Wearing a facemask at the moment is a wise thing to do during the coronavirus pandemic. Regardless of whether a facemask will protect you against catching the virus (the jury is still out on that one), a facemask will prevent you from spreading it to the next person if you are an unwitting carrier with no symptoms.

Even if you want to be wearing a mask, finding one amid the global personal protective equipment shortage is no mean feat. You have probably seen people who have gotten around this shortage walking around sporting their own stylish DIY masks. In this post, we are going to teach you how to make your own in a few simple steps.

Step 1 – Gather together the following materials: a bandana, an old t-shirt or any other piece of old cloth; a coffee filter; rubber bands or hair ties.

Step 2 – Fold the coffee filter and cut the bottom off the cone shape. Put the top part aside; you will need it later for the filter part of your mask.

Step 3 – Lay out your bandana, t-shirt or cloth into a 20” x 20” square. Fold the square in half so that it forms a rectangle.

Step 4 – Place the top part of the filter in the middle of the rectangle. Fold the bottom third of the rectangle over so that it just covers the top of the filter. Then, fold the top third down so that it reaches the where the bottom of the filter is (the bottom of the filter will already be covered by the first fold you made. At this point, you should have the folded strip in front of you with the filter inside. You should not be able to see any part of the filter.

Step 5 – Get your rubber bands or hair ties and place them around the folded strip you have in front of you so that the distance between them is around 6”.

Step 6 – Fold the two ends of the strip over the rubber bands so they meet in the middle.

Step 7 – Place the strip over your mouth and tuck the rubber bands behind your ears and – voila! You have made your own facemask. Remember to take it apart and wash it every time that wear it outside.

Now you have a homemade facemask that you can replicate for the whole family. Try experimenting with different colors and shapes make you mask as stylish and well-fitting as possible.

But remember – wearing a facemask is not enough if we are going to be the virus. Keep following government guidance on social distancing until the situation is under control.

Desperate situations call for desperate measures. At times like these, we all need to take extra care to make sure that we are understand our own individual responsibility to society. After all, the only way we are going to be able to overcome coronavirus and get back to our normal lives is to minimize the spread of the disease as much as possible.