Worry-Free Respiratory Protection Is Possible. Look for These 5 Features.

In a time of uncertainty, you want to do everything you can to make sure you are controlling your safety as much as possible. It’s important to identify personal protective equipment that meets the highest standards of protection for yourself and those around you. 

With an overwhelming amount of choices for face coverings, you might be wondering if your mask or respirator is the most reliable choice out there. The most common types of personal protection equipment are homemade cloth coverings, pleated surgical masks, and filtering facepiece respirators such as N95 respirators.

Are you getting the best protection out there?

Understanding Mask Efficacy

Homemade cloth coverings, such as bandanas, cloth masks, and scarves only provide minimal protection for the wearer. Airborne particles can easily penetrate the fabric threads, and if not fitted properly the wearer may experience air leakage from sides, top, and bottom of the face covering.

Like homemade cloth face coverings, pleated surgical masks allow for air leakage along the edges of the mask. The wearer does not get a reliable level of protection from inhalation of smaller airborne particles. However, this style of mask does help protect the people in the wearer’s proximity from potentially dangerous respiratory emissions.

Neither of these common personal protection coverings are considered respiratory protection.

NIOSH-Approved N95 Respirators Filter At Least 95% of Airborne Particles

The best personal protection against airborne particles for individuals is a NIOSH-approved N95 respirator. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, is a subsidiary of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an authority on safety and prevention.

NIOSH-approved N95 respirators have gone through a rigorous approval process that confirms the respirators meet design and filter efficiency standards. NIOSH also conducts assessments to affirm the quality assurance of a random sampling of respirators.

The N95 respirator differs from a surgical mask and homemade cloth face coverings in significant ways. An N95 mask creates a seal around the nose and mouth of the wearer, with elastic straps that go around the back of the head rather than each ear. This prevents air leakage in and out of the respirator piece. The N95 is also able to filter out airborne particles. For instance, a recent assessment of the Model L-188 found that the minimum filter efficiency for this model was 99.38%, well above the 95% efficiency requirement. 

A NIOSH-Approved N95 is your best bet for protecting yourself and others.

The 5 Identifying Features Of An Authentic NIOSH-Approved N95

Don’t settle for any less than the real thing. With many counterfeit N95 respiratory masks on the market, consumers must make sure that they are purchasing an authentic certified product. 

Identify real NIOSH-Approved N95s by looking for these 5 marking on the exterior:

1. Manufacturer’s name and logo 

2. Stamped with NIOSH name or logo

3. TC approval number beginning with TC-84A-XXXX

4. Four-digit model number or part number

5. NIOSH filter series designation

Do you want to be confident that you are getting the best personal protection possible? Find 100% authentic NIOSH-approved N95 personal respirators at easternppeimports.com.  

Why I Switched To Natural Deodorant and I Am Never Going Back

I don't have a beauty or skincare obsession and you can definitely find me leaving the house with frizzy hair, wearing no makeup at all. But there’s one mainstream ‘beauty’ rule I’d never break:

I would never leave the house without applying a deodorant.

There’s nothing worse than being that person who lifts her arms, only to ‘share’ whiffs of pit stank with the world; And for a long time, I believed that the standard, aluminum-based deodorants were the only ones that would work for me.

Sure, I’d been playing with the idea of ​​transitioning to a natural deodorant for a while, but the thought of ​​smelly armpits has always outweighed the desire for healthier deodorant habits.

Until a few months ago, when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.

While there is no direct evidence that connects aluminum in deodorants with breast cancer, scientists have suggested that the aluminum-based compounds in antiperspirants may contribute to the development of breast cancer. Some research also suggests that aluminum-containing underarm antiperspirants, which are applied frequently and left on the skin near the breast, may be absorbed by the skin and have estrogen-like (hormonal) effects.(1)

Yeah, I didn’t like the sound of that, either.

So over the past 5 months, I’ve tried about a dozen natural deodorants. Some of them just did not work, and most of them contained baking soda … which turned my underarms into red, irritated messes. Discouraging? Absolutely. But I didn’t give up.  

Enter Sway’s underarm detox system.

Sway’s underarm detox system contains a roll-on deodorant, a dusting powder (helps keep you fresh ALL day) and a charcoal detox masque that shortens the detox period and assists with the transition from traditional, chemical-based deodorant.

Ummm, if you've ever tried to make the transition yourself, you know what a relief that part is!

And clearly Sway’s founder does know - she’s got every part of this covered. And she would need to! As a mother of two young boys, an adrenaline junkie, and an executive at a successful Los Angeles based accounting firm, Sway’s founder, Rebecca, understands the importance of having a deodorant that delivers on its promise.

Sway’s main deodorant ingredient is organic apple cider vinegar– it fights body odor by restoring and maintaining the natural pH balance of the underarm skin, creating an environment that minimizes the odor-causing bacteria.

Yada yada, right? So it doesn’t contain anything harmful, the transition is easy with the system and the founder knows what she’s talking about, and the ingredients are right up your alley… 

But does it actually work?

I’ve been using Sway for about a month now and let me tell you - I am never going back to mainstream, chemical-laden deodorants.

My underarm skin has never been softer.

I have no embarrassing ‘skid marks’ on my clothes and most importantly … 

I have no B.O. …

…  no matter how intense my workout is.

I am so thankful I discovered Sway. I am finally able to naturally take way better care of this super sensitive part of my body and be completely confident that no one will get a nasty wave of ‘fragrance’ coming from my pits.