What Are Fashionable Ear Savers And Why Do We Need Them For Our Face Masks?

Face masks have now become a part of our daily outfit planning as we enter the new normal. And we may like it or not, but we will be required to wear face masks for long periods of hours as we go about our daily activities outside, so as long as the threat of the Covid-19 still persists.

While wearing face masks do protect us from the virus, it comes with a lot of problems—and one of them is the discomfort of wearing a mask for hours.

What’s an ear saver?

Most disposable and reusable cloth masks come with a garter or an ear loop; this ear loop is what hooks the mask securely over our ears. The tighter the ear loop is, the more secure the mask rests on our face—but the more uncomfortable it is, as well, for the ears when worn for an extended period of time. For some, irritation from the loops occur on the back of our ears. This helps alleviate it.

Luckily, we’ve found these amazing local stores who have answered our need for mask comfort. Ear savers are mask accessories that you can use with disposable or reusable face masks so that the ear loop does not tug on your ears. In fact, these ear savers will not just make your mask more comfortable to wear—they also function as a new fashion accessory that you can mix and match with your masks.

Flowers in resin ear savers by Kamila's 4AM Art

These beautiful ear savers are made of real flowers such as sakura petals and hydrangea preserved in resin. They’re handmade by @kamilas4amart, who is currently based and shipping from Japan.

When the ear saver is not in use, it can transform into an elegant bracelet that you can wear around your wrist. It’s also studded with Swarovski crystals and pearls, and can be adjusted depending on your mask and head.

Mimi shares that the idea for this ear saver came from her friend who wears a hijab since she found it difficult to wear and remove her face mask. “Using the conventional mask that is secured in the ears means she needs to remove her hijab every time she wants to put, adjust, or remove her mask. That was a hassle. Sometimes, she would also secure it with a pin at the back, which I find dangerous,” Mimi shares. Since she’s also currently studying in Japan, she also found that wearing a face mask for hours was uncomfortable.

And so, her flower ear savers were born. They now come in different flower designs and styles, and ranges from P799 to P1,199.

Mimi’s Kamila's 4AM Art online shop started in 2017, out of her hobby of preserving flowers in resin and turning them into wearable and usable art. “I wake up at 4 a.m. almost every day since I was 7. My parents are teachers and they trained me to study before my 7:30 a.m. class. I felt like it was a waste of time to wake up at 4 a.m. and do nothing so I picked up this hobby. This year, we plan to start shifting Kamila into a social enterprise through adopting communities that will help us make our pieces,” she says.

You can check out her ear savers and other wearable flower resin at @kamilas4mart on Instagram or order via her website kamilas4amart.com.

Leather ear savers by Malaya Leather Crafts

These leather ear savers are not just beautiful—they are also very durable and can be customized. These unique ear savers come from @malayaleathercrafts, a store that specializes in hand-cut, hand-stitched, and hand-stamped leather goods.

What’s nice about these leather ear savers is that they have several holes like a belt, so you can adjust the ear saver depending on your mask and head size. Your name can also be engraved on the ear saver so you won’t mix up your with other members of your family (hygiene first!). Each ear saver costs P120 and comes with a free 7-letter engraving.

Gelay Amorillo shares that she was inspired to start making these leather ear savers because of her sister, who was a frontliner. She was also inspired by her daughter, whose mask had to be tied with a rubber band or scrunchie because it was too big for her. With the leather ear mask, she can now adjust it perfectly to her daughter’s needs.

Gelay started Malaya Leather Crafts in October 2017 after realizing that she could make money doing what she loves instead of staying unhappy in her office job.

“I could spend a whole day thrift shop-hopping. I would find shoes, tops, pants—but what really made me come back were the leather bags. Genuine leather really stands the test of time and becomes even more beautiful as it ages. I fell in love with leather ever since,” Gelay shares. “I would then buy those bags to resell for extra income. I would clean them, my mom helped me repair some, and even replace the hardwares.”

With just P1,500 as her capital, Gelay then jumpstarted her online shop with the help of her younger sister. She started doing cute leather tassels and keychains, but have since expanded to wallets, purses, and other leather goods. Gelay is now crafting leather goods full-time.

Check out her ear savers and more of her beautifully crafted leather products at @malayaleathercrafts on Instagram.

Crocheted ear savers by Likha Nicolas

These ear savers are so adorable and colorful to look at! What we love about these crocheted ear savers made by @likhanicolas.ph is that they’re super customizable, depending on your needs. Whether you’re using a disposable face mask or a cloth facemask with thick or thin ear loops, they can customize the design, style, and length for you. When ordering, just send them what kind of face mask you’re using and the dimensions of your head so they can recommend something based on your needs. This makes their ear savers perfect even for kids and babies.

Their ear savers also come in so many colors so if you can’t choose, they can send you a color guide for optimum color combinations. The price of their ear savers ranges from P30 to P40 per piece for adult sizes.

LikhaNicolas started creating these ear savers in response to the call for earsavers by Lawyers For Doctors PH in April. Since then, they have donated hundreds of ear savers to different frontliner groups. “I really thought what we were doing was really really small compared to other initiatives. But I guess what enables us to create hundreds of earsavers is really the satisfaction that we get from helping out in the best way we know how,” says Nessa, one of the founders of LikhaNicolas. Behind LikhaNicolas are three passionate women who have been crocheting as a sort of family heirloom: sisters Jas and Nessa, and their mom Lisa.

“Our mom has been crocheting since she was young since it was in their elementary curriculum and because her mom (our lola) did it as well. Learning crochet in the family was like the passing down of a family heirloom. I guess what made us elevate it from a simple heirloom to the LikhaNicolas brand was the decision to bring it to social media late last year. We had commissions for phone cases, pouches, and cord organizers before the pandemic,” Nessa shares.

Check out their ear savers and other crocheted items at @likhanicolas.ph on Instagram.

Headband ear savers by Ear Savers PH

Ear savers may come in different materials and colors, but they’re usually used the same way: as a sort of garter to pull the ear loop from the ears behind the head. @earsaversph, however, has innovated her ear savers and started creating these headband ear savers for a more fashionable and comfortable option.

The headband ear savers are essentially cloth hair bands fitted with a button for hooking the ear loops. This way, the ear loops don’t have to go around the ear for maximum comfort. The headbands also come in different colors to match your outfit for the day.

Barby Canlas-Mukaram, the owner of Ear Savers PH, shares that creating ear savers started as a donation drive for frontliners. Eventually, enough people showed interest so she decided to start accepting orders. Although she started with the regular strip type ear savers, the headbands are her own innovation.

Check out her ear savers at @earsaversph on Instagram.

Check out all our ear saver finds here: