Spandex full-face hood - headgear by Pipedream - review by bodymodboy

So this review is going in two ways, my personal experience and my partner's. Both of us had different opinions (and sized heads), so I think this will give a well balanced pros-cons type of review. To start with, I'll be putting mine.

I received the package and everything was good. The packaging was simple but catchy, and it was rather funny unfolding it to send to the recycle bin for cardboard. I hope the recycling dudes get a kick out of that! The hood had a distinct smell, a mix that felt between old candy canes and cardboard. It was much more noticeable after putting it on, which was a struggle in itself. I have 0g eyelet plugs and they were pulled by the tight fit.

The fabric itself was slightly stretchy, given that it's spandex, but the tapered neck piece had little give for me. The neck piece fit right under my chin and didn't cling or constrict, but the overall mask did squish my nose a little. The fabric is indeed breathable, and you can't see much except faint light from the windows; but shapes weren't really distinguishable. This also may be because I had to take off my glasses to put the mask on, so I am unsure if that is fact or not.

I finally did have to hand wash the mask, the smell was a bit too pesky and was reminding me of really cheap tanning salon lotion smell. I was able to take the smell out easy by hand washing the mask with Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, which is liquid and tea-tree oil filled, so that cut through the smell quite well. You can also use the Lavender brand, which probably would be very relaxing as well. The garment didn't shrink at all, because it was hand washed and let out to dry and also patted down a few times.

My lover had an easier time putting it on (I blame it on his cute littler ears), and also said he couldn't quite make out shapes just light sources. Obviously there was no smell to him because I washed it, and even though he has a more angular nose than mine, his was not as squished. The neck piece also went down further than it had on my neck, but I again assume that was because I have a bigger head. He was able to breathe through it easily, and the seams were not so prominent that it was itchy or tickle-y on his face. I also felt that it wasn't tickle-y on my skin either and I tend to have sensitive skin.

All-in-all, I would like there to be like a maximum-comfortable squeezable circumference of head listed on the product page. I am 22 inches around at the skull, and 26.5 inches from under-chin and looped around to top of skull. So if you exceed these measurements, you might not be able to find a good fit with this mask. If people need to know how to obtain these measurements, I made a chart if you're a visual learner like me.

All-in-all, the product was a good one. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars because of the fact it had a harder time fitting, and the initial washing process needed. My lover Griff would give it a 4 1/2 stars because he did find it fit his head, and gave him adequate sensory deprivation, while allowing him to breathe fully. Also we both agree that it did look sexy, even with the funny comments like “with the mouth open you look like the sand scene from The Mummy”.

If you also find a cardboard and old candy cane like smell to the product, do hand wash it as opposed to tossing it in the laundry. Spandex is a very finicky material, and since upon its initial not-fitting, I didn't want to shrink it down any more. When washing use lukewarm to hot water (not cold), and a liquid soap; preferably natural. In my experience the preservative and paraben kind, actually have a higher shrink value on hand wash only materials.

The toy still felt awkward to use for my head, but for other partners' heads it sometimes fit. It ended up tearing once when I tried to use it, so it wasn't that fun. I am glad it's discontinued.