If you have been gaming, editing, or in any case where you are using headphones for a while, you have more than likely experienced “headphone hair”. One of the most irritating feelings is getting off your computer or a long music listening session and seeing that your hair now has a massive dent in it. In many cases, you can purchase headphones that won’t mess your hair up, but in some, you want to keep your precious headphones and want alternatives to mitigating headphone hair.
Although some of these options may include obvious solutions, changing to earbuds, readjusting, and similar clear methods, there are also other helpful tips and tricks that you most likely haven’t seen before. It isn’t much surprise that this is a widespread issue, headphones cause many undesirable issues, such as ear pain. You aren’t alone in feeling the pain of messed-up hair when using headphones, so we made this list of the best ways how to not get headphone hair.
1. Use a Dual-Band Headphone
Many people do not know that Dual-Band headphones are actually designed to relieve stress from the ears and the head. The secondary band can often be adjusted as well, to fit the user’s head. The extra band offers secondary padding that elevates the tension that would normally be applied to your head with a standard headband. Because this type of headphone disperses the pressure more effectively, headphone hair is going to be rare if you get your hands on a pair.
As with most cases, you still needs to adjust the headphone accordingly so that the secondary band isn’t imposing too much pressure on your head, but generally, these headphones have a good way of working things out. As for gaming headsets, you may find it hard to find some with a dual-band, but there are some out there, like the Logitech G733 or the Lenovo Legion H500 Pro. Of course, if you are an audiophile, most studio open-back headphones that are over the $300 range will feature a dual-headband design, such as the Hifi-man SUNDARA.
2. Switching to High-Quality Headphones
A fact that many may reject is that their headphones are “cheap” or of low quality. Although this is not the case with every individual, many headphones are bought without consideration of the design and build quality. If you purchased a cheaper headphone, the weight distribution is most likely not a factor that went into the development of those headphones. In addition, cheaper headphones often are more rigid and have higher clamping forces to make up for the poor materials used.
Higher-end headphones and headsets will grant a better dispersion of clamping force, driving the pressure away from the headband and ears. A tighter fit on the ears usually grants the headband some room so as to not create the issue of giving you headphone hair. You also don’t need to spend multiple hundreds of dollars for an upgraded design. There are plenty of lightweights headphones available that sound great and offer great comfortable and elegant fits, such as the HyperX Cloud II or the Sony MDR7506.
3. Headband Positioning
Some headphones may not be able to be worn in certain ways, whether that be because of the ear cup design or the headband was developed to be strictly worn over the head; however, some headphones have the ability to be comfortably worn in different ways. Now, aside from it looking somewhat silly, you can experiment with wearing your headphones or headsets in different orientations. A popular way to wear your headphones without causing headphone hair is to wear them over your ears and have the headband rested around the back of your neck.
Again, many factors go into whether you are going to be able to comfortably wear your headphones this way, but if you find it works, this could be a real solution. Many times, if your hair is still drying and you would rather not create an indent in your hair, you could temporarily wear your headphones around your neck and on your ears still until your hair is dry. In addition to this method, you can also wear them where the headband is positioned further back on your head, leaving a slight gap between the headband and your head. The pressure will be alleviated and your hair won’t get messed up.
4. Headphones With No Headband
Headphones that don’t feature a standard headband integration are often a great solution to headphone hair. Some come with a neck brace that provides additional support, while others have just the earcups that are connected via L and R wires. Either option negates the need for a headband and ensures a 100% chance of not messing up your hair or causing a dent. Keep in mind that these headphones are not going to be of the same quality and clarity as your standard headphones due to the smaller built size.
You won’t be getting 50mm drivers or 7.1 surround sound, many of that is included in headphones due to the extra space in the headband and other areas. If you want something low-profile and easy to use in casual situations, the neckband or wire headphones are going to be an excellent choice. The Audio Technica ATH-EQ300M are some of the most popular and well-established pairs of headband-less headphones on the market.
5. Wearable Gaming Shoulder Speakers
A genius solution that many may find an especially attractive solution, is a wearable gaming speaker system, the Panasonic SoundSlayer. Not only is this a unique invention, but it also sounds incredible and comes with an in-built microphone that is positioned to pick up the least amount of feedback. The microphone also has an integrated noise impression feature that has been specially tuned to reject the noise coming from the speakers around your neck.
This device has a 4-driver speaker system and features partial surround sound and multiple different sound EQ modes for gaming, movies, and more. The sleek design doesn’t just look good but is also functional and the entire unit is extremely light and can be worn for hours at a time. The lack of any headphones or earcups is going to ensure that you will not get any form of headphone hair when wearing these.
6. Wear Your Headphones Over a Hat
One of the tried and true ways of mitigating the chances of getting headphone hair is to wear a baseball cap or beanie. It may sound too simple to work, but it truly works and in most cases, negates any headphone hair. The hat method works simply in dispersing the pressure of the headband throughout the entire hat. The hat puts pressure along your entire head of hair, meaning the headband doesn’t affect it at all.
For some, gaming, doing some music production, or editing with a hat on may seem strange, but if you can get over the oddity of wearing a hat in the comfort of your own room or office, it really does work. If you are out and about and listening to a podcast or music, wearing a hat is completely normal and it may open the doors to new clothing opportunities. Overall, this may be one of the cheapest and quickest solutions to making sure your hair does not get messed up when you are wearing your headphones.
7. Wear Your Headphones Over a Hoodie
Similar to the option before, wearing your headphones over your hoodie is a sure-fire way of getting rid of headphone hair. In the case that you don’t own a beanie or a baseball cap, using a hoodie is a clear solution to not receiving the pressure of the headband directly on your hair. There are plenty of gamers and headphones users that wear hoodies nearly every minute of every day, meaning that just pulling the hoodie up and putting the headphones on the outside is the easiest solution there is.
Now, you will experience a very slight downtick in audio quality, as it may sound just slightly muffled than what you are used to, especially if you have a thick hoodie; however, if you don’t notice that great of a difference, the hoodie solution is great. In addition to that, working near your computer in a small room for long periods of time can get pretty hot, temperature-wise, but if you have great cooling and feel comfortable wearing your hoodie for a long period of time, there should be no issue.