The Workout Hair Dilemma: Stay-in-Place Headbands and Hair Ties That Stick

Unless you have a shaved head (in which case, rock it, girl!), you probably have at one time or another cursed your hair during a workout. From bangs that get in your face to headbands that slide (or, in my case, fly) right off to a ponytail that just will not stay tight, these are the problems we girls face. Problems that, let's face it, totally distract us from what we should be doing: enjoying the heck out of our workouts and feeling awesome. So, to help with this, we decided to try a couple new products that promise to fix the workout-hair dilemma. Seeing that I have a freakishly small and difficult head to fit, it's a tough order to fill. Here's how she goes though...

Bani Bands

As mentioned, I have a small head that workout headbands do not like. In fact, they fly off in protest after about three minutes of wear. (Yeah, I've timed it.) So when Bani Bands emailed us saying that its headbands don't slip, are cute and have an adjustable length to fit both a child or an adult, I had, had, had to try them. Bani Bands sent us a headband from its Wideband Collection, and I quickly put it to the test. First, I wore it around the house, which is normally enough to get one to slip. But this one? It stayed put! So I upped the slippage ante: I took it on a run. I had to adjust it a bit after 15 minutes, but it did not---I repeat did not---slip entirely off my head. And the inner velvet lining helped to absorb sweat. Nice little bonus there. Third, I put the Bani Band to the ultimate test: burpees and box jumps. And again, it performed well. I made it a good 10 minutes without having to adjust it. Ten minutes may not seem like a long time to people who don't struggle with keeping workout headbands on, but for me and my oddly shaped head, it's an eternity. (Workout headband minutes are kind of like dog years that way.) From about $10 to $18, Bani Bands may not have totally solved my workout-headband-slippage problem, but they're about the closest I've found without having my head ache from a headband that squeezed my noggin too tightly. Or deciding to just shave my head altogether. So, I'm declaring this one a victory. If you have a normal head, you should have no slipping issues!

Fly Ties

I have to admit that I'm A-okay with the usual hair ties. The cloth-covered rubber ones that you have to buy in a pack of, like, 100 because you end up leaving them in bags, bathrooms, the gym and all rooms of your house. However, I get that they stretch pretty easily, can break (nothing worse than that happening at the gym!) and generally aren't the cutest. And this is where Fly Ties come in. Fine Featherheads sent us a few of its wide elastic bands to try that are made of a softer material that doesn't tug or damage your hair. On first look at them, they were cute, for sure. But I wondered how well they'd stand up during a workout. But I was pleasantly surprised! I thought the material would be too slippery to hold a solid ponytail, but I was wrong. The Fly Ties held it up high and proud. They do stretch out a bit over time, but you simply just wrap the band around your hair another time or two---and even though I've stretched it probably to its max, I haven't had a broken one yet. These come in super fun colors, look cute around your wrist and for about $8 for a four-pack, they're an option to go more fashionable with your hair ties. And they work! Now, I also tried the company's Fly Bands. While they may work for some in yoga class or during workouts, they wouldn't even stay on my head for five minutes when I was walking around my house. So, if you have headband slippage issues, these are not for you. But if you have the kind of head that headbands love (lucky!), they sure are cute. Any other hard-to-fit heads out there? Do you wear workout headbands or other specific hair ties or products for workouts? Give us the hairy (or not so) truth! ---Jenn