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By Rosie Hilder published 21 September 20

If your glasses are fogging up when you wear a face mask, we've got 6 possible ways to fix the problem.

If your glasses keep fogging up when you're wearing a face mask, you're not alone. This problem is affecting many of us as wearing face masks becomes more commonplace around the world. This annoying issue can also become quite dangerous depending on what you're doing while wearing your face mask.

The good news is you don't have to live in fog. Understanding why your face mask is fogging up and taking a few simple steps can help alleviate this problem.

For more on face masks, see our guide to face masks UK and our guide to where to buy face masks.

The reason your glasses are fogging up is because when you breathe, the warm air is escaping your mask and then coming into contact with the cool surface of your glasses, where it turns into condensation. To stop this happening, you can make changes to your glasses, your face mask or both. 

Read on to discover five ways to stop your glasses fogging up when wearing a face mask, and one last resort when all else fails.

If your glasses are fogging up, it might be because your face mask doesn't fit you properly. Check that your face mask is nice and snug. You might need to tighten the ties a little. Ideally, you want you breath to stay within your face mask rather than escaping it and causing condensation. 

One common problem is your face mask sitting too loosely around the nose. The easiest way to fix this is to wear a face mask with some wiring around the nose. If you are making your own mask (see our how to make a face mask guide) then you can add some wire into your design. If you are wearing a shop-bought mask, you can always add in your own wire. Get some jewellery wire or some twist ties and place them along the top edge of your face mask. Then fold it down and sew to encase the wire within your mask. You can sew either by hand or use a machine.

Alternatively, you can buy a face mask with wire already in it. See our full list of where to buy face masks, or check out the deal below, which is recommended for glasses wearers. 

Face mask for glasses wearers: £20 from Wolf & Badger (opens in new tab) It's worth paying a bit more for this face mask, as it has adjustable ear loops, nose wire and a filter pocket. The nose wire and adjustable ear loops make it ideal for glasses wearers and it comes in a range of colours.

Washing your glasses may help stop them fogging. Wash them with soap and water and then dry with a micro-fibre cloth, the kind that usually comes with your glasses. The idea behind this is that the droplets will form a film that will stop fogging. Some have also suggested washing your glasses with shaving foam, and then wiping it off to leave a film, but we haven't built up the courage to try this method yet.

It might not sound that comfortable, but another option to stop fogging is to use tape to secure your mask to your face. You can buy medical tape (opens in new tab) for this purpose – don't just use regular sellotape, and definitely not duct tape, or you risk damaging your skin when you take it off.

Depending on your mask and your glasses, you may just be able to pull your mask up and adjust your glasses so they are sitting over your mask. Your glasses should help secure your mask so your breath won't be able to escape and cause that pesky fogging. 

This may seem counterintuitive, but if you push your glasses further down your nose, you'll allow more air to circulate, which could stop the fogging problem. 

Okay, this is a last resort. But if all else fails, maybe it's time to start experimenting with contact lenses. 

You might also want to consider buying a different mask. Below are some ideas of the best face masks for glasses wearers.

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Rosie Hilder is Creative Bloq's Acting Editor. After beginning her career in journalism in Argentina – where her blogging prowess led her to become Deputy Editor of Time Out Buenos Aires – she moved back to the UK and joined Future Plc in 2016. Since then, she's worked as Operations Editor on art and design magazines, including Computer Arts, 3D World and Paint & Draw, and got the 'Apple bug' when working on US title, Mac|Life. In 2018, she left the world of print behind and moved to Creative Bloq, where she now takes care of the daily management of the site, including growing the site's reach through trying to please the Google Gods, getting involved in events, such as judging the Brand Impact Awards, and helping make sure our content serves ours readers as best it can. Her interests lie in branding and illustration, tech and sexism, and plenty more in-between.

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