For most of history humans have painted their faces in times of war. Not only was this done to scare or intimidate the enemy, it also had religous purposes and allowed for easier identification in battle in an age where uniforms didn't exist yet.
Helmets quickly became popular once humanity figured out how to bend metal to it's will, and possibly even before that with padded caps and wooden masks depending on how you define a helmet.
Ever since helmets went out of fashion in an age where they were considered too costly to adopt for all troops, and were quickly reintroduced with the rise of artillery and shrapnel charges.
Protecting your head is obviously important, since there are a lot of non lethal threats to your consciousness on a battlefield. Be it falling mud and rocks, or stumbling and hitting your head on something.
But what about your face?
Twigs, rock, mud and other things can get into your eyes and not only blurr your vision, but punch our your eye, leaving your permanently blinded on one or even both sides.
Cold wind can cause cold bites you, and while this does appear to be a "pussy" issue, it will become a serious problem once you get anywhere close to eastern europe, swamps or desert areas, or you spend a couple months outside anywhere besides your backyard. Mosquitos, dust, sand, everything you don't want in your face is in your face.
So what are some good ways to protect your face?
For very cold conditions (besides the obvious balaclava/scarf) having some vaseline ready to apply to your exposed facial features (such as the nose or around the eyes) is always good, but Vaseline evaporates too quickly for that purpose, and I am not sure about the freezing point of it either. Applying a stick of butter to your face may sound retarded, but when it is cold and you don't want frostbites on your eyelids it would be an option to take some out of your ration. Most camo paints are actually quite oily, and do insulate a little if applied thick enough.
In swampy areas where mosquitos and other insects are not only annoying, but can accidentally enter the airways and cause irritations, and in large numbers can be a real shitshow for the solider. Mosquito nets worn around the face can help, as well as repellant sprays.
In dry areas dust and small rocks can be carried by the wind and into your eyes. Same goes for anywhere with lots of wind, but especially sandy beaches or deserts. Not only is this highly unpleasant, but also dangerous to the soldier's ability to see. Protective goggles are needed, but those have a tendency to fog up quickly. What do the locals use against the sand?
Hot areas require good ventilation to prevent heat shock and dehydration.
Another point would be protection in combat. There is a reason why modern riot police uses clear visors. Not only does this offer a good field of vision, but also protects against pepper spray, and to some degree against thrown projectiles. Gas masks obviously help against all of those things, but not only does it make communication difficult, it also makes breathing more uncomfortable. Ballistic protection masks as the russians use have been proven to protect at against weak projectiles, ricochets and shrapnel in some cases.
Psychiology should also not be entirely ignored. Intimidating an enemy with one of those silly skeleton balaclavas is retarded, but mounting very bright flashlights SWAT helmets to blind and confuse is a wide spread tactic. And a bunch of guys kicking in your door wearing gas masks and using loudspeakers to sound even more intimidating would surely make you at least consider shitting a brick before grabbing your gun.
What does /k/ think of head/face wear and protection. What are some cheap option? What is the high class?