How To Make Your Face Mask More Comfortable

If you're one of the many people who has found themselves wearing a face mask during quarantine, there's a good chance that you've become frustrated at some point with the covering. Yes, it's important for us to fight the spread of COVID-19, but that doesn't change the fact that face masks can be cumbersome, inconvenient, and downright uncomfortable.

Fortunately, there are some hacks to make your face mask wearing experience less troublesome. One easy and fast fix to make things smell more pleasant instead of breathing in your mask's scent all day is to spray your mask with antibacterial laundry sanitizer, as cardiac intensive care nurse Jenny Rusin told Today. "It helps that what I have to breathe in all day smells really good," she said.

Another simple hack, courtesy of dentist Nancy Rosen, is to place a tissue at the tip of your nose and under your lower loop. This can help you combat skin irritation caused by your mask.

If your face mask is hurting your ears, a simple paper clip can be your best friend. Ashley Hilmes, who owns VEGA Vitality, a company offering various medical and beauty services, told Today that looping your elastic straps through the clip allows you to attach your mask by extending the straps around the back of your head, thereby saving your ears.

Double-sided body tape can also be a lifesaver, said hairstylist Jill Chambers. "It can be attached to the side of the mask and stuck to the cheek," she said. "It's safe to use on skin and keeps the loops off the ears."

If neither of those options work for you, HuffPost recommends opting for face masks with ties rather than elastic bands. You can also buy one of the many solutions on the market to save your ears from elastics, such as ear loop extenders for your hat, which you can attach your straps to, or headbands with buttons to loop the straps over.