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  • Writer's pictureJeannie Collins Beaudin

Haircuts and Isolation



So, I did what they all say you should never do… I cut my own hair! It started off innocently enough—I just thought I’d trim the bangs that were hanging in my eyes… and then the back that was bugging me, flipping up like a ‘do from the 60s… I thought maybe with a mirror…

From there, it was all downhill. I’ve been dying to get rid of the last of the hair dye. Just the tips of the sides (where it was actually quite grey) still had some colour. And I had some nice sharp scissors in my hand. Thought I’d just snip off those brown tips. But, of course, you can’t just take a chunk off, even if you have thick hair like I do. The photo above of me modelling my latest mask experiment (a disposable one!) shows the new ‘do… completely dye-free now!

So, I managed to sort of even out the sides. Shall we just say it’s not the best haircut I’ve ever had… Good thing my hair is thick (it hides mistakes a bit better)! Can’t wait for my hairdresser to open up for business again for a proper cut. What’s that expression? Don’t try this at home! Or at the very least, ask someone who can see what they’re doing to do a minor trim, and only if it’s necessary for you to be able to see where you’re going!

But at least I’m not alone… There are lots of funny videos circulating on the ‘net of self-haircuts gone wrong, and white roots emerging beneath colour while none of us can access our usual hair care. My husband has been joking that 90% of blonds will disappear before the COVID isolation is over!

Making masks

I’ve been spending time every day making masks from my fabric stash. We sewers/knitters (especially those with Scottish genes like me!) save everything just in case we might need it some time. Well, the time has arrived and I’m making good use of my stash. I made about 100 masks this week for family, friends and neighbours, refining my patterns to make them faster and easier to make and more comfortable to wear. And I’ve been researching filters to put inside that will increase the effectiveness while still allowing the wearer to breathe easily.

The flat t-shirt pattern I shared last week with 2 layers of paper towel (or, even better, a double layer of blue disposable shop towels) makes a simple and comfortable mask, although a bit fiddley to put on, with strips of t-shirt material for ties. But it’s a mask anyone can make with minimal sewing that could even be done by hand if you don’t have a machine. (See last week’s blog for the pattern and instructions.) http://jeanniebeaudin.wixsite.com/author/post/masks-4-all

But my favourite to wear, is the Olson mask designed by a hospital system in the US when their supplies were running low. They even had N95 filters to insert inside. And they also have a child version of this pattern now. The original pattern is wider than needed so the sides can be folded over a thin hair elastic (which I didn’t have at home). So, I modified it by taking an inch off the sides and sewing on strips of t-shirt fabric for ties or strips of matching fabric cut on the bias so it would stretch (essentially homemade bias tape, for those of you who sew) and sewed a 4.5 to 5 inch piece on for ear loops. As you can imagine, this mask is more complex to make but it fits nicely and is easy to put on with the ear loops. It also has a pocket to put a filter into and, going forward, I think this is a good idea even if the filter is just a double layer of paper towel or coffee filter. Adding a filter makes the mask more effective.

About mid-week, as the pile of masks grew and I ran out of people to give them to, I brought a stack to our doctor’s office here. There is a large nursing home next to them and I suggested that they pass them on to the workers there or whoever they felt needed them most.

A disposable no-sew version

If you don’t sew, there is also a simple disposable mask made from blue shop towels, ordinary elastics, a paper clip (or 2 to 3 twist ties), tape and a stapler (shown above). Here’s a video of how to do it. I didn’t have elastics so I substituted a 30 cm (12 inch) piece of yarn (blue to match!) with a slip knot so it can be pulled snug around the face. (Put a simple knot at the end of one string, and tie another simple knot with the other end around the first string. Use this loop in place of the elastic in the video. Pull on the 2 ends to tighten once you have the mask on.)




The best way to avoid the coronavirus is still to stay home. But if you need go out for an essential errand, health organizations are recommending that you wear a mask, although governments haven’t mandated that we wear them yet in North America. The more of us who wear them, though, the less the virus will spread and the safer we all will be.

But what about gloves?

Disposable gloves, however, are much less effective because we don’t catch the virus through our skin. Gloves can pick up the virus, however, and transmit it to the face just as an unprotected hand can. And since the surface is smooth, we know that the coronavirus stays viable (”alive”) longer on a glove than it would on your hand! About the only benefit of disposable gloves I can think of, is to protect your hands from harsh sanitizers when in a situation where you can’t wash with soap and water but need to clean your hands a lot, such as on a long trip...and none of us are doing that these days! Any outings we have in potentially crowded places should be as short as possible. Get what you need, get back home, and don't touch your face (and as little else as possible) until you wash your hands!!

So, if you’re like me, this isolation is starting to get stale, but we still need to stay home and avoid others as much as possible. We try to get out in our yard for a little fresh air every day, and I’ve been keeping busy with projects, like the masks, and learning new things. My current learning project is how to do audio…so stay tuned for the podcast version of this blog (if I can figure it all out…)!

Resources:

Olson Mask (fitted with filter pocket) (see link to download about halfway down the page)

Masks 4 All (with t-shirt mask pattern)—Jeannie’s blog last week

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