Looking for face masks made out of 100 % Polyester ?

August 13, 2020 9:26 AM

I have a relative that is allergic to cotton, and most face masks are made out of cotton. I am looking for a face mask that is not made out of cotton material at all, but with polyester, spandex, nylon, et cetera. Are there any face masks made out of cotton on the market? We are also in Canada, so not sure if international shipping always ships to Canada.
posted by RearWindow to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

A key search term for you will be “microfiber”. Always confirm with the material content, but there is rarely cotton in microfiber fabric.

Not sure if they ship to Canada, but Banana Republic has some. You can also search Etsy for “microfiber mask” and limit the results to Canadian sellers.
posted by itesser at 9:34 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]

Etsy has some temptingly nice masks made of silk, and they were surprisingly inexpensive.
posted by anadem at 9:44 AM on August 13, 2020 [2 favorites]

Rexall and Dollarama both carry super lightweight polyester ones—the ones at Rexall are “ProFilak” brand, not sure about the Dollarama ones. They don’t have multiple layers or a nose wire but they are comfortable enough to wear even when it’s hot and humid, even with my sensory issues. And super easy to wash (they go in the regular laundry). Better than nothing for sure.
posted by cabbage raccoon at 9:50 AM on August 13, 2020

I have some masks from here, they ship from Canada and they are 100% polyester, and I like the way they fit. NB you get two identical masks in one order.
posted by jeather at 9:51 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]

Well Done Goods uses an inner bamboo layer and an outer poly layer, and they ship internationally from Detroit.
posted by mkb at 9:58 AM on August 13, 2020 [2 favorites]

Are you specifically looking for non-cotton re-usable masks? Because it seems like most disposable procedure masks (aka surgical masks, paper masks, etc) are made out of 100% polypropylene.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 10:50 AM on August 13, 2020 [2 favorites]

I've been really happy with my masks from https://www.thawrih.com/ I don't know what their shipping is like across the country.
posted by Gor-ella at 11:03 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]

Note that if the masks are cloth, there's evidence that polyester is less effective than cotton. I would just use surgical masks.
posted by pinochiette at 11:14 AM on August 13, 2020 [5 favorites]

Other fibers that you could search for are linen, hemp, or viscose (also known as Rayon; bamboo-sourced fiber is a type of viscose). These are all cellulosic fibers, and (from first principles and personal experience of how they absorb moisture) their effectiveness should be comparable to that of cotton.
posted by heatherlogan at 11:26 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]

nthing the silk masks, satin ones have a dense weave and are cooler than cotton
posted by brujita at 11:31 AM on August 13, 2020

These are from Showcase. I don't know what they're like but they are shipping from Toronto.
posted by melissa at 11:36 AM on August 13, 2020

You might look for KN95 or N95 masks, depending on what you can reasonably source. They are made from spun or blown polypropylene, with bands made from latex rubber or EPDM for attaching the mask to the face.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 11:44 AM on August 13, 2020

Bathing Belle, a Toronto swimwear maker that lately does masks. 100% Lycra, great patterns. I’ve got a couple and I’ll probably get a couple more before long.
posted by rodlymight at 11:54 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]

Blue Sky Clothing is a Canadian company and makes masks from bamboo fabric.
posted by burntflowers at 12:11 PM on August 13, 2020

Came here to say Bathing Belle!
They are our mask of choice in our house, we have probably 10 or 12 of theirs?
posted by dotparker at 12:57 PM on August 13, 2020

I’ve been using these masks from Hyperlite Mountain Gear. They’re pretty comfortable and they do a good job of keeping my glasses from fogging up.
posted by chrisulonic at 1:34 PM on August 13, 2020

The Rothy's masks are expensive but my coworker loves them.
posted by notjustthefish at 5:18 PM on August 13, 2020

I have one of these from Kanuk and one of these from Under Armour. I bought both of them specifically for practicing sports and wear regular cotton masks for day to day stuff. The Kanuk is probably my favourite mask of all, because it stays put so well no matter what you are doing. It is three layers with mixes of poly, spandex, nylon and what they call polytext/silverthread. Sounds fancy and it is very expensive but that sucker does not move.
posted by Cuke at 7:53 PM on August 13, 2020