How to Camouflage Your Face

Applying Paint

Get some face paint. It can be any face paint as long as it has colors that match your environment. You can use wet ashes for black. You can buy camo face paint. You can get sticks of camo paint or get a compact. Make sure any pack you get has a light, medium, and dark color with it, for example tan, green, and black. You can get high-quality, inexpensive camo paint online here. If you plan on going in the water (amphibious operations), get grease face paint so that it won't come off.

Choose which colors to apply. Pick the colors you'll need to blend into where you will be hiding. In forests use green, black, and brown; in deserts use tan, brown and light green; in snow use grey, green and white; in an urban environment use brown, black and grey. If you are going out at night, you can simply paint your face black to blend in.

Start with light colors. Camouflage your eyes, nose, temples, and lower lip with light brown or tan (if not using these colors, simply apply the lightest color you are using). This will obscure the lighter areas of your face and break up your facial pattern, making your face harder to recognize. Make a large rectangle around your eyes so that people don’t see your eye circles. Apply a small amount under your nose in an oval and a small circle under your lower lip. Make sure these are all uniformly colored in. Make sure not to get any paint in your eyes! Exercise caution when painting around your eye area.

Add medium colors to the shiny areas of the face. Use a medium green or olive shade on your forehead, cheeks and each side of your chin. Draw a large rectangle on your forehead, two small vertical rectangles on each cheek directly beside your nose, and two small circles on each side of your chin. This will help disguise your facial pattern and obscure areas that are likely to be shiny due to sweat. Instead of a medium green shade, use tan in a desert or grey paint in an urban or snowy environment.

Add dark colors to the outer areas of the face. Use black or dark brown. On the outside of your forehead, draw a square on each side. Draw a medium sized circle on each cheek in the center of the cheek. Draw a small oval on the bottom of your chin in the center. This will further break up the pattern of your face. Covering these areas with darker paint is important because it helps to flatten your face. When your face appears as a flat image, it is difficult to detect.

Blend the paint. Use your index and middle fingers to lightly rub the paint together so that it gradually transitions from one shade to another. The shapes that you drew should be indistinguishable and have a feathered, airbrushed look.

Add an irregular pattern on top. Paint a disruptive pattern on your face on top of the paint. The pattern can help you to blend into the specific area around you, so choose a pattern for your specific location. Use a color based on your surroundings, like a green if you are in the forest. Then blend it in with your fingers so that the pattern doesn’t stand out. This will simulate the texture of your surroundings. In a temperate deciduous forest, use blotches; in a coniferous forest, use a broad slash; in a jungle, use a broad slash; in a desert, use a slash; in the arctic, use blotches; and in grass or an open area, use a slash.

Cover your ears and neck. Paint your ears a darker color since they stick out and you will want them to appear flat. Use dark green or black. Use lighter colors on your neck such as tan and olive. You can paint a blotch or slash pattern with lighter colors, depending on your location. The important thing is for all of your skin to be covered. If you have a bald head, cover that as well. Use darker colors so that it doesn’t reflect sunlight.

Reapply as needed. When you sweat a lot or your face becomes oily, the paint will begin to wear off. When this happens, wash off your current paint with soap and water or makeup remover and reapply. If this isn’t possible, you can add dust or mud to the shiny areas to disguise them until you can reapply your face paint.

Adding Foliage

Collect grass and leaves. Find them from the area where you will be hiding to best blend in. Don’t use twigs, which will irritate your skin and get in the way. Foliage is best used in addition to another method, such as paint or a bandana. It is difficult to cover your entire face with foliage, but adding some to your camouflage will help you to blend in even better. Although not very common, applying natural foliage directly on your face is a useful form of camouflage. This works best with the use of a ghillie suit so that your entire body is covered in vegetation.

Stick foliage into your clothing or gear. If you are wearing a hat, stick a few leaves or blades of grass around the rim. Make sure you don’t cover your eyes. If you are wearing a helmet, you can stick grass or leaves into the strap. You can also cover your neck by sticking some foliage in the top of your shirt. You could also place a few long blades of grass behind your ear. If the foliage is not staying in place, you could pin, glue, or tape it onto your clothing. Just make sure the adhesive isn’t visible. Sticking a little mud on the foliage will also help it to stay in place. You could also buy a mesh mask and place foliage in the holes of the mesh. Just make sure not to cover your eyes, ears, or mouth with foliage.

Remove and replace foliage as it wilts. For best results, all foliage should be fresh. Wilted foliage will not be effective. Simply gather some more leaves or grass from your surroundings and add them to your clothing or gear.

Making a Bandana

Buy fabric in the color you choose. You could buy a camo pattern, a printed leaf and grass pattern, or a plain color like olive green. Choose the color based on your surroundings. For sufficient material to make a bandana, be sure the fabric is at least 2 feet (0.61 m) by 2ft. Consider using fabric that is 100% cotton or polyester for breathability. You can buy fabric at your local arts and crafts store or on Amazon for around $10.

Cut the fabric to fit your face. A standard bandana is 22 inches (55.9 cm) by 22 inches. If you want a larger one, you could make it 27 inches (68.6 cm) by 27 inches. To keep the bandana from unravelling, you can sew a hem around the outside. Simply fold the fabric in about an inch and stitch around the outer edge.

Add more contrast if needed. You can add more camouflage or contrast to your bandana if you would like. Use spray paint in tan, green, and black and add splotches to your bandana. You could also use fabric paint or markers. Feel free to decorate it how you see fit. You could add some stripes to simulate grass or blotches to look like leaves. You can also fasten foliage to your bandana.

Tie it around your face. Fold the fabric in half diagonally and wrap it around your face with the large part in the front and the narrow part in the back. The bandana should face down, forming a “V” shape towards your neck. Cover your nose and mouth but keep your eyes uncovered. Tie a double knot in the back of your head with the ends of the fabric. Secure it tightly so that it stays in place, but not too tight where it is uncomfortable.

Using a Mask

Find a full face mask. You can buy them for about $10. They come in many different forms, from full masks that only have eye holes to a bandana-style mask that covers the lower part of your face. The best mask for you depends on what you will use it for, but for best coverage, buy a full face mask that only has eye holes. Just make sure it allows for full peripheral vision so that you can see clearly. You can find face mask options online here.

Choose a mask with a pattern similar to your surroundings. For example, choose one with leaves if you will be in a forest. You can choose one in a color that matches your surroundings as well, like brown if you will be in a forest with bare trees, or green if your surroundings will have a lot of foliage. You can also buy one with a combination of greens and browns, with leaf and grass patterns. The best camouflage will come from a mask with a realistic pattern rather than a standard color pattern in camo. The advantage of masks is that you can make your face look exactly like nature rather than just similar in color. If you are going out at night in a dark area, an all black mask will work well.

Look at several masks and buy the best option. There are many masks to choose from. Take a look at several to compare and contrast. Pay attention to the color and pattern. You don’t need to worry too much about size because most masks are one size fits all. Many are polyester or spandex for breathability, but you could also get one made of neoprene for added warmth.

Wear your mask. No other preparation is needed. A mask is instant camouflage! Just make sure it fits securely so that it won’t fall off.