HOUSTON – The face masks we’re all required to wear inside businesses can be uncomfortable and sometimes inconvenient. A slew of products have hit the market to make wearing the masks less annoying.
Mask brackets
One of the most popular new mask accessories right now are mask brackets or frames. They sit under your mask, keeping the fabric from resting directly on your lips and face. Some of the most common reasons people say these are helpful include making it easier to breathe, especially in gyms where masks are required during workouts, keeping your lipstick on-point so you don’t have to apply it again after you remove your mask and helping you to sound less muffled when you speak while wearing a mask.
There are a lot of vendors selling the brackets on Amazon and Etsy.
We ordered several. All of the brackets we ordered are semi-hard plastic even though they’re described as silicone. If you’re wearing it outside, they might get hot and stick to your face a little.
On Amazon, the prices start at $5.99 for five masks. Some have small hooks or handles designed to hook onto pleated masks. If your maks doesn’t have pleats, you can use velcro dots you can buy at the dollar store to hold the bracket and the mask together and keep them from sliding off your face.
There have been no studies on the safety of the mask brackets, but doctors say as long as the brackets don’t pull the sides of your mask away from your face, they should not interfere with the efficacy of the mask.
Mask lanyards
When you’re constantly taking your mask off and putting it back on, a lanyard around your neck attached to the mask will make sure you don’t drop it on the ground. These can be especially helpful for kids in school who have to remove their masks to eat lunch. With a lanyard, they won’t lose their mask or set it on a dirty surface. You can buy these in boutiques, department stores or online at Amazon.
Mask Clamp
The Mask Clamp was invented by a Houston man to alleviate the stress on your ears when wearing a mask. It also lets you just pull the mask down when you don’t need it, but still keep it around your neck.
