A recent study published by the Royal Society concludes that widespread use of home-made face masks, combined with physical distancing, may be an effective way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. That’s good news. Even better, you may already have something at home that is better than most home-made face masks: eyeshades.

The New York Times reported that materials that block light are good candidates for face masks. Luckily, many of us already have face masks that are designed to block light… eyeshades!

If you are (or were) a frequent flyer, it’s time to dust off those old airline amenity kits that you tucked away in your closet. Or, grab the eyeshade that you used to use to… you know… block light. Who says eyeshades are only for our eyes? Eyeshades already have what we need: straps to keep them on our face, comfortable cloth on the inside, and even a nose bump-out when worn upside down. Shown above is the British Airways business class eye shade from The White Company.



Above is an eye mask from an old Lufthansa First Class flight. I like that it’s fairly svelte and adjustable, but ‘m not sure that it does much to protect others. Notice the gap at the bottom?

Above, senior Frequent Miler author Nick is sporting a Cathay Pacific eyeshade and a sinister look.

Above, Frequent Miler author Stephen is wearing his wife’s pug face eyeshade. I think it’s a great look, but I’m not sure it will properly cover his mouth.

Our new creative director, Carrie, is shown here with her Dragon Air eyeshade.



Above is Delta’s Tumi-branded eye mask. Unlike the others, I found this one more comfortable to wear right-side-up. It also has the advantage of having straps that go both above and below your ear for a secure fit.

Above is a very short video showing me wearing my British Airways eyeshade as a face mask.

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Follow frequent_miler on Instagram and tag us with your own creative eye-shade face masks!

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