Tie Dye Masks: A Fashionable Way to Keep Safe

Updated on November 10, 2020

In the 90s, Tie dye fashion was as prevalent as Tamagotchis—those virtual pets you carry around everywhere. If you didn’t wear rainbow splattered t-shirts, you weren’t part of the in crowd. Tie dye fashion was usually associated with hippies and or the ‘cool’ crowd. This trend went dorman for years, but it is now having another renaissance. Tie dye fashion is now the ‘in’ thing and everything, from tie dye shirts to tie dye masks are all the rage. 

According to survey, interest in ‘tie dye loungewear’ went up by 5,000% since last year. The number of searches started going up in March, during the time when worldwide quarantine measures were implemented, and non-essential workers started adjusting to the new normal of staying home. Since then searches for ‘tie dye sweat sets’ and ‘tie dye masks’ continued to increase. 

What is Tie Dye Fashion?

Tie dye is one of the oldest forms of dyeing cloth—and it has roots in China, Japan, India, Indonesia, and West Africa. Its current renaissance is quite surprising, and it is reminiscent of a popular style prevalent in the 60s. At that time, it was the unofficial style for those who advocated for peace and love. Because of this popular 60s fashion trend, tie dye became a symbol of psychedelia, an aesthetic that became a kind of anti-fashion fashion. 

Nowadays, this style has gotten a revival due to the pandemic—uniting everyone together in the fight against the coronavirus. 

Some of the biggest names in fashion have incorporated tie dye fashion into their designs, but for those who cannot afford these pricey pieces of clothing, there’s another way you can hop in on the trend without breaking the bank and stay safe from the virus at the same time—tie dye masks!

Why Use Tie Dye Masks? 

This year has brought upon us the worst outbreak in the century, and there remains no vaccine or end in sight to it for now. People have been taught of a couple of effective tools to prevent new coronavirus infections. 

Most of us can recite these preventive measures by heart: wash your hands regularly, observe social distancing, and wear a face mask. These are quite easy to follow, but most people often hesitate to wear face masks because they often don’t match with the aesthetic of their outfits. Fortunately, tie dye masks exist, and you can still look fashionable while keeping yourself safe from the virus!

Masks Protect Us from the Virus

If there’s anything that we have learned over the last 7 months is that humans are not really capable of fully complying to a two-meter physical distance from each other. Hence, there is no better option that to wear a mask if we are to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. 

Masks have been shown to reduce transmission of SAR-CoV-2, the virus causing the Covid-19. Asymptomatic carriers of the virus, or those who do not display symptoms, are hard to detect because they are less likely to get tested if they don’t exhibit any of the classic symptoms—which defeats the purpose of all efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus. 

So far, many governments around the world have advocated for the use of masks. But so long as they do not make it mandatory, people will not take to wearing masks seriously. And this is particularly alarming now that many cities are starting to reopen again. 

Many leaders and politicians are still hesitant to declare masks as mandatory because they are still waiting on randomized control trials. But experts fear this will take a long time to conduct, and it will be too late by then. 

According to experts, there are several ways in which we can bring down infection rates and these are through vaccination, herd immunity, closing down businesses, and mandatory masking. Of the choices listed, only two are possible right now, with mandatory masking the most satisfactory. 

And just because businesses in many parts of the world are reopening, we need to reconsider our own tolerance for risk—and how it can affect everyone around you. If you live among vulnerable people—like the elderly, those with pre-exiting conditions, and immunocompromised individuals—you owe it to them to take extra precautions. Therefore, wash your hands regularly, maintain physical distance, and wear mask!

Tips for Wearing Tie Dye Masks

When wearing a mask, wear it so that it covers your nose. If you’re using cloth masks, you can machine or hand wash them with soap after every use. If you use surgical masks, you can discard them after every use. It’s important that you touch only the straps of the masks. Avoid touching the front part; that’s where it’s mostly dirty. When you take your masks off, make sure you wash and clean your hands before and after. 

Face masks come in different materials ranging from fabric, cloth, surgical masks, and N95 grade masks. All of them offer different levels of protection, but which one should you use?

What type of mask has a significant impact on effectively fighting against Covid-19? Experts say that reusable masks should be made of at least two layers of tightly-woven fabric, such as linen or cotton. Researchers from the University of Chicago, on the other hand, tested the filtration efficiencies of fabrics such as silk, cotton, and polyester-spandex chiffon. 

Surgical masks are the most popular since they are easily available and are disposable. Cloth masks are the next popular, as they come in different designs and colors, and are more comfortable. However, cloth masks don’t give enough protection from the virus, unless you include a filter in them too. N95 masks probably provide the most amount of protection against the virus. However, they are more expensive and are not as comfortable to use. 

Conclusion

As there is a disturbing increase of infections once again, it is time more countries and communities start mandating the use of masks in public areas, especially indoors, and impose fines on those who ignore the warnings. 

If cigarette smoking can be classified as a health hazard, it’s doesn’t seem unusual to require the use of face masks to prevent the spread of serious diseases and viruses. 

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The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.