Face Masks: What you need to know

The world is a different place today than it was last year and part of our new normal includes face masks. Whether we like it or not face coverings will be part of our daily wardrobe for the time being. As of right now masks are not mandatory to wear in public, but you never know what the future will hold. Since that's the case, we found a manufacturer of face coverings that is Canadian who produces face masks that we would be comfortable with wearing daily. Let me tell you a little bit more about the masks that we offer.

What are they made of?

Our face masks are made of 100% Cotton Sateen. The difference between a cotton sateen and other cotton styles is all in the weave. The satin weave is where warp threads interlace with filling threads, exposing more thread surface and creating a lustrous, silky, durable fabric. Using a tight weave, a 200 thread count, and designed with a double layer our face coverings come out soft and are comfortable to wear and easy to breath through. The fabric itself has a slight sheen to it making our masks even more unique and beautiful. Weighing in at 170 gsm our facemasks are lightweight, but durable. Printed with permanent reactive ink means they won’t fade even after endless washes.

How are they designed?

When considering how these face masks should be designed our design team took great care to make sure everything was taken into consideration. These included figuring out all of the proper safety features necessary to make our masks effective and safe to wear, but also the best way to sew them so that the designs on them as continuous and stylish as possible (2 birds with one stone). After a lot of thought and discussion it was decided to put 2 darts on the front in order to help the mask shape to the face, instead of a full sewing line straight down the middle. 

The shape of our masks allows for a maximum amount of picture area while still being comfortable and so our masks are not designed with the classic rectangle shape with pleats in it (we also found this style to be a bit bulky), but instead have a slightly different shape with more curves to it.

As mentioned previously all of our face masks are designed with a double layer. This is to follow the recommendations made by health authorities. Our second layer is in the form of a filter pocket where you can slide your filter into. Our design is really a labor of love. We figure if people need to wear non-medical masks more and more in their daily lives they not only have to stand up to use, but have to make the wear-er excited to wear them!

How do they fit?

When it comes to face coverings the fit is EVERYTHING! Having a face mask that doesn't fit is completely pointless and you might as well not be wearing one at all. You know if a face covering fits properly if it conforms to your face shape without large gaps or openings. So to help our face masks conform to a large variety of face structures and sizes we designed them in a way that they are adjustable. The first and maybe most important part is the nose piece. Since our noses prevent coverings from lying flat against our faces we inserted a small stainless steel piece with a slight curve to it so that it follows the curve over the nose. The metal piece is attached with rivets so it is fully washable and will never shift. The metal piece is found between the 2 layers of fabric so that maximum comfort is maintained.

Another thing we did to get a good fit was to cut the fabric for our face coverings on the bias.The bias of a fabric is 45 degrees across the fabric. When you cut pattern pieces on the bias, you give the fabric a special type of stretch. When you receive your face covers, you'll see that the weave looks more like X's instead of crosses. We do this so that the fabric can fit better on your face since the extra bit of stretch created by cutting on the bias allows for better draping on complicated shapes. Our face covers really are all about the details and we thought through the design every step of the way!

What you need to know about sizing!

Our face masks come in a variety of different sizes including adult small, medium and large and youth small, medium and large. It is EXTREMELY important to remember that you should NEVER put a face mask on a child under 2 or anyone who cannot remove it themselves!

The sizing for any mask is based on 2 measurements; the width of your face from ear to ear going over the the tip of your nose, and the distance from under your nose to the tip of your chin. Since face structures vary so much from person to person and there is no indication as to face size from clothing size, please make sure to measure before you order! Our sizing chart and guide is found in the description of our individual face masks.

The filters: what you need to know!

PM2.5 filters filter out particles that are as small as 2.5 microns. Virus particles are even smaller than 2.5 microns. However by including a filter in your mask, whether it is a PM2.5 filter or another filter, you are adding extra layers of protection to your cloth face covering. Each of the PM2.5 filters are made of 5 layers of cloth, including two layers of meltblown cloth and one layer of activated carbon cloth to provide excellent filtration. Typically used to prevent the inhalation of air pollution particulates, PM2.5 can help increase effectiveness of non-medical face coverings. These filters are not equivalent to N95 masks, but they can be used continuously for 16-24 hours or for 1-2 weeks when used occasionally.

How to properly wear a face mask!

Please visit these sites for further information on how to properly put on, wear, and take off your face mask. The best way to keep yourself, your family and those around you safe is to be informed. If you're not wearing your mask properly than why are you wearing it at all?

The World Health Organization

Government of Canada

FDA