Some people who have experienced this think it's no big deal, others think it's one of the scariest things they've ever had to sit through. Coming from someone who is somewhat claustrophobic, I found it was somewhere in the middle. Having said that, it did end with me wanting to rip the mask off of my face. Here's what I had to have done!
A very thick layer of alginate was first applied to my face, which felt okay, even when it went over my mouth. A couple thick pieces of burlap were then applied over top to help support the mask. Alginate is basically what dentist's use to cast your teeth, except this is a slightly different kind. It starts off as a powder, then when mixed with water turns to rubber-like consistency.
Next, was the application of the plaster bandages, which is actually the same thing a doctor would use to cast your arm. I believe we used Ultra-Cal 30, which is gypsum cement. This wasn't all too bad, until it was put over my mouth...and then started to dry.
This waiting period was by far the scariest. I think it was only five minutes, but it felt a lot longer. I really did want to rip the mask off, as I was freaking out underneath and breathing heavily. As you can see, you have very narrow breaking slits for your nostrils, because it's best for the mask if they're as small as possible.
I literally could not communicate verbally at all at this point, so it was important that we had a pad of paper next to us to give an update on how we were doing. For some reason I was laughing a lot when they were applying the alginate, so it set partly in my mouth!
The end result before I sanded it down! It felt extremely weird holding an exact replica of my own face! Overall, an experience I will never forget, and will probably never do again!
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