Are you having issues with your hockey visor or fishbowl fogging up in between shifts?
The best thing you can do to stop your hockey visor from fogging up is to make sure you keep it clean with a soft microfiber cloth and a gentle cleaning agent. If your visor is still fogging up, Scuba anti-fog cream is the best thing I have found. For a cheaper alternative, baby shampoo and pledge are common household items that many players have found beneficial to stop their hockey visors from fogging up.
Hockey visors fog up because the air around us is cool and we are breathing heavily causing moisture to build up on our visors. Ventilation is the best thing that can be designed into a visor to stop fogging. Most anti-fog treatments on visors do not last long. Read on to learn how to best clean your visor and apply anti-fog treatments.
We will also share some other tips and tricks from players who have had success with keeping their visors fog free while playing hockey.
Do Anti Fog Hockey Visors Really Work?
Fog is formed when we breathe our hot air onto a cooler surface. A hockey rink is a tough environment to eliminate fog altogether because the surrounding air is always going to be colder than are warm bodies and the air we breathe.
All of the newer visors and face shields are now made with anti-fog and anti-scratch technology. These are coatings that are applied to the visor by the manufacturer. The anti-fog coating works by not allowing moisture to build up on the visor. It is designed in a way so that any water molecules that accumulate on the visor will spread out.
It has been my experience, as well as many other players’ experience, that straight-out-of-the-box, anti-fog treatments do not seem to work that great.
I have heard some players say that when you are using soaps and other anti-fog treatments to clean or prevent fog you are actually causing the initial anti-fog treatment not to work.
However, I did nothing to my Bauer fishbowl straight out of the box and still found that it fogged up even with antifog coating on it.
So I think it’s safe to say that even though all major manufacturers say they have anti-fog and anti-scratch coatings on their visors, not all of them are created equal. Later I will mention a brand that I have had really nice results with their manufacturer’s anti-fog coating.
Best Way To Stop Your Hockey Visor From Fogging
The best way to keep your hockey visor from fogging up is to make sure that you clean it. This initially doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. But fog attaches to your visor by gripping on to scratches, dirt, and other surface particles.
If you get into the habit of cleaning your visor right before putting it on your head I would bet money that you will notice a decrease in the amount of fog that builds up on your visor.
Avoid using alcohol-based cleaners on your visor because this will destroy your anti-fog coating. Use a very mild soap (baby shampoo) or just water and a clean cloth.
If you feel like you are keeping your visor as clean as possible and you are still noticing fog build-up on your visor you have a few options.
- Absolutely Clear Scuba anti-fog
- Baby Shampoo
- Clear Dawn Dish Soap
- Pledge
On my Bauer fishbowl, I used dawn dish soap for forever. It did work well but it wasn’t perfect. My visor always had this hazy film on it which isn’t the worst. It’s way better than fog, that’s for sure but still less than ideal.
The best solution I have found to deal with fog issues on my hockey visor is scuba anti-fog. It’s designed for scuba goggles but works great with hockey visors.
Many players on Reddit swear by baby shampoo and pledge, I can’t speak from personal experience there but enough people say that it works so I believe them. Although my gut tells me that you will run into the same issue that I had with dish soap.
A thin haziness.
How To Apply AntiFog Treatments To Your Hockey Visor
- No matter the anti-fog treatment you use, always start by cleaning your visor with a soft microfiber cloth and water. Don’t skip this step, starting with a clean visor makes a huge difference.
- If using Absolutely Clear Scuba Anti-fog, make sure that your visor is clean and DRY. place a tiny dab onto the inside of your visor and use a clean dry cloth to buff this in until you can no longer see it.
- If using dish soap or baby shampoo make sure it is clear and you only need ot use a tiny dab of it. Again use a microfiber cloth to apply and work into the inside of your visor until the entire visor is coated.
- If using Pledge furniture polish, you need to only spray a light coating across the inside of your visor and rub in until you can no longer see it.
These are not permanent solutions and will need to be reapplied every time you play. It’s best to follow these steps in the locker room right before playing a game.
Other Ways To Help Avoid Fog On Your Hockey Visor
The key to reducing fog on your hockey visor is to increase ventilation.
The hockey helmet you purchase can play a huge role in the airflow around your head. Some hockey helmets are built with better airflow in mind. Don’t get it confused that you should get a looser fitting helmet to increase airflow, that is not what I mean. Always make sure that your helmet fits tightly and doesn’t slide around a lot.
Helmets designed with great ventilation:
It will be hard to find a brand new Mission Inhaler helmet but if you can get your hands on a used one you will definitely notice an increase in airflow. The Warrior RS pro and the CCM Tack 910 will be much easier to find.
A new helmet can be a bit on the expensive side so if you are looking for a cheaper option some players have noticed a reduction in fog build-up on their visors by wearing a skull cap to soak up sweat and keep your head cooler.
Also available for purchase are anti-sweat hockey helmet liners. They are disposable liners that you replace after every game and they soak up your sweat so it is no longer dripping into your eyes, on your face, or onto your visor. They have great reviews although I have never personally tried them.
Best Visor For Hockey That Doesn’t Fog
If you are looking into buying a hockey visor but are worried about it fogging up the key thing you need to look for is excellent ventilation at the top of the visor. When your hot breath gets trapped inside of your visor it will cling to the shield and start to fog up.
I used the Bauer fishbowl Faceshield and always had problems with it fogging because it does not have great ventilation. I have since switched to the Hockey Ninja Ronin hybrid face shield. This is a visor/cage combo. You get the benefits of enhanced vision with the visor but the protection of a cage.
The company also sells visors only, which have been very highly rated by lots of people in the hockey community. They are manufactured in Europe and they come equipped with one of the better anti-fog and anti-scratch coatings that I have seen. Since switching to this visor I have not had to use any anti-fog treatments on my visor. The only thing I do to keep it fog free is clean it before and after every game with the cleaning emulsion that came with the visor.
One of the big reasons these visors are so great at not fogging is because they have great ventilation. If you look at the top of the Hybrid face shiels you will notice that it has a titanium cage where it attaches to the helmet. This makes the face shield super durable but it also allows for great ventilation. Their standard visors are also built with ventilation in mind, when attached to your helmet there is an adequate gap at the top for all of that hot air to escape.
Best Way To Stop Your Hockey Visor From Fogging Up
The best way to stop your hockey visor from fogging up is to purchase one that has a great anti-fog treatment and is designed with airflow in mind. The company that does this best is Hockey Ninja which produces Ronin Visors. The next step is to purchase a hockey helmet with great ventilation like the CCM Tacks 910 or the Warrior Covert RS pro.
If neither of these are options for you and you are just looking for a way to make your current setup work better follow these steps
- Clean your visor before and after each game with a gentle, alcohol-free cleaner and a soft microfiber cloth
- Apply absolutely clear scuba anti-fog cream to your visor before each game. If you are not able to purchase this, household items like baby shampoo, clear dish soap, and furniture polish like pledge will also work. But you will probably notice a haziness to your visor with these household products.
- Get a skull cap or sweat-absorbing liners for your helmet to draw sweat away from your head and keep your head cooler.
Are hockey visors universal?