My daughter just returned to Australia where she is a school teacher,
She brought with her 15 N-95 masks because they are in such short supply there
due to smoke and the burning fires in close proximity to metropolitan areas.
My youngest son is a fireman, and he shaves his face daily, and his haircut is a "0",
since he needs the full facial fit on his respirator.
So yeah, a tight fit for an N-95 face mask is necessary.
Since the N-95 found in hardware stores is made of fiber,
it can be soaked in water to adjust the fit.
which may hamper the filtering ability. In addition they are only good for so long and have to be changed. By all means use them if you wish. My point is the average person will not use them appropriately and have proper fit and are wasting their time and money.... Those of us that have to use them hate them and can’t wait to get them off. They are not easy to work in if appropriately fitted.