Here’s Some Tips For Staying Cool In Your Mask On A Hot Day

We've certainly all been there this summer. It's a gajillion degrees out, but you still have to put a mask on to go buy milk. I don't want to either, most of the time, but it's just what we gotta do. But as someone who wears glasses, they fog up constantly. It will be worse when cold weather comes around, no doubt. But what about now in hot weather?

Sure, my glasses still fog up a bit, but what about just all that hot air, slamming right back into your face inside your mask? It is legit uncomfortable. It's steamy, at best. At worst... it's unbearable. But again, with statewide mandates, not wearing one isn't an option, so again what can you do? Actually, you can do quite a few things.

According to Better Homes & Gardens, there are several basic tricks you can try to help keep your face a little cooler. Check these tips out:

Choose material that breathes well. This may seem pretty basic, but think about it.... You'd never wear a polyester suit on a hot day right? That's for grandmas who sit in a chair and complain all day. Try a 100% cotton mask.

Avoid fabrics that might irritate your skin. On some of the masks my wife made, the straps start to chafe pretty badly on my ears, because of the elastic-y material they were made from. I had to wear a mask for 7 hours at a time for my rock camp, and the first thing I noticed was I needed some different straps. But the same goes for the facial material too.

Bring a few extras with you as well. If you feel like your mask is getting a little clammy, swap it out. You know how good it feels to put on fresh socks, masks are pretty much just a sock for your face, right?

Try to stop yourself from overheating. If you can, try to avoid a lot of direct sunlight, or outside humidity. The less heat your exposed to, the less you'll heat your face up. If your outdoors, seek the shady spots to hang out, if you can.

Consider limiting the amount of time you actually need to wear one. Maybe what you need to do some days, is just stay home. Consider putting off unnecessary trips that you can put off until a cooler day.

Obviously, there is no 100% guaranteed effective way of dealing with masks. No one is trying to sugarcoat the fact they're not particularly fun to wear, but it is essential to helping stop the spread of the coronavirus. And obviously, there's exceptions to the rules for folks with medical conditions.

But doing your part will get us all back to normal as quickly as possible, and that's on thing I think we all want, right? Try and stay cool, Bangor.