Ponzu the clown

[Bogertophis]

...It took him awhile to be comfortable approaching my face (I think my eyes / direct gaze scared him) but now he comes right up to sniff my forehead...

I see I'm not the only one that has noticed this in snakes, & I think it makes total sense that until proven otherwise, most snakes assume we're some sort of scary predator they have to be careful of.

I've known some snakes that allowed me to handle them in my arms or lap, but continued to "eye" MY face & eyes warily until I gave them a chance (carefully!) to get familiar with my face, similar to the way you did. This is not without risk, & the risk of a face bite is certainly there (please, everyone be careful about doing this- it really helps to have enough experience to "read" your snake well before you attempt this, & progress gradually only when your pet is calm), but honestly, I've had good results after doing this- my snakes became visibly more relaxed after they had a chance to check out my face- they no longer looked as if ready to deliver a face bite at a moment's notice, & they do seem to retain this learning.

I've made a point of doing this with nearly all my snakes, in part, because I used to do programs with them now & then (before COVID), and I didn't want to risk ANYONE getting a bite while I was sharing them, often with people who were afraid of snakes & only just then opening up to them. Even if I was the one bitten, it would have shaken their confidence with snakes & drastically lowered their acceptance of them, & of course, the thought of one of my snakes biting anyone else would have been even worse. So I've always been very "chummy" with my snakes at home- & from that, they appear to have learned to relax, & to not be afraid or thinking that humans might be predators; as a result, they've never bitten me or anyone- they've been effective "goodwill ambassadors".