SilverGuard under review in Wharf Life

This article has been originally published in Wharf Life on March 3-31, 2021

In my last column, which featured locally made face masks - I mentioned I was searching for a face covering that wouldn't steam my glasses up. Isle Of Dogs-based firm SilverGuard, read my piece and got in touch.

The company currently sells face masks and snoods on its website, with a plan to launch a range of towels, bedlinen and aprons in the near future.

There's been lots of speculation that the use of face masks may continue even after the pandemic as a precautionary measure, and if that's the case, then you may as well seek out an all-signing all-dancing one. SilverGuard says its products are made using self-sanitising yarn, combat odours and are environmentally friendly. The company uses silver thread technology in its garments, which it says helps them kill bacteria and including those that cause acne.

But that's not all. SilverGuard says its cupped face masks have a strengthtened nose bridge that, when moulded properly against a user's face, stops glasses from steaming up. I had to try one.

I tested both the mask and a snood. The softness of the latter's fabric on my skin really surprised me, it was very comfortable and breathable. The strech in the cloth allows versality in how it can be worn, meaning it's possible to wear it with a beanie hat or a headband. I found it ideal for walks in cold weather.

 The mask took a little getting used to. At first, I hadn't moulded the bridge section to my nose properly, so while reducing the fog in my glasses, it was still difficult to see through them.

However, having cracked the method and by wearing my glasses slightly over the top of the mask my lenses remained clear.

I only wear my glasses for driving and long-distance vision, but if you are a regular wearer, this could really be a game changer. The mask comes in two sizes and four colours and, like the snood, costs £14.99.

I'm tempted to try out some of SilverGuard's other products when they arrive - particularly the bedlinen because of the firm's claims about its anti-odour and anti-acne properties. If this hygienic technologo had been around in 1998, Tracey Emin's artwork, My Bed, might have caused less of a strir.

Natasha Maddison

@pazzanotasha on insta