Latex mask generally refers to a full-head enclosure or disguise, often worn by someone as a part of a costume and usually made from natural latex

Latex

Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...

 rubber

Rubber

Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...

, though some masks can be made of vinyl

Vinyl

A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...

, silicone

Silicone

Silicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medical applications , cookware, and insulation....

 rubber or foam latex. Latex masks are particularly popular around holidays such as Halloween

Halloween

Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...

, where they are worn by trick or treaters. Latex masks were among the earlier arts, typically in film but applying also to the theatre, originally called 'special effects.

Latex masks are capable of portraying various guises, including monster

Monster

A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...

s, skull

Human skull

The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...

s, mythical creatures, animal

Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...

s, humans, zombies, certain inanimate objects (such as a baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 or a crescent moon

Moon

The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

) and even political figures (such as Richard Nixon) and popular film, TV or cartoon characters.

Latex masks are generally made in several stages. The first stage may begin with a clay-sculpted 'positive' or 'male mold' of the character. A plaster mold is then made of the sculpture, capturing all of the detail. The plaster mold is generally made in two-pieces for a full-head mask. Another popular method of creating such masks is to make a life mold of the subject in which he or she reclines in a chair, has his or her hair protected by a skull cap, and has alginate placed over the head (breathing facilitated, typically, through straws placed in the nostrils). This is usually done in two parts—front and back. The division may be established through the use of a template of the top-to-bottom outline of the head and neck of the person being 'cast,' with a parting compound such as a lubricant being placed on the template to enable the easy separation and removal of the two parts of alginate. After the two parts have been removed and have been allowed to dry, they are re-united to form a 'female' mold into which plaster may be poured to re-create the image of the original cast head and features, in 'male' or 'positive' form.

Once the male or positive casting has been made the split external halves of the female mold is split off. The new 'positive' is carefully removed and cleaned. It may be altered through the superimposition of modeling clay that builds upon the original 'male' mold to establish different features for a final, external character mold that can itself be re-cast. Whether altered or not, the mold is re-cast to form a hollow negative of the design and latex rubber is poured in and allowed to sit for a short time before the excess is poured out.

After the latex rubber has dried inside the mold, it can be peeled out and painted as desired. What comes out of the mold is now the 'positive' version of the latex mask.

In complex transformations, both the original, unaltered positive mold and the altered, character molds may be used to achieve high levels of fit and fidelity. In such cases, thin 'takes' of both the changed and original may have the void between them filled with liquid latex so that the interior fits the original wearer and the exterior matches the desired character precisely.