The vintage look and thick stripe of color make the classic plastic headband a statement piece, but they may not be as healthy for your hair and scalp when compared to coil headbands, and plastic options are nowhere near as versatile.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear a plastic one, it's a matter of when and why you’ll be wearing a headband. There’s a few reasons including scalp or hair health, and activities like playing sports where a coil hair band will be a better choice.
Scalp Irritation From Tugging, Scraping, and Ripping
The plastic teeth sliding around can scrape and inflame your scalp, this can also cause itching which leads to scratching and premature shedding as you break hairs or pull them out. It’s even more common if the plastic headband is tight fitting.
With that said, when your hairstyle is static and if the plastic band sits still, it should be fine if your scalp is healthy. And scalp health changes throughout the year.
There’s less humidity or water vapor in the air during fall and winter as the air is cooler, so your scalp may lack the moisture it has in the summer making it more prone to irritation. If this is the case, use a spiral headband during these seasons.
If your hair will be moving around and you want it for function with a smaller pop of color, the spiral hair band will let your scalp rest easy as there are no teeth, and your hair will still get a strong hold.
Sports
You don’t want to try wearing a piece of plastic that can break and cut you while playing sports, and it's going to be uncomfortable to wear and potentially dangerous if you try putting a helmet over it. You could use cloth hair wraps to keep your hair in place, but you’ll need it to be tight and hope the tie stays in place.
This is where spiral headbands have another advantage, you can pull your hair back or up and secure it quickly and easily. Once you’re ready to leave the field or take a break, it's easy to slide out of your hair.
Storage
Coil hair bands can fold easily and fit into a clutch, pocket, or accessories drawer while a plastic headband will require a larger purse, and may stop the drawer from closing shut.
There are headbands that have hinges and collapse, but the plastic is not as flexible so they may not work for your pocket if you want to let your hair down like on a layover with a delay while traveling. And its inconvenient to have to store it when catching up with a friend after work or class, so spiral headbands have the advantage in this situation too.
It’s a Fashion Accessory Too
If you want to let your hair down, give a spiral headband a couple twists and it becomes a bracelet that matches your clothing. You’re stuck carrying around a plastic headband if you need a break, but with a coil hair band, you can slide it back in when you need your hair held up quickly and easily.
Versatile Styles
Plastic headbands are solid so you’re limited to the looks that can be created. Spiral headbands let you wear a ponytail, style a grecian goddess updo, and change your look throughout the day depending on where you are and what you're doing.
You can lift your hair off your shoulders if it's hot out, and then pull it back for the evening when it gets chilly and you want to let it relax. The versatility of spiral headbands let you enjoy your day with whatever hairstyle you want right then vs. being stuck with the same look all day.
Both plastic and coil hair bands have benefits. When you want versatility, comfort, and a pop of color, go spiral. When you need a larger band of color, and you aren’t changing your look throughout the day, a plastic headband may be the right choice.
