I've been intrigued by hoods of all kinds, materials and restrictiveness for some time now, so last month I ordered up the Leather Hood from California Exotics (along with another) in hopes of trying something new (as well as turning 'curious about' to 'into' on my various online kinky profiles).

Unfortunately it didn't turn out to be even half of what I was hoping for. Before I continue I will admit I have a gargantuan-sized head (around the forehead is 24" so I'd say if you're more than 20" around, stay away) and finding things that fit said head has always been tricky.

The Leather hood comes in a very simple box with a picture of a guy wearing it, making it look over sized and even 'poofy', inside the hood itself is wrapped in a thin sealed plastic bag to protect it from getting dirty before use. When I got it I was eager to try it on and quickly realized the classic 'One Size Fits Most' line on the product page was once again my worst enemy. It fits, sure, but the front half (composed of relatively soft leather) crushes my nose and chin unless I move it around which makes the entire hood look hilariously silly as the eye holes look like a three year old took a pair of scissors to them and are off in both shape and position on the face by a fair bit.

Due to the aforementioned issues, If I'm wearing the hood it means I can't easily talk as the leather is unforgiving and doesn't really move with my chin/jaw movements at all. Also the other half of this hood which is supposedly lycra (spandex) feels super itchy and bunches at the base.

I'm a bit confused how I can safely clean this hood outside of taking it to the dry cleaners which would be pretty awkward. Lycra can obviously be washed but due to the leather, any water or cleaning may cause the leather to dry out and shrink which in turn would compress my face even more than it already is.

Overall there isn't a whole lot else to say about this hood, its a hood with eye holes and a mouth hole made of leather and lycra. While it didn't fit me very well due to my above-average sized head, it may be just what you're looking for for a simple anonymizing hood for your bottom or yourself but personally I would look elsewhere and pay for quality over convenience.

This hood has been gathering dust in my toy box almost since the day I got it, I've been trying to think what else I might be able to make out of it or if I should just keep it in case my head ever shrinks (unlikely) or I find a play partner...rather pointless purchase still though.