Cycling with long hair can be a hassle. It is dangerous to bike on the road with hair blocking your view and distracting you from biking as well. You need to keep your hair in a bun or a ponytail to prevent it from flying into your face.
Riding with the correct hairstyle ensures safety and reduces the risk of road accidents. Thus, plenty of cyclists with long hair wear a ponytail when biking. However, wearing a helmet with your hair on a ponytail poses some challenges.
So, how to wear a bike helmet with a ponytail? Well, you need to choose the right helmet type and ponytail style. For more details, keep reading this guide below.
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Ponytail Compatible Helmets
In the cycling world, men outnumbers women. So, most helmets available in the market are designed to fit better on men with short hair. There may be some helmets marketed as unisex fit, but they do not take into consideration the hair length of an intended user.
Women cyclists or even men with long hair find it hard to fit their head on a standard helmet. The helmet messes up the hair making it not only ugly but also uncomfortable.
Since there is a growing number of women in the cycling industry, some helmet manufacturers offer products to cater to women’s requirements. You can find several ponytail friendly bike helmets specifically designed for lady bikers.
Ponytail helmets come with hair ports that can accommodate a ponytail hairstyle. These helmets give you more freedom with which hairstyle to wear while riding. They are women-specific, featuring a hole to allow ponytails to fit through.
The bike helmet ponytail also has a retention system that can easily be adjusted to fit various head sizes. They offer comfort with a head padding system to protect users in case of accidents as well.
Wearing Helmets With a Ponytail
Step 1: Choosing the right fit and size
If you plan to wear a ponytail with your helmet, it is important to choose the right size of the gear. Ensure that the ponytail bike helmet does not only fit on your head comfortably, but also has enough space to cover your hairstyle. It is crucial that your hair can thread through the back of the helmet in-between the bottom of the shell and the fitting strip.
If you do not have bike helmets for ponytails, make sure that you get a gear with multiple air vents. This type of helmet has several holes which you can use to insert your hair. You can also opt to hang your hair at the bottom of the shell.
Step 2: Choosing the right ponytail (High or low ponytail)
Do you usually wear a high ponytail or low ponytail? It is important that your bicycle helmet ponytail can adapt to your hair style, so it can sit conveniently on your head. Wearing a high ponytail means that the hair is tied directly on the back of your head, and raised up, off your neckline. You should always choose a bike helmet for high ponytail for this hair style.
For a low ponytail, your hair only gathers at the bottom of your hairline and would fall down the back of your neck and normally touch your shoulders. In case you normally use a low ponytail, a standard helmet that has enough space for thick hair will do.
Step 3: Try the helmet on
Once you have determined the right helmet type and ponytail, you can try to put the helmet on.
For this process, make sure that your head rests comfortably inside the ponytail compatible bike helmet while having enough room to evenly thread your hair. The best helmet has extra space at the back of the gear to keep your ponytail in place.
If you feel uncomfortable, you can adjust the women’s bike helmet with ponytail hole using the fitting strap. You can check the fitting by using a tape and hold it horizontally on your head above the ear. It must be two to three centimeters above the eye line.
Remember that a poorly fitted helmet can cause accidents. Wearing a helmet that is too small for you can make you feel uncomfortable and prevent you from moving your head from side to side. For helmets larger than needed, it can easily roll and distract you while riding.
Step 4: Put on the buckles
If you are confident that you have found the right helmet for your head size and ponytail style, and feel comfortable wearing it, you can secure the attachment of the gear. It is now time to work on the helmet buckles.
For this step, place the center left buckle just below your chin. You can pull the straps in order to lengthen or shorten it depending on the level of comfort you feel. Make sure that strap is not too tight, or it will leave a mark on your chin area and skin.
Step 5: Wear the side straps
For additional safety, ensure that you wear the side straps of your helmet. You can add the slider on your helmet straps and lock it before riding on the bike. Then, proceed in buckling the chin strap. Tighten the fastening with a 1-2 finger allowance below the strap.
Conclusion
Wearing a bicycle helmet ensures that you are always safe when on the road. It prevents the blow of a crash that can potentially harm your head. Helmets are one of the most important biking gears you need when cycling. However, with companies only catering standard bike helmets for men, finding a specific type for those who wear ponytails can be difficult.
Hence, we came up with this simple guide about how to wear a bike helmet with a ponytail. By following the steps written here, we hope that you are more confident riding with a ponytail while wearing a helmet.
“I ride my bike to work for years, but is that enough? Our carelessness towards our surroundings has taken a toll on the environment. And now, everyone is responsible for changes; even the most minor contribution is counted. With this hope and spirit, I started with my partner to establish Biketoworkday to help more individuals commute to their work sites on their bikes.”