Fairface Podcast Episode 9:
Soft Face Masks for Sensitive Skin - Fairface Behind the Scenes
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Fairface Podcast transcript / show notes
Soft Face Masks for Sensitive Skin - Fairface Behind the Scenes
Hi there! I know it's been a while since I've posted a new podcast. This certainly has been a strange few months, hasn't it? At this point, it's May 8th today, and many states are starting to re-open in different ways. Here in WA state, they have re-opened state parks and will be phasing in different businesses but not for a while. Our stay home orders go through the end of May so we're still taking it one day at a time, but our weather here in Seattle today is gorgeous - this weekend it's supposed to get up into the 80's - which is amazing. So will take it!
What have been doing to stay occupied? We're almost finished watching Anne with an E on Netflix - the Anne of Green Gables series - it's so cute I often joke I should have been born back in the late 1800's I still love watching shows like this and Little House on the Prairie episodes...or I should have been born in the 1930's with big band music...so, I don't know!
We've also played some games - I was shocked that my husband would actually play some games with me, but we've done that and we've taken bike rides and a few drives...so we're all really ready to just get back to normal life. We miss visiting family members and all of that, but we're just trying to stay safe and keep others safe and we have just been adjusting our lives accordingly, so I hope you are all doing well and are hanging in there too.
All about Face Masks
I wanted to talk to you today about face masks. Did you know we started making face masks? As you know, many companies have forgone their regular manufacturing to start make cloth face masks, and we are one of them, although we do still have a good amount of inventory and are still selling our Fairface Washcloths.
The reality of face masks is, that it has become the new normal...it really has become the new normal to wear a face mask while you are out in a public place, like when I go to the grocery store, which I still just do when I absolutely have to, I wear a cloth face mask. And honestly, it really looks strange when I see people not wearing them. And even stranger, when they are wearing a face mask, but it's below their nose. I can't help but think, you've almost got it! You are so close! Just pull it up over your nose.
The thing about cloth face masks, is that they really are there so that we can protect each other - it's not just about me protecting myself, it's about me protecting the potential of sharing my germs with someone else, and they should be wearing a face mask, so they don't share their germs with me.
I really see wearing a face mask as a selfless act to protect each other.
You may have heard that COVID-19 virus particles are so small that you can inhale them if you're standing next to someone who is coughing/speaking/laughing or even just breathing them out. We all know that's the most likely way to catch the virus - is by proximity to an infected person.
So by putting on a face mask, you are creating a barrier in front of your nose and mouth, to prevent virus particles from entering your body.
Although these minute particles can still get through fabric, the more protection you have between the particles and your nose and mouth, the less likely they are to enter your nose and mouth.
How a Mask Can Protect You and Others
So imagine the face mask fabric weave like a grid, and the virus particles like a grain of sand - if you have 2 grids overlapping each other, you know, not right on top of each other, but you've got 2 grids kind of overlapping each other (like 2 layers of a cloth mask) the virus particles (or a piece of sand thrown at you) have a harder time getting through an opening in the grid (or weave) than if it was just one layer of fabric or if there was no protection at all - if your mouth and nose were completely exposed.
So while cloth face coverings cannot be said to be 100% effective at blocking out virus particles, even if they give you a 50% better protection against breathing in the virus particles, that's better than zero.
I think wearing a face mask will be around for a long time. For a while, we'll all be required or at least strongly encouraged to wear face masks when we enter any pubic places, like grocery stores, post offices, restaurants or many employees are required to wear face coverings while at work right now.
I think wearing face masks will be the norm for many years to come, especially during flu season, and may even be required or chosen throughout the year for the foreseeable future. And again, I really see wearing face masks as a selfless thing to do because we're really protecting ourselves from sharing our germs with other people, just as much as they should be wearing them to protect us from their germs.
Fairface Washcloths now makes Face Masks
I wanted to talk to you next about the 2 options we have for face masks -
1st, our face masks for sensitive skin, are made with an inner layer of our signature, soft flannel to comfort and protect your facial skin as you wear it.
Our soft flannel is not only comforting against your skin, but flannel has also been found to be even just a bit better protection because of its tight weave and breathability. If you think of the grid example again, if the weave of your fabric is tighter, or closer together, you're going to get even more protection. And on top of that, you add another layer of tight weave cotton to the outside, and you'll have that much more protection.
The reason we chose to do a woven cotton on the outside of each flannel mask, is for a 2nd layer of protection and also, since it's a different fabric from the inside layer, you will always know which side of your mask has been against your face and which has been exposed to the outside. So you don't accidentally pick it up and put the outside of the mask, which has been exposed, against your face.
The outer cotton layers that we've chosen are fun fabrics - right now we have a few different prints available - a white fabric with mini white polka dots has been really popular, which is a traditional classic that you can wear with anything and we have a really cute blue and white striped seer sucker that's also been really popular, and a fun aloha flowers print that just makes me happy when I look at it, and that's been popular as well, so we narrowed it down to those 3 outer prints because they were the most popular.
So the 2nd type of face mask we have is a lighter-weight option, without that inner layer of flannel - so it's made with 2 layers of a tight weave cotton, that still provides protection but a lighter-weight option for people who don't necessarily want that flannel inner layer.
I personally like having both options - it really comes down to personal preference. I think the flannel masks will be maybe what I grab most during the cooler months and even in the spring and summer when I'm indoors in air-conditioned buildings or even at the grocery store where it can been a lot cooler than outside temperatures.
And maybe the lighter-weave cotton is what I'll grab most often during the summer - I'm not really sure - but I really like having options and keeping a few masks in the car, one or two in my purse and a couple in the house.
As far as the design of the masks goes, although the pleated face masks we make take a little longer to make, this style has been found to be one of the most versatile styles to fit the most sizes of faces, since due to the pleats, they can be opened up wider or not opened up quite as much to be adjusted for different face sizes.
We also chose to use elastic ear bands to secure it to your face so that you don't have to wrap anything around your head and it will stay nicely in place.
So while it's nice not to have a big crease through your hair from big pieces of elastic, it also can be a necessity not to have your mask bands go around your head.
Take for example, hair salons, you need a face mask that doesn't wrap around your head, so they can work on your hair. Some states have recently opened salons, I know I made some masks for a woman who bought them specifically so she'd have one to wear at her salon last week.
Now here in WA we are hoping they will re-open hair salons around the first of June (and yes, I am one of those people that is kind of counting down the days as I look in the mirror every day and see my dark roots growing longer and longer and I'm discovering a bit of new gray in my hair, so I'm looking forward to getting back to the salon - but there's also a baseball hat in a pinch, or just embracing the "au natural", if you know what I mean.
Obstacles to Making Face Masks, as a Maker
Now the interesting thing about the sudden need and demand for making face masks, from the perspective of a maker, is the supply chain. The elastics supply and fabric supply have been hit hard - we're still waiting for our normal channels of supply to get elastic back in stock - we put in our order quite a while ago, but it might not be available for a few months.
We were lucky to find some supplies in stock through other means, so we've been able to have what we need, but I talked to my normal supplier and he told me how hard they've been hit and everyone is scrambling to get the supplies in that are needed and the stress level is definitely up because of this big surge and pressure on the market for certain materials.
So what are your feelings about wearing a face mask?
It's certainly a new experience for most of us, and I definitely have a new level of respect for all of the professionals in the world who have to wear a face mask every day for their jobs. When I first wore a face mask to the grocery store, I'll admit, I did not love it. Breathing my own breath for the 40 minutes I was in the store, was not my favorite. That's the truth. But now, after wearing a face mask every time I go to the post office or to the grocery store, I am totally used to it now and, yes it's still nice to take it off once I get back in the car, but it really has become just a normal part of being out.
Tips for Wearing a Face Mask if you prone to Anxiety
For those people who are prone to anxiety, wearing a face mask may kind of produce some anxious feelings.
I've heard some people say they started panicking a little bit when they first put on a face mask because they were afraid they couldn't breathe...but they actually could breathe it was just a new and uncomfortable experience breathing their breath through cloth.
...or they were afraid that they'd pass out from breathing their own breath for so long so they began to panic...and again it was all about regulating their breathing, so they didn't create that sense of panic and rapid breathing that can then cause light-headedness is that a word? Anyway, that feeling of being light-headed or the actual being light-headed because they have started that unnatural breathing.
So there might be some psychological hurdles that some of you might have to go through, because this is all new.
Fabric masks are breathable, so if you are in a healthy condition, you really can breathe through the fabric, it's just about recognizing and managing those new feelings and sensations that come with breathing through a face mask.
Some tips to adjusting to wearing a face mask, if you are prone to anxiety might include:
Adjusting the way you breathe when you wear a face mask. An article I read said by breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, it may help you feel less panicked and it might create a more comfortable experience overall, wearing your mask.
You also might want to practice wearing your mask when you are at home. You could set a timer for even 1 minute, and wear it, and then the next time you wear it for 2 minutes, and you might want to play some fun music while you're doing it to just give yourself some positive associations while wearing it, if it really does bother you.
Just give yourself some time to adjust to the feelings and different sensations it brings.
If you find yourself starting to get uncomfortable while you're wearing it, talk positively to yourself using positive statements like:
- I am safe
- I can breathe just fine
- I am wearing this as a gift to protect myself and others
- I will be able to take this off after I leave
- Breathe in through my nose and out slowly through my mouth
So, what has been your experience wearing a face mask?
If you are looking for a face mask, we are currently selling ours through our Etsy shop, since that was the quickest way to get the listings set up and available to the public.
As all of our Fairface products, our masks are made with high quality fabrics and quality craftsmanship, just as we do for our Fairface Washcloths. And our soft flannel is a great option for sensitive skin if you want that inner layer of flannel, soft against your face.
So whether you need soft washcloths for your face or a soft face mask for your face...Look for us on Etsy.com under our shop name Fairface Washcloths, that's F a i r f a c e Washcloths on Etsy.
I'd love to hear what your experiences have been around wearing face masks.
Are you on Instagram? That's where I tend to hang out most - so come and find me - I'm @FairfaceWashcloths and you can leave a comment or even send me a message. I would really love to connect with you there!
So as always, my friends, I really appreciate you being here. I hope you are doing well and I send my best wishes to you! Soon enough this will all be something we look back on. And for me, truly, this hasn't been all bad. There have been some really special, meaningful times as well and I hope that's been the case for you.
Until next time, take care and I will see you then.
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