Mold Front Fold Mask to Face

If you have a twitter, you can just go to the link.

If you don’t have a twitter, it unfortunately won’t let you see the whole thread so there are screenshots here. Image alt text is copy pasted directly from the tweets.

Tweet from Sharon Blum @sleepyknave:
I've seen a lot of this sort of mask wearing in the selfie trend.

Does the bridge of your nose have a corner? NO!

When you leave that crease in, you're leaving a gap that COVID can enter! See it in the profile?

But it's the shape, right? What can you do?

Here's an easy fix.🧵

Selfie of me in three-quarter view. I am a white person with dark hair pulled back away from my face. I'm wearing a black tank top and a black KN95 mask with a very obvious cleanly folded line down the middle from the top of my nose to the seam in the front of the mask. A colorful X icon has been pasted in over the left cheek of the mask. Selfie of me just as in the last image, but now in profile. A colorful square has framed the top of the mask over the nose bridge, showing nearly a quarter inch of gap between my nose and the the mask. A flustered blushing face emoji is pasted under the square.

Tweet from Sharon Blum @sleepyknave:
When you first open up a front-folded KN95 or N95 mask, it will have a crisp, mechanical corner. This is what we've got to remove to get rid of that gap that's breaking the seal of the respirator against our face.

We need to achieve a natural face-shaped curve, instead. But how?

A black KN95 viewed from the top down while held up in my left hand against a white wall. It's been slightly opened and has a clear V-shaped crease in the nose wire. A colorful X icon has been pasted in the top right corner of the photo. Same black KN95 viewed from the top down, but this time it's been shaped. It's holding a natural open without any additional effort and it has a gentle, double S curve shape in the nose wire, which meets at the middle in a sharper curve. A colorful checkmark icon has been pasted in the top right corner of the photo. Same black KN95 as in first photo, but now held up facing into the white interior of the mask. Again, there is a clear V-shaped crease in the nose wire. A colorful X icon has been pasted in the top right corner of the photo. Same black KN95 as in second photo, but now held up facing into the white interior of the mask. Again, the curves are plainly visible and clearly resemble the natural shape of a face across the upper nose and cheekbones. A colorful checkmark icon has been pasted in the top right corner of the photo.

Tweet from Sharon Blum @sleepyknave:
1. Open up that creased wire until it is completely flat.

2. Mold the nose wire FIRMLY with BOTH hands, pressing into the natural indents & shaping to your face.

NOTE: Two hand forming is best practices for all masks, regardless of style & prevents the creation of new creases.

A black KN95 viewed from the top down while held up in my left hand against a white wall. It's been opened up to where the nose wire is completely flat and the crease from its packaging is no longer visible. Same black KN95 held up facing into the white interior of the mask. Again, the nose wire has been flattened completely, and there is no longer a V-shaped crease. It sits wide open all on its own. Selfie of me demonstrating where to place your two hands simultaneously in order to properly shape the nose wire. Selfie of me shaping the nose wire by pressing very firmly with both hands into the spots where my nose meets my cheek on either side of the nose.

Tweet from Sharon Blum @sleepyknave:
If necessary, such as for a very high nose bridge like mine, you may also needed remove the mask and gently extend or smooth the new curves you've created to get a gapless fit. Just re-smooth to the face after re-donning the mask.

Et voila! No more corner gap, and no more leaks!

[Same as first image in first tweet.]

Selfie of me in three-quarter view. I am a white person with dark hair pulled back away from my face. I'm wearing a black tank top and a black KN95 mask with a very obvious cleanly folded line down the middle from the top of my nose to the seam in the front of the mask. A colorful X icon has been pasted in over the left cheek of the mask. Selfie of me in the same circumstances as the first image, but now the black KN95 mask fits smoothly over the bridge of my nose and down onto my cheeks. Even the crease along the top of the filter material is barely noticeable. A colorful checkmark icon has been pasted in over the left cheek of the mask. [Same as second image in first tweet.]

Selfie of me just as in the last image, but now in profile. A colorful square has framed the top of the mask over the nose bridge, showing nearly a quarter inch of gap between my nose and the the mask. A flustered blushing face emoji is pasted under the square.