Getting vaccinated and consistently wearing a well-fitted mask provides the best protection against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But when you have a significant amount of facial hair or a beard that you’re not planning to shave anytime soon, finding a mask that fits for protection and comfort is no easy task.
Wearing a too-tight face mask over a beard can causes a dreaded “beard dent.” And while many folks in the bearded community opt for neck gaiters instead, they’re not the most effective face covering to use. Neck gaiters, which at one point earlier in the pandemic were recommended by the CDC, are no longer on the CDC’s list of recommended face coverings in the age of omicron.
Though any mask is better than no mask, some offer higher levels of protection than others. The most important thing to remember when deciding which beard-friendly mask to get is that it needs to fit properly and, to maximize your protection, the fit should eliminate any gaps through which air can flow. This includes N95 or KN95 masks and cloth masks.
But until more N95 and KN95 masks are made in larger sizes — and maybe even specifically for those with facial hair — we did some digging around the web and asked HuffPost readers across Facebook and Twitter for their recommendations on the best masks for beards.
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"I’m wearing the Under Armour mask; [it's] soft and comfortable, covers everything and also has a ledge for my glasses to sit so they don’t fog up." — Jake Hamilton
“A friend's brother bought them and said they fit great over his beard.” — Janie Campbell, HuffPost senior editor
"These are my favorite and it’s a Black-owned business." — Jean David Michel
An Amazon reviewer wrote, "I bought this for my son. He has a wide face with a beard. He loves it because it doesn’t sit on his ears it goes around the head..."
One promising review states, "This is the second one of these masks I have bought, not due to any issues but because of how good it is. I had previously had issues with my beard curling up around the bottom of the mask and looking bad for the rest of the day afterwards, but this mask solves that whilst also looking fantastic."
One promising review on Amazon states, "I've got a sizable beard and I've had a hard time finding masks to fit my big face. These do the job and they are comfortable. I wear them in the gym so I'm not worried about fogging."