Beard oil and oxygen

flyingcheesehead

flyingcheesehead

Touchdown! Greaser!
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iMooniac
Hi all...

I got some beard oil for Christmas. But, I need the advice of the smart people here: How many times do I need to wash my beard after using the beard oil for it to be safe to put on an oxygen mask?

I'd sure hate to have an emergency and then start my face on fire on top of it...

Thanks!
 
Low pressure mask oxy is not an oil ignition problem but high pressure at the tank is. If you want to test ( I like testing) put a bit of the oil on a surface and blast it with the hose to your mask. Then you will KNOW.
 
I found a MSDS for one brand of beard oil. Excerpts:
  • Materials to Avoid: Avoid Oxidizers
  • Suitable Extinguishing Media: Dry Chemical, CO2 water spray or alcohol-resistant foam.
  • Advice for emergency responders: Use personal protective equipment
  • Special protective equipment for fire-fighters: As in any fire, wear self-contained breathing apparatus and full protective gear.

So I think you'll be okay as long as you use oxidizer-free oxygen.

Also, be be sure to carry a dry-chemical fire extinguisher, full protective gear, a self-contained breathing apparatus, and so forth. Probably you'll need a new weight & balance after loading all that. And, you might want to check with the local FSDO to see if you should add a few pages to your POH after you install all that gear.

Hope that helped.
 
Jim K said:
#hipsterproblems
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I don't know about Mr. @flyingcheesehead , but I've been growing glorious beards since well before hipsters started, before Duck Dynasty guys even had beards.

I only put something in my beard a couple times a year, like for a Christmas photo or something equally important.

I have a good beard. It just grows right without too much trimming or other maintenance. God looks down upon this beard with pride, perhaps even envy.
 
I'm sure it's fine. You don't need to seal everything in, you just need an area of higher O2 concentration to breathe.
 
Snowmass said:
Low pressure mask oxy is not an oil ignition problem but high pressure at the tank is. If you want to test ( I like testing) put a bit of the oil on a surface and blast it with the hose to your mask. Then you will KNOW.
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That.

So you got like a Jerry curl beard or something?
 
NoHeat said:
So I think you'll be okay as long as you use oxidizer-free oxygen.
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Ummm... :rofl:

bflynn said:
I'm sure it's fine. You don't need to seal everything in, you just need an area of higher O2 concentration to breathe.
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It's not about whether the beard interferes with the mask. Yeah, it's not a perfect seal, but it's plenty close enough.

Timbeck2 said:
What the heck is beard oil and what is it's purpose?
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I'll let you read the description of the stuff I got for yourself: https://www.duluthtrading.com/spit-...8TmmWYx0rIS5PNCs6kOH7Lhq9aG7awVRoCsj4QAvD_BwE

n2230b said:
Go nasal cannula and use all the beard oil you want.
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'cept this is on a pressurized plane. Normally don't wear the mask, but might be forced to at any second.

Snowmass said:
Low pressure mask oxy is not an oil ignition problem but high pressure at the tank is. If you want to test ( I like testing) put a bit of the oil on a surface and blast it with the hose to your mask. Then you will KNOW.
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Hmmm. Very interesting. Any idea what the reaction would look like? At what pressure does it potentially become a problem?
 
From experience lots of the anti beard o2 mask stuff is more for the airlines wanting all the pilots looks, a well kept non huge beard has about as much effect on performance as the silly nautical wannabe admirals outfits.
 
Is this seriously an issue? Your face will explode if you have a little bit of oil on it?

What about other general moisturizers, etc?

It's common practice for people with beards and mustaches to apply some kind of oil or something to their face before going scuba diving.. helps make the seal between the face and the mask better
 
Tantalum said:
It's common practice for people with beards and mustaches to apply some kind of oil or something to their face before going scuba diving..
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I wouldn't recommend fish oil ;)

93c9d54aba4b9ac3e8c4469666690460.jpg
 
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Tantalum said:
Is this seriously an issue? Your face will explode if you have a little bit of oil on it?
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Entirely possible if the oil is petroleum-based and the O2 concentration is high enough. The Navy uses 100% in tactical jets (and no beards), and the link is to an article in the Naval Safety Center's rag, "Approach", where petroleum-based hair 'product' contributed to an explosion in the cockpit. Link

O2 by itself should not cause petroleum products to spontaneously combust, but it doesn't take much to kick it off.

Nauga,
and a different kind of blow-dry
 
nauga said:
Entirely possible if the oil is petroleum-based and the O2 concentration is high enough. The Navy uses 100% in tactical jets (and no beards), and the link is to an article in the Naval Safety Center's rag, "Approach", where petroleum-based hair 'product' contributed to an explosion in the cockpit. Link

Nauga,
and a different kind of blow-dry
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Damn! That's nuts

have a beard but I've only ever used an oil once or twice after getting some as a gift, I decided having a greasy face and a shiny beard was not my thing

last time I went scuba diving I was given some generic petroleum jelly for my beard to seal the mask right
 
Tantalum said:
last time I went scuba diving I was given some generic petroleum jelly for my beard to seal the mask right
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Unless you're tech diving you're not breathing a high concentration of O2.

Nauga,
with pinkie extended
 
Simple solution, don't use petroleum based lube. @flyingcheesehead just needs to get his, um, hands on a water based lube such as KY.
 
“Flyingcheesehead” said:
It's not about whether the beard interferes with the mask. Yeah, it's not a perfect seal, but it's plenty close enough.
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How much smoke do you have to breathe before it’s not plenty close enough?
 
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