A Greenburgh hairstylist came up with a strapless and biodegradable face mask design.
Hairstylist Renee Robinson has a patent pending on her strapless, disposable face mask.
"I wanted a strapless disposable mask that was good for the environment, and cotton with no dyes and pesticides," Robinson says.
She says she started researching strapless masks after her husband of 25 years died with COVID19-like symptoms in Jamaica in January.
"One day he was well, the next day he was gone," Robinson says. "During my grieving period, I also thought about how we could service the community better."
She says regular masks left her frustrated at work. "I couldn't breathe, I couldn't work with the straps, I couldn't do anything with these straps,” she says.
Unlike many regular masks, Robinson's two-ply strapless invention is biodegradable and won't end up in a landfill.
She says the mask stays on the wearer's face because it has "a medical-grade adhesive made out of wood." However, she assures that it is still easy to take it off.
"Whenever you want to eat or drink, you take it off, place it down on something sanitary, then you put it right back," she says.