Latex mask?(can be answered by Slipknot fans,Halloween celebrators,and people who know about latex).?

Im really kind of getting annoyed now because the stuff i want to get is latex (i.e. masks and other things). I am trying to find a slipknot mask but every one that i have seen says made of latex. Its now starting to get annoying so i have 3 questions.





1) Why do they use latex in masks and other things (like gloves)?





2) Does anyone know where i can find Slipknot masks or any halloween masks that are non latex? Also would it be possible to go to a halloween shop and get one custom made?





3) What causes the allergic reaction to latex?





And if your wondering, Yes i am allergic to latex.





Feel free to answer as many of the questions you know or answer all of em.Anymore info you need just ask.


Latex mask?(can be answered by Slipknot fans,Halloween celebrators,and people who know about latex).?
1) Latex is cheap, flexible, paintable, etc. Latex allergies are a relatively new phenomenon.





2) You probably won't find any commercially available flexible masks that are non-latex. It simply isn't economical. You might find hard plastic or pvc masks, for example Storm Trooper or Darth Vader helmets. Halloween shops, especially the temporary ones that pop up, are designed to sell retail products already produced, not create custom. You'd have to go to a mask-maker for that (I've linked one for you). Be prepared to spend quite a bit. And it is probably too late to custom order a mask for this year.





3) Sorry, no idea. Latex mask?(can be answered by Slipknot fans,Halloween celebrators,and people who know about latex).?
1) Natural Latex Rubber is cheap and easy to obtain, has a fast manufacture time and is easy to paint, so it is the most commonly used material for pull over masks and other novelty items. Natural Latex (processed from the Hevea/';rubber'; tree) has been used for making Halloween masks for decades. For several hundred years, masks were made in the theater world from papier-m芒ch茅 and other materials, but natural latex was the first rubber commercially available (via Charles Goodyear's accidental vulcanization) and was used to make a wide variety of consumer items.





Latex rubber was put to use to make flexible masks and rubber prosthetics (pieces of fake skin) that fit actors with precision. The emerging film industry adopted latex as it quickly outgrew the laborious cotton and collodion methods that makeup artist Jack Pierce used to create the Frankenstein Monster. Even today, foam latex is widely used in makeup FX for prosthetics.





Today, there are quite a few synthetic rubber alternatives to natural latex. Vinyl is used for quite a few Halloween masks, notably by French mask manufacturer Cesar who specialize in political figures. Neoprene is also widely used for masks. Nitrile is used for gloves, but I suppose it could be used for masks as well. Silicone rubbers have been radically improved in the last 5 or 6 years and are now used for prosthetics and pull over masks.





As a special effects makeup artist, I recommend silicone items for people with latex allergies. They are far more difficult to produce and expensive, but far more flexible. Strangely enough, the presence of latex inhibits the curing of silicone! Many artists who mysteriously can't get a batch of silicone to set realize that they were wearing latex gloves or used a latex rubber mixing bowl or spatula to stir it.





2) As mentioned above, French mask manufacturer Cesar uses vinyl, but they mostly produce political figure caricatures. A local dance supply or novelty shop may have ties to local makeup artists or theatrical prop/makeup artists. Special effects artists are much more rare. Like other SPFX artists, I do custom work (frequently via mail), but this can take a bit of time, and copyrighted work needs to be licensed before being produced.





The best masks and prosthetics require a ';life cast'; to be made by a makeup artist. This is a three dimensional copy of your face (or entire head.) This duplicate head is used to build the mask or prosthetic on, thus the finished piece fits the person exactly. You also end up with a gypsum copy of your head, which is a cool and unusual thing to have around the house.





3) The jury is still out on why the allergic reaction occurs, especially the type 4 potentially fatal reaction. Some argue over proteins left in the latex, some point to the powder placed in gloves to aid in donning them acting as a sensitizing agent, others suspect the ammonia used in processing latex and the chlorination sometimes used for stabilization and other processing chemicals. Unfortunately these chemicals may also be present in neoprene, vinyl (PVC), polyurethane, and other co-polymers used as replacements for latex gloves. We don't know. There is no solid proof but evidence and contradictory evidence for all of the above.





The one thing that is certain is that silicone is the least reactive chemical substances you can find anywhere, surgical implants are wrapped in the stuff!