A 60-Second Face Mask Hack Is Going Viral on TikTok Right Now

Photo credit: TikTok
Photo credit: TikTok

From Cosmopolitan

  • Dentist Olivia Cuid, MD, shared a new hack for making your surgical mask fit better.

  • She demonstrated the trick in a TikTok video that quickly went viral.

  • The video was shared and reposted by both Katie Couric and Kristen Bell.


Wearing a mask in public is basically the norm these days (or at least, it should be). But let's be real, surgical masks aren't perfect. Namely, they can have a loose fit and allow potentially infected particles to get to your nose and mouth.

Well, dentist Olivia Cuid, MD, has a hack for making surgical masks fit better over your face, and it’s genius. (BTW: This can work for cloth face masks, too.)

Cuid shared the hack in a TikTok that’s already racked up 395,000 views. With a surgical-style mask, “the sides of your face are left very exposed to the outside,” Cuid points out. So, she recommends this trick:

  • Fold your mask in half

  • Tie a knot with the ear loops on each side as close as possible to the mask

  • Open up your mask

  • There will be a little opening on the sides next to the ear loop, so tuck that in underneath the ear loops on each side

  • Wear your (better-fitting) mask

“In absence of N95s, this might be a good alternative,” Cuid says, showing how the mask fits well against her face.

People low-key freaked in the comments. “Wait this is so helpful thank you for sharing!!” one wrote. “What a clever idea,” another said. “Me and my pea head thank you!” someone else chimed in.

Cuid’s TikTok is already making the rounds. Katie Couric shared it on Instagram, and Kristen Bell reposted it, too.

FWIW: Cuid is a really great online resource for dental health tips and she even throws in some hilarious content here and there. Case in point:


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