Headband (Hair Accessories)

A headband holds nothing up. It spans the head from just behind one ear to just behind the other, pressing inward at those two points, and its job is keeping hair off the face rather than gathering or fastening it. Everything about how a headband feels traces back to that inward pressure and exactly where it lands.

Construction splits three ways. A rigid band, usually acetate or metal, has a fixed span and either matches your head or it does not. A padded band wraps a flexible core in fabric and spreads the load over a wider surface, so it stays comfortable for far longer. A knotted or elasticated band stretches to fit and holds by tension with almost no rigidity at all. Teeth along the inside edge stop a rigid band creeping backward on smooth hair, at the cost of digging in after a few hours. Width changes the effect completely: under half an inch reads delicate, and two inches or more becomes the feature of an outfit.

Confusion with hair bands is constant and the two are opposites. A hair band is a stretch loop that ties hair back into a ponytail. A headband crosses the crown and leaves the hair loose. Compared with a tiara, which also rests on the crown, this is functional and worn on any ordinary day. Claw clips and combs grip gathered hair, and nothing about a headband grips at all.

Growing out bangs, working out, washing your face and any day you want hair off the forehead all suit one. If you get tension headaches, stay with padded or elastic versions, since rigid toothed acetate is the worst offender. Fine slippery hair also fights a smooth band, so add teeth or texture.

Flex a rigid band gently wider before buying and see whether it returns. One that stays sprung open will never grip again. Padded bands should have no hard seam sitting behind the ear, which is the exact spot that rubs. Fabric bands need regular washing, since the underside collects product and skin oil that transfers straight back onto clean hair.