Whether it’s running, biking, playing a friendly game of basketball or just sweating on a hot day, glasses are often an essential accessory in carrying out these outdoor activities. Prescription glasses could be swapped with contact lenses, but there’s no such alternative for sunglasses. Hence, let’s talk about how to keep glasses from slipping when sweating, something every sports enthusiast faces eventually.
A note, though, is that sports practitioners are not the only ones who suffer from this annoying little side effect of warm temperatures. Wearers of prescription glasses are the true victims since they have to put up with slippery frames throughout the year. With that in mind, throughout this piece, we’re going to briefly discuss the different steps that one can take to wear glasses in any sort of conditions. To be plain, some workarounds might be a bit of a pain, but they are efficient and well worth the time and investment.
How to Keep Glasses from Slipping When Sweating: The Details
The first thing to consider when trying to rid oneself of this annoying little occurrence is swapping pairs. While aviators definitely have a smooth texture, the metal rims and heavy glass make them unsuitable for practicing sports. Anything with a light frame and good temple tips will suffice.
Temporary Solutions
The glasses accessory niche is a very unknown and dark place. Not really, but it is a pretty unknown to the general public. There are a lot of small contraptions that can make wearing glasses during physical activities easier. First off, it’s important to make sure that the glasses are clean. Grease tends to build up over several days of use, and cleaning them with mild soap and wiping them down with a paper towel is the first step towards solving the issue.
- Elastic Bands
Learning how to keep glasses from slipping when sweating involves getting creative. Elastic bands are great, especially the type of band used in styling hair. Placing them tightly on the glasses temple tips will prevent the glasses from slipping since these accessories have a very adherent surface. Moreover, they will definitely absorb some of the moisture. That being said, they’re not that hygienic since the bands will get dirty after just one session. Thus, it’s important to clean the bands after every use.
- Silicone Ear Hooks
Ear hooks are definitely glass accessories that most people have no idea exists. They are grippy, hook-like silicone temple tip add-ons. They come with cutouts that allow them to slip onto the temples. The hook-like shape will ensure that they will fit comfortably in the ears, and the grippy texture will keep them in place.
They’re better than the elastic bands since silicone does not soak up any sort of dirt. Although inexpensive, innovative and very efficient, the only drawback is that they might bring unwanted attention; the concept itself being rather peculiar.
Permanent Solutions
Since the solutions mentioned above are only temporary and kind of janky, to be honest, those who constantly require wearing their eye aids have more subtle, permanent solutions available.
- Wax or Moisturizer
Wax is a great way of adding extra adherence in key points of the frame to prevent one’s glasses from slipping. While not every wax is ideal for this task, there are products specifically made for solving this issue.
Coming in the form of a chapstick (or lip balm, if you want to get fancy), the user can rub the wax on the tips and the nosepiece. On the other hand, there are waxes which are FDA-approved, so it’s very safe to use every day. Some are also odorless and almost solid. This type of product is great because it is very subtle. However, this is not produced on a global scale, so it is not accessible to everyone. As a great alternative, oil-free moisturizer can be applied in the same areas.
- Running Sunglasses
Don’t worry, someone has thought about this issue and has specifically designed glasses that stay put in bumpy conditions. They look cool and work great for any sort of sport that involves running and jumping.
The tips on these glasses resemble a pair of talons. They “sink” into the back of the ear, but they are still comfortable to wear. Lightweight and reliable, this is probably the best way of avoiding any unwanted accidents.
The real issue with running sunglasses is that they are not really budget friendly. While elastic hair bands and ear hooks are very cheap and highly available, running sunglasses are designed by a handful of companies and high-end models will take a toll on one’s wallet.
Alternative Solutions
Sometimes, a more brutal approach is the way to go. Temples tend to widen during extensive uses, adding to the slipping effect. When that happens, there are a few numbers of tools that can prove to be amazing at bending them safely back in place.
- Use a Heat Gun
A heat gun is amongst the greatest tools to have, and it is not as expensive as one would think. This will allow the wearer to soften up the plastic material of the temples without melting them. When using temperatures that exceed 70 degrees Celsius, the wearer can start bending the temples gently, until the glasses fit tightly again.
- Use Pliers
Heat guns work great with plastic temples but using a heat gun on a metal frame won’t get any good results. To bend metal temples, the user can push them back in place with a pair of pliers and a gentle, steady hand.
In addition to this, the tiny screws on the temple can also be tightened with a small screwdriver. This will have the same effect, although not a lot of people own such fine tools. Don’t attempt to use knives or other tips to tighten the screws, as they can get damaged very easily.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of quick fixes for slippery glasses, just stay creative! Just invest in some tools or some beauty accessories, keep a steady hand and don’t use force. If all else fails, baseball caps and hats are so in this season.
Hi, I can’t believe I have been wearing glasses for about 10 years now without using some of these tips before! I have tried contact lenses in the past, but I really struggle to get them in, so it never usually find the time. Slipping glasses are one of the most annoying things to put up with when playing sport, so I will definitely look into a couple of the accessories mentioned. What also occurred to me while reading this was that playing sport with glasses in the rain is a double whammy- they get extra slippy, and you can barely see past the water on the lenses themselves. Maybe in a future post you could give us some advice on using glasses in the rain? Thanks!
Hi, Danny
Yes, I use glasses myself and have used contact lenses too, so I understand you very well!
When you run, or what activity you used, is very important to have things you use as comfortable and let them be as good as possible. That will always make your performance as good as possible plus you enjoy much more what you are doing.
Oh! It is great to see here as not so many people have access to this information. Part of the reasons I stopped long distance running was because I couldn’t keep my glasses in me for long with the constant fear of it falling and shattering to pieces because I had lost two glasses before. However, seeing this post, I feel a renewed excitement, which makes things feel like it would be a lot more better going forward. Thank you for this here.
Hello, Ella, and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
Great to hear about your benefit of the article too.
Don´t hesitate to contact me if I can help you with anything else or if you have any questions.
Some people are actually into this category where they have to sear prescription glasses, but because of this, they wouldn’t want to stop the sport they love so much. The problem here is that the glass may fall and break, which is going to be a sad thing eventually. I feel like more people should be aware of these tips because it really does help. Some people go on to take contact lenses as a better solution; however, I feel glasses are better, and with these simple tips, one does not need to worry. I will share this with my glass wearing friends.
Hello, Riley, and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
Great to hear about your benefit of the article too.
There is one point that not all people can use contact lenses. And too that many times you are a little bit tired of the contacted lenses, as good as they are, and then you won’t use the glasses prefer.
Don´t hesitate to contact me if I can help you with anything else or if you have any questions.
My brother is in a rough boat and has been for a couple years now. He has all the problems you mentioned and I even told him that he should be using elastic bands but he told me it won’t work. Well now I have further proof that I was right! If he doesn’t want elastic bands I’ll tell him to at least use the heat gun.
Hello, Brandon, and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
Great to hear about your benefit of the article too.
Don´t hesitate to contact me if I can help you with anything else or if you have any questions.
You don’t understand how much this helped me! I am a notorious sweater, and I cannot wear sunglasses at all due to sweat ruining the vision in what feels like five seconds. Definitely going to try some of these techniques, but first, I need to buy some shades! Hopefully this works, it’ll make running, walking, and pretty much my life easier.
Hello, Hayden Panagos, and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
Great to hear about your benefit of the article too.
Don´t hesitate to contact me if I can help you with anything else or if you have any questions.
Hi, it’s quite funny I didn’t get to see most of these solutions before now, and I do make use of glasses when going for a run and all I add to it is just an elastic band to keep it firm. However, these options for permanent solutions tea really convenient for me, and it would be great to get over with it finally and not bother about my glasses falling off when next I go running. Thank you
Hello, Benson, and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
Great to hear about your benefit of the article too.
Don´t hesitate to contact me if I can help you with anything else or if you have any questions.
I have a friend who loves glasses to the point that he wears them to sleep and even bathe with them. I don’t even know how he does that! For the glasses to stay on and never fall out, he applied one of the creative measures mentioned here, the use of pliers! He bent the temple to fit! And that was how he solved the problem of slippery glasses!
Nice article!
Hello, Lizzychris, and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
Great to hear about your benefit of the article too.
Don´t hesitate to contact me if I can help you with anything else or if you have any questions.
If you are frustrated about the issue of keep your glasses from falling off, here’s the solutions everyone out there is adopting: check measurements and adjust the frame, or use adds-on like anti-slip wax, nose pads, glasses straps, and ear grips, or rely on sport glasses
Hi, Stephen Ryan, and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
Great to hear about your benefit of the article too.
Yes, it is a good tip. But many need other ways to keep it on the nose. And glasses are expensive, so if you don’t have the budget to buy sports glasses, you need to fix the glasses to stay on the nose.
Or example, I can’t personally change the frames of my glasses.
Don’t hesitate to contact me to help you with anything else or if you have any questions.
Great, thanks so much for sharing! I love your artical, it really useful for me. You are so friendly.
Hi, Stephen Ryan, and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.