I Can Breathe! mask: a review

Note: this is not a paid review. 

My allergy is triggered by many things, but scents (cologne, perfume, strong deodorant or body wash, dryer sheets, etc.) and smoke (wood and cigarette) are usually the hardest to avoid for me since this is frequently what people smell like.  It's like the scent equivalent of this:

Who needs sleep?

Except I'm just trying to breathe.

Whether it's someone who smokes sitting near me on a crowded bus or someone with their favorite body spray on picking a seat close to mine in a movie theatre, encountering these triggers can create huge problems for me.

In the past, I've had to choose between continuing with the activity I enjoy and facing an attack or exacerbation of already-present symptoms or leaving and missing out...

Which is why I was delighted when I read the reviews for the I Can Breathe! masks, especially this one: "My experience with I can Breathe masks is really about how having multiple chemical sensitivities led me to develop asthma that just wouldn't quit...I Can Breathe masks have relieved my symptoms and my anxieties...I am functioning better," says Deborah in one of the reviews on the site. I feel you, Deborah!

"I want to function better, too!" I thought as I ordered the Honeycomb Pollution Mask with the Coconut Classic Filter (in navy blue!).

When it arrived, I was so stoked I decided to tackle the various dust havens in my bedroom (recap here).  I opened the package, half-read the instructions, put the mask on, found that it didn't fit right, actually read the instructions, adjusted the nose piece per the instructions, and got to work.

Pros:

• Lightweight - this mask doesn't feel hot/stifling.
• Honeycomb design - the waffle-like pattern in the fabric allowed air to move through the mask WAY easier than the 3M mask I'd been using before did.  In my 3M mask, I'd have to take frequent breaks because it was just so stinkin' hard to breathe with it on. 
• Effective-ness - just wiping down or vacuuming surfaces usually causes sneezing, coughing, and general misery for me, but I tore my room apart and stirred up all kinds of dust.  I had minimal coughing and no sneezing. 
• Style - unlike most masks I've seen, I Can Breathe! offers this mask in a variety of colors and fabrics.  The filters are separate from the mask, so you can buy more than one mask and use one filter among them.
• Removable filters - the removable filters, which are $15 for a two pack, allow you to keep using the mask and just get new filters when they lose their effectiveness (when that happens, according to the company's website, "depends on your sensitivities and environment").

I also tested the mask at the grocery store.  Dearest and I were standing an aisle over from the laundry aisle (or, as I like to call it, the Aisle of Nope) looking for crock pot bags.  

Normally, I'd have to leave the aisle and Dearest to finding whatever it is that we need (like tissues - why in the name of all that is good are they stored in the aisle next to the asthma-attack factory that is the detergent/fabric softener/air freshener aisle?), but I ingeniously remembered my mask, whipped it on, and proceeded to smell...

NOTHING!  That's right!  No nose twitching, no chest tightening! Nothing.  I'd achieved scent nirvana, y'all!

Note: before going to the store, in my excitement, I did run to the bathroom and proceed to squeeze a bottle of Dearest's old Axe body wash (no longer used because of my asthma) to see how the mask would do.  Not well, but as Dearest pointed out, I probably shouldn't expect it to stand up to me main lining Axe into my lungs.  

Cons:

• Fit - If I don't talk or move my mouth, the mask fits perfectly.  If I talk or cough, the mask moves on my face.  It almost seems like it isn't quite long enough (and I don't have a big face by any means).  Though maybe this is a pro for the people who are tired of hearing me prattle on...
• Accessibility - I had to order the mask off the internet (whereas some others can be picked up locally) and for more than some other masks ($27.00 + shipping).  I am happy to pay more and wait for a more effective mask, but it does make it less accessible than other options. 

I haven't had many chances to use my mask yet, but I'll probably update this once I've had a chance to try it out in more public places like at the movies or on the bus at the zoo.