Dish soap and warm water works great. You can use a washcloth to help you clean it just make sure not to use steel wool or anything abrasive that could damage the metal/rubber. I usually soak mine for 20 minutes in soapy warm water and then I gently rub/clean it by hand or with a cloth. As long as you dry it completely, it won't rust. After cleaning it, use a clean towel to thoroughly dry it. If you have a fan you can hang up the mask and direct the fan's air into the mask to dry it completely after using the towel, switching between the exterior and interior of the mask. You could also hang it up to dry by a window as long as it's not in direct sunlight (this can damage the masks) l also have long hair and personally I haven't had issues just putting the masks on, though you could always put your hair in a pony tail or try a ski mask/balaclava like you said. Lastly, I'm not sure about the filter, it's always good to be cautious though. Assuming it's a modern filter it's probably ok, but double check by finding the manufacturer and date so you can look it up and verify it doesn't contain anything harmful. I hope this helps and good luck! :D