Air Purifier Necklaces: How They Work and How to Find the Right One

I’m a huge fan of air purifiers. In fact, I can probably qualify as an enthusiast at this point, considering everything I know about how air purifiers work and how they clean the air. On top of that, I have a couple of air purifiers in my home that I use for different purposes.

I have one for my car, one for my office, one for the bedroom, and one large air purifier for the whole house. So, when I learned about air purifier necklaces, I was instantly intrigued.

Since I’m used to air purifiers being modern machines that are designed to stay in one position, the prospect of wearing an air purifier around your neck and cleansing the air wherever you go was quite interesting.

But is this all hype?

Well, I couldn’t tell right away. That’s why I took my time researching what air purifier necklaces were, how they worked, and whether they were worth the money.

And in this article, I’ll be sharing everything I learned with you along with my personal experiences with air purifier necklaces. That way, you get a full idea of whether or not these are the right devices for you.

Read on to learn more.

What Is an Air Purifier Necklace?

So as the name suggests, these are air purifiers you can wear around your neck.

Sounds pretty out-there, right?

That’s what I thought. But after really thinking about it, I realized that these could actually be really cool devices. An air purifier necklace can potentially drive away bacteria, pathogens, dust, and other harmful particles to prevent them from entering your lungs. And since everyone is looking to keep themselves healthy and avoid sicknesses nowadays, it’s pretty easy to understand where all the hype is coming from.

However, I found that these don’t work like your typical air purifier. Since they are much smaller and aren’t designed to cleanse the air of an entire room, they work differently. These air purifiers are for personal protection and won’t offer that much protection to the people around you.

How Do Air Purifier Necklaces Work?

So, I mentioned earlier how these air purifier necklaces are different from your typical air purifier. This is because you don’t have a motor and fan that pushes air through a filter with these necklaces. Instead, you have an ionizer that emits negative ions into the air in front of you. This causes certain particles to drop to the floor while also driving away other things that may enter your lungs.

If you’re as familiar with air purifiers as I am, you may have raised your eyebrows when reading the word “ionizer” just now.

For those that don’t know why most experts and enthusiasts agree that people should stay away from air purifiers with ionizers.

This is because when ions react with the particles in the air, they produce ozone, which isn’t something you should be inhaling.

So, why would you invest in an air purifier necklace if you should stay away from ozone?

Well, this is because these purifiers can offer you some protection when you’re out of the house.

Granted, you won’t be breathing air that’s as clean as the one in your home with an air purifier, but you will be breathing in cleaner air compared to if you weren’t wearing an air purifier.

Additionally, since the air purifier is designed for use out of your home and these are very small devices, they don’t produce as much ozone.

While ozone gas can still be dangerous, breathing in small and diluted amounts is much better than staying in a room with a dedicated ozone generator.

Are Air Purifier Necklaces Actually Effective?

This is the biggest question I had with air purifiers.

At first, I was very skeptical about them. This is because I just thought that these devices were way too small to do you any good.

In fact, since these work by releasing ions in the air, I thought they were actually doing more harm than good.

But I learned that these devices could actually work in certain situations.

With that said, it’s important to keep your expectations realistic when looking for air purifier necklaces as they really won’t be able to cleanse the air as well as any air purifier you have at home.

Let’s start with my main concern: ozone emissions.

I was worried about using an air purifier necklace for the first time because I didn’t want to inhale ozone.

However, a study shows that some air purifier necklaces only emit negligible amounts of ozone. So, as long as you choose the right air purifier necklace, you won’t have to worry about harmful ozone emissions.

The same study looked to learn about how effective they are at clearing particles out of the air. And at the end of the study, the team was able to conclude that the air purifiers were effective at clearing out 10% of particles in the air. I’ll admit that this isn’t a lot, but it is already way more than I expected.

So, you don’t get a whole lot of protection from air purifier necklaces.

However, that 10% protection is much better than nothing.

This is especially true if you’re at high risk of getting sick by inhaling pollutants and pathogens, which is why I believe that there are definitely some people that can benefit from an air purifier necklace.

Are They Worth the Money?

In my opinion, an air purifier necklace could be worth the money. However, it’s important to remember that these devices aren’t for everyone. Not everyone will be able to reap the benefits of an air purifier necklace.

Additionally, even if you’re a person who would benefit from an air purifier necklace, it won’t matter unless you have the right model (but more on that later).

When you buy an air purifier necklace, you need to buy one with realistic expectations. You can’t expect these tiny devices to function even half as well as the air purifiers in your room. But once you understand this, you might actually be very satisfied with your air purifier necklace.

Air purifier necklaces are best for people who want as much protection as possible. When you leave your home, you have to accept the fact that the air won’t be as clean as the air in your home. And while air purifier necklaces won’t be able to match the performance of the larger devices, they do make the air slightly better.

How to Find an Air Purifier Necklace that Works

Okay, so if you’ve decided that you need to get an air purifier necklace for adequate protection, you need to find the right model. And to do that, you need to pay close attention to certain features and characteristics. That way, you don’t end up using your money on a device that won’t do the job properly.

Here are a couple of tips to follow when buying an air purifier necklace:

Stay Away Ozone Generators

This is one of the most important tips for anyone buying an air purifier, regardless of the type and size. This is because ozone generators can be very dangerous. Ozone gas can irritate the lungs and cause problems, so we don’t recommend them at all. Some air purifier manufacturers add ozone generators to their devices to give off a “cleaner” and “fresher” scent.

The thing about air purifier necklaces is that they use ionizers. While this is a fairly effective way of eliminating particles from the air, they do produce small amounts of ozone gas. I would usually advise against this, but since these air purifiers are small, they don’t produce too much ozone gas, so you won’t have to worry that much.

Air purifier necklaces don’t exactly have that many features. They are very simple devices. So, when reading the specifications of the device you plan on buying, one of the most important things to look for is whether or not it has an ozone generator. And if you find that it has an ozone generator, you’re better off staying away from it.

Go for Trusted Brands

The next tip I can give you is to go for trusted brands. This is because the air purifiers with ozone generators and other not-so-desirable features usually come from fairly sketchy brands. And while I’m not saying only buy the expensive models, I do recommend that you only go for brands that have been tried and tested.

If you can, I recommend looking for real customer reviews of personal air purifiers. This is a great way to get firsthand insights into the efficacy and features of the air purifier necklace. Remember, if you only trust the specs given to you by the manufacturer, you might run into some trouble as the manufacturer obviously won’t talk about the downsides of their air purifier necklace.

Are There Risks to Air Purifier Necklaces?

One of the things I am most happy about when it comes to air purifier necklaces is that they aren’t risky. Initially, I was worried that the air purifier necklaces were doing more harm than good. However, while air purifier necklaces won’t be able to clean the air as much or as effectively as a stand-alone air purifier, they still do a fairly good job. On top of that, they don’t pose any immediate risks.

With that said, I did find some points of concern when reading about how air purifiers work. For starters, I was shocked by the amount of air purifiers with ozone generators. These can be very dangerous and I highly recommend staying away from ozone-generating air-purifying necklaces as much as possible.

Ozone can be especially dangerous if you regularly wear beauty products like lotions, perfumes, and even makeup. If you’re wearing a scented product, the ozone can react with the terpenes of these products, which can be extra dangerous.

When the terpenes react with the ozone, they can produce VOCs or volatile organic compounds. The reaction can actually produce PM2.5, which is especially harmful. This is yet another reason you want to stay away from ozone generators as much as possible.

This problem can easily be fixed if you ensure your air purifier necklace doesn’t have its own ozone generator.

Another minor risk that comes with air purifier necklaces has to do with your skin. Air purifier necklaces work by releasing ions into the air. This charges the particles floating around and causes them to stick to the nearest surface like the ground.

However, the trouble comes if the particles find their way onto your skin. This results in a lot of dirt and pollutants entering your skin. When this happens, you could grow pimples and have to put in a lot of extra work to ensure that your skin is clear at all times.

Conclusion

So, should you buy an air purifier necklace?

Well, that depends on your needs. Remember, they don’t provide as much protection as a room air purifier. But if you’re looking to give yourself a little bit of protection when you’re away from home, this could be a good idea.

However, it’s important to make sure that you find the right model. I recommend avoiding air purifiers with ozone generators and practicing due diligence to ensure your air purifier necklace doesn’t have one. Ozone can be very dangerous, especially when it reacts with other compounds in the air.

With that said, I have to admit that I was pretty surprised by air purifier necklaces. I was almost positive that they didn’t work at all before doing the research, so it was great to learn otherwise. In fact, I learned that as long as you put in the time to find a good air purifier necklace, you might be getting one that’s worth your while.

And at the end of the day, we need to protect ourselves and our bodies at all costs. So, if this means getting an air purifier necklace for that extra bit of protection, you should feel free to do so!