PRODUCT REVIEW: HALO HEADBANDS
HALO HEADBANDS
Sweating while you ride can be a pain. Many helmets are set up with some minor sweat-absorbing materials, but for anyone who sweats more than a moderate amount, that’s not enough. The sweat drips down into your eyes or onto your sunglasses, making it harder to see. That takes away from your ride, and if you’re riding something technical, it can be downright dangerous. You need more protection to keep that sweat from your head off of your face.
Halo headbands come in a variety of shapes, colors and styles. There is a cycling cap/visor band, but there are also full-coverage bandanas, skull caps, a sun-protection version that covers the back of your neck and even a narrow band for those who sweat less. They’re available in one size, is flexible and fits most men’s/women’s heads.
HOW IT WORKS
The Halos start with an anti-microbial Dryline fabric that absorbs sweat, wicks moisture and dries quickly, and it has a rubber SweatSeal that channels your sweat back and away from your face and eyes if it does drip. That same SweatSeal incorporates what they call “Grip Technology” to keep the band in place.
The ideal placement seems to be with the SweatSeal strip about 1/4–1/2 inch above your eyebrows to catch the maximum amount of sweat and correctly redirect it around your face/eyes. You may want to adjust your helmet slightly to account for the headband.
“They’re very comfortable to the point you forget you’re wearing it.”
All the different sizes and shapes we had did fit well under a helmet, and they all worked exactly as advertised, even with heavy sweating. They’re very comfortable to the point you forget you’re wearing it. Is anything nastier than a cold, wet cloth on your head, dripping sweat into your eyes?
Unlike the more common terry-cloth versions, it doesn’t seem to just gather the sweat, it really actively dries it. On cold morning rides, the full-coverage bandana even keeps your head a little warmer, acting as a helmet liner. The only minor complaint was that the silicone SweatSeal can leave a mark on your forehead that stays there for about a half-hour.
Price: $15.95–$27.95
HITS:
• Keeps sweat off of your face
• USA-made
• Fits well and you even forget it’s there
MISSES:
• One size doesn’t fit all