Category: Social

Many people across the world are seeking better ways to protect themselves from infection with the Coronavirus. Across the United States, people have been searching for ways to prevent themselves and their family members from becoming another of the statistics with an infection or worse. This is why so many people have expressed concern over whether they need to protect themselves with a Coronovirus Face Mask of any sort.

Politics aside, we understand that authorities have spoken against the face masks for civilian usage against possible Coronavirus and for the use of face masks. People are taking it upon themselves to follow the practices in place in other countries by arming themselves with some barrier of protection against infection. People search for "how to make a face mask with fabric" and "pattern for face mask" to find the perfect face mask for Coronavirus 19. We're advised that even the acclaimed N95 masks are not foolproof tools to prevent infection. With this stated, why even use a face mask at all?

The use of a Coronavirus Face Mask is difficult for many authorities to agree upon but the clear advantages of having a face mask at all are:

1. A face covering of any sort causes the wearer to think twice about touching their face, thus possibly introducing the virus from their hand to their nasal cavity.
2. A mask constructed of two layers of heavyweight cotton or similar with a with a thread count of at least 180 acts as some barrier to possible infectious material.
3. Wearing a face mask helps others stay clear by alerting them of your level of caution

While each of these can be deconstructed and critiqued far more, the gist is that people can boost their protection level simply by wearing a suitable covering for their mouths and noses whenever in public and in some cases, at home. This is what led our esteemed team member, Jenni Sniffen, to create the prototype Coronavirus face mask for use in the local community of Hillsborough where the Flagship store of the Carolina Hemp Hut is located.

Jenni is our lead budtender in our Hillsborough Flaghship store for Carolina Hemp Hut. She's also the assistant barista at the adjoining Cafe Cusco coffee bar. You could easily say she's a fan of serving people and helping others. Her project with the Coronavirus Face Masks began after a quick visit to the local grocery store where she met a local nurse.  Since Jenni is a very skilled seamstress already, her crafty nature moved into high gear. Her project included research into multiple variations of the face masks patterns found online. Only a few actually met the recommended guidelines from medical authorities. She erred on the side of caution and chose a design which had both comfort and a high level of protection built in.

Since the Coronavirus Face Mask users are likely to wear the mask over extended periods, it was important to ensure that the masks were comfortable. This is why Jenni built several prototypes and tested them for comfort. It was discovered that the elastic cord masks, as often found in commercially available masks, were fully functional but often led to discomfort from binding or "too tight" of a fit. The cloth ties used in the final product ensure that the wearer is able to adjust to a secure yet comfortable fit. Jenni also tested other aspects of the construction until she crafted a suitable final prototype (as visible in the photo of Mary Lopez Carter).

Now, the entire team at the Carolina Hemp Hut stores is involved in manufacturing and distributing these hand-crafted face masks. Several people sewing, a couple of people in logistics and two handling procurement and operations means the Carolina Hemp Hut stores are building a structure for handing hundreds of masks a week. None of these masks are manufactured in China or abroad. The team agreed that this would be a Local operation to ensure that local jobs were maintained.

Thanks to the overall project plan, the entire staff of Carolina Hemp Hut was saved from a possible layoff due to the COVID19 pandemic concern. Now, the team is working to secure better health outcomes for their customers beyond the use of healthy hemp products.

"I'm just glad I'm able to lead the charge to help more people who aren't going to buy our CBD and other products. Now we're helping people who are skeptical about the benefits of hemp. They're not skeptical about protection from COVID," said Jenni when asked what made her happy with her new-found success. "I really started to help local healthcare workers and some at-risk homebound patients, now we're helping the country in our own small way. This makes me really happy. It's just great that a simple vision was turned into something really big by just a few caring and hard-working people."

"The entire operation for the Face Mask production evolved from a whiteboard to reality in less than a week. Every member of the regular Hemp team has had a hand in producing masks for people. From cutting fabric to sewing to packing for shipment, everyone has jumped in at our little store in Hillsborough. Big things are happening to help others and I couldn't be more pleased," said Mary Lopez Carter, founder of the Carolina Hemp Hut stores. "I'm shocked that there are so many people calling and messaging us online. Our Facebook inbox on our page is swamped with people looking for masks. It's a really good problem in that we had the forethought to start building the structure to help people before it became a big problem across our country. I'm just hopeful someone in government doesn't change their mind and decide people don't need to have face masks. It's been so confusing already for people."

To ensure long lasting quality of your face mask, it's important to follow the following guidelines:

1. Clean your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer before touching the mask.
2. Keep your mask clean. You can use a spray of Hydrogen Peroxide (this may bleach the mask) on the inside of the mask. Leave the mask for 48hrs in a paper bag for it to dry while allowing the gasses from the spray to escape. You may also wash the mask in your washing machine (gentle cycle is best) with suitable detergent. Dishwasher may also be used but may bleach the mask. Be sure to bundle the ties to prevent damage from moving parts.
3. Wear your mask properly. Don't move your mask to the top of your head or below your chin. When you wear it on your face, it's more effective in blocking pathogens. If you move it around, it's bound to come in contact with more pathogens. When wearing bring the mask to your nose level and place the ties over the crown of your head and secure with a bow (knot).
4. Mold or pinch the stiff nose piece to the shape of your nose. Then take the bottom ties, one in each hand, and secure with a bow at the nape of your neck.
5. Carefully pull the bottom of the mask over your mouth and chin and check to be sure there are no gaps.

We recommend multiple masks for each person or frequent washing whenever possible. If you get multiple masks, we're going to continue to stock and custom craft fashion-oriented masks. This will give our customers variety with more options for daily wear.

Since every mask is now made to order, people are getting more choices in the coming weeks with more fabric choices and other options. It's important to note that all mask orders will take about 2-4 days for processing to allow for full crafting time. Patience is appreciated. The team will continue to provide email updates to all customers as orders are received and processed.

More on Carolina Hemp Hut.