How Do You Manage Long Hair with A Cycling Helmet?

Whether it’s your hair getting in your vision on a windy ride or looking like you forgot to brush your hair in the morning with each ride, long hair is not every rider’s cup of tea. Unless you rock curly hair, which still remains curly even after an intense ride, you want to look presentable without extra effort each time you remove your mountain bike helmet, right?

So how do you achieve that effortlessly?

This article will discuss several convenient accessories you can use to help manage your long hair as well as sleek yet easy hairdos for you. This way, your helmet maintains a secure fit without compromising your fashion style or safety.

Sounds interesting? Let’s get started.

Why Is It Necessary to Manage Long Hair While Cycling?

Long hair sometimes gets entangled in a helmet or visor, making them uncomfortable to wear. Imagine enduring all the painful pulling and twisting beneath a helmet. Tangled hair would also interfere with your safety since now the helmet no longer fits as required.

Some modern helmets come with a ponytail port which allows you to slide out the hair neatly. These easily accommodate a ponytail hence allowing a comfortable hair position in a securely fitted helmet.

For other helmets, adjusting the straps or their retention system can create enough room for your hair without compromising the helmet’s secure fit. Now what do you do if your helmet doesn’t offer either of these options or if your hair is too bulky for these helmets?

The Best Accessories for Managing Long Hair

The easiest solution to managing long hair is to add an accessory. Let’s look at some of the most common ones below.

Silk Scrunchie

Silk is most convenient for curly hair since its naturally prone to snagging. Wear a scrunchie under the helmet as a liner. It’s an easy on-and-off accessory that you can wear without much effort.

A Cycling Cap

A cap helps to keep long hair down and prevent entanglement with the helmet. While a cap works perfectly on its own, you need more hair cover for the extra-long hair. Think of covering it with a headband or a silk bonnet first before wearing the cap.

In addition, a cap offers excellent cushioning between the hair and a helmet. This minimizes friction hence keeping your straight hair smooth even after a long ride.

Tube Mask

Are you surprised? Well, your rather awkward-looking tube mask is a great way to contain long hair while looking stylish. For extra-long hair, use a clip or scrunchie to fold loosely at the end. Then wear your tube mask around the head to look more like a bandana, except you won’t need to tie it.

A Bandana

Bandanas are technically a fashion statement, and not everyone can feel at ease with them. But should you need a quick hair fix, they work perfectly, especially for medium-length hair. A good quality bandana is also excellent at wicking away moisture, especially from sweat. This ensures your hair doesn’t get mushy and smelly. That also helps to keep your head cool and dry.

Headband

Another neutral alternative to a bandana is a headband. It works the same as a bandana, except the headband is more blocked as opposed to a wedge shape. And by the way, you can also tie any fabric as a headband, including a simple scarf, so don’t be limited with your options. Get creative and accessorize your style just the way you like it.

Convenient Hairstyles for Riders

Depending on the texture and length of your hair, some hairdos will be more convenient than others. So let’s have a detailed look below.

Braids

You can achieve a simple braid hairdo by pulling your hair back or at the center of your head and twisting a simple braid or ponytail. This is equally easy to undo once you remove your helmet, and it doesn’t tangle your hair. A quick brush with your fingers, and you’re good to go.

When riding for a longer distance, in windy weather, or even on challenging terrains, you could opt for a French braid or fishtail braid. These two will hold down well for longer. A similar braid is the rope braid. For this, divide your hair into two sections. Twist each section individually and then twist the now two braids together to create a rope. Secure this new rope braid with an elastic band before wearing your cycling cap or helmet.

Bun

A bun is excellent for long hair. You can gather the hair in a high or low bun and secure it with a clip or elastic band. Buns are also ideal for downhill racers. Since mostly your hair tends to fall over your face as your ride, a well-secured bun will take care of that problem.

Half-Up and Half-Down

This style works best for medium to long hair. Simply pat your hair halfway. Hold the bottom-sectioned hair securely with a clip and leave the top hair flowing freely. You can also secure the top-sectioned hair and leave the bottom flowing freely. This hairdo is so stylish that you can rock it even after removing the helmet. It keeps hair away from the face while leaving room for more freedom and a little movement.

The Top Knot

This is similar to a bun. You just need to gather your hair on top of the head and secure it with a scrunchie or elastic band. This style effectively keeps long hair off your face. It’s also excellent at keeping you cool during hot weather as it doesn’t gather sweat inside the hair. Instead, sweat drips from the sides.  So if you combine this with an excellent moisture-wicking headband, you enjoy drier and cooler rides.

The Bottom Line

Riding with long hair can be an uphill task, both for your safety and your appearance thereafter. To help manage such situations, you can choose to have a quick hairdo such as a braid or a bun, or alternatively, invest in a few handy accessories. While scrunchies and tube masks are quite convenient, bandanas and cycling caps are more of fashion accessories. Choose whatever you prefer the most and enjoy smooth, stress-free rides while rocking your long hair.