole time I am wearing it. It doesn’t stay in one place while you are talking or even just wearing it normally.
It slides up your face very easily
Washability- 3
I pulled this out of the wash and it was unrecognizable. What a mess. I’m going to have to iron it to get it to go back to its orginal shape. I hate ironing, I won’t be doing that, especially not for a face mask.
Cost- 7
They come in packs of 5 or 10 and the price if you get free shipping works out to $2.50 a mask, so that’s not bad at all but considering how they fit and how they hold up, I feel like I wasted $25 on the 10 pack I bought.
My overall impression-
Don’t waste your money. I bought these thinking they’d be great for taking off and putting back on quickly. They are but I was constantly adjusting it while wearing it, defeating the purpose. It was hard to breathe through and it looks like crap when it comes out of the wash.
Custom Ink Triple Ply Cotton Mask
This is a 100% cotton mask with cotton bands that secure it around your ear.
Breathability- 8
Even though it has three layers, it’s pretty easy to breathe through.
Wearability- 7
It’s very comfortable around your ears since the bands are made from cotton. It’s contoured a little so it doesn’t hit your eyelashes. The only complaint I have it that it sits flush against your face so there is not “pocket” of air to help you breathe. Also, it’s one size fits “most” so it’s almost too small on Scott since he has a bigger head. It bends his ears down. It’s not adjustable.
Me and the two boys are wearing the Custom Ink Triple Ply Mask in this photo.
Washability- 8
It washes okay but does shrink a little. It does smooth out once you put it on.
The top mask is after its been washed, the bottom mask is brand new.
Cost- 5
They come in packs of 10 or higher and amount to about $4 if you get free shipping. They can be customized with a logo for an additional fee.
My overall impression-
These are easy to breathe through and are lightweight. They are easy to take on and off. I wore one to go picking vegetables on the farm because it was lightweight and the cotton wicked away a lot of the sweat. They aren’t good for full coverage as they barely cover your nose and don’t extend below your chin. I wouldn’t wear this mask to the grocery store but I felt comfortable enough on the farm because there’s not a lot of people there. It gets bonus points for being easy to personalize with a fun design.
Custom Ink Single Ply Mask
This is a 100% cotton mask with slits in the cotton at different intervals to be a little adjustable. It is unfinished, meaning it’s just a piece of t-shirt they cut out.
Breathability- 9
It’s only a single piece of cotton in front of your mouth and nose and since it’s unfinished it just sort of sits on your face, so there’s lots of airflow.
Wearability- 7
It’s very comfortable since there’s no real shape to it, however, it could be a little bigger. I wore it on the furthest slit and it just barely fit me.
Washability- 4
Since it’s unfinished, it basically curls up in a ball in the wash. It can be stretched back out but it’s a pain.
The top mask is after its been washed and I stretched it out, the bottom mask is brand new.
Cost- 9
They come in packs of 10 or higher and amount to about $1 if you get free shipping. They can be customized with a logo for an additional fee.
My overall impression-
These are easy to breathe through and are lightweight. I don’t feel like this has enough coverage for me but it’s great for a run or a bike ride when you probably won’t be in contact with anyone but still want to wear a face covering. Also, they are cheap so if your kid destroys them, you won’t be that mad.
I hope this has been helpful. This all came about because I was trying to find the perfect combination of masks that I know my kids would wear without complaining. My youngest son has sensory issues and he likes the contoured mask with the elastic. If they are going to have to wear masks if and when they return to school, I wanted to find something that they wouldn’t mind wearing.
I did not test out any medical masks or N-95 masks as I wanted to save them for our frontline workers. I don’t know how this compares to them.
Be safe and Mask up!