DIY masks: What do you need to know?
During quarantine, masks are mandatory. A flood of tutorials to make them at home have appeared. But beware, not all masks are the same! What materials should you use? How do you make your mask correctly and what are things to avoid? Ryst Mask answers your questions!
Which fabric should you choose for an effective face mask?
The most recommended fabric is 100% cotton even if common synthetic is more comfortable but can be ineffective if chosen wrongly, that’s why Ryst Masks have been studied to offer you the best of both worlds. So for your DIY project go with cotton with a tight weave, which you can find on some T-shirts or pillowcases. However, it is not enough to just cover your face with this piece of fabric. Indeed, it is recommended to superimpose layers and, if possible, add a layer of felt between two layers of cotton. Check the density of your fabrics by passing them facing the light, the fibers should be as tight as possible. For more precision, ACS has written a database tracing the efficiency of many fabrics.
What are the things to remember about making my mask?
For the mask to be effective, it must cover a good part of the face: it starts under the chin and goes all the way up to the top of the nose, covering a large part of the cheeks. That’s why our masks come in deferent size to fit you best. The most recommended tutorials are those from the CDC (Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention), which also provides patterns for face masks.
What are the things to avoid?
A lot of information has been disseminated, unfortunately, some of it can be ineffective or even dangerous. Here are the things to avoid:
Placing a coffee filter/vacuum cleaner filter inside your mask. These components do indeed filter very well but have been shown to greatly reduce breathability and may even release irritating substances.
The same is true for tea towels: they have a good filtering result but their rigidity prevents proper breathing. It is therefore not recommended to use them, as they can make breathing difficult and heavy.
Using your usual scarf to protect yourself. Lifting your scarf over your face will not provide good protection. The fabric is too thin and lets many of the particles pass through. Moreover, this gesture leads you to put your hand on your face, which can bring bacteria.
If you want more informations about making your own mask, don’t hesitate consulting the CDC page, and if you want a fun, practical and ready to use mask, try ours, it attaches magnetically to your wrist so it won’t let you down :).