An Ode To The Humble Headband

Image: Lady Jayne

by BR Kellie

Is there a hair accessory you use on the regular without thinking too much about it? One that does a lot of the heavy lifting but gets no recognition? For me, it's not the bobby pins that I place in my hair regularly, because those things cause me no end of grief as I search the nooks and crannies of my house for them every single day. Nor is it the elastic bands that I use to tie my hair back. The closest thing to a shout out they get is when I gleefully screech 'yes!' when I find one that's managed to avoid the wormhole that sends them to a planet that I'm sure is made up entirely of misplaced elastic bands.

No, the hair accessory that I adore but never think twice about is the headband. Always there, always easy to spot, and never, ever, once given love. So here it is, a moment of appreciation... An ode to the humble headband...

My dearest humble headband, I adore you. Utterly. Truly. Totally.

You're there when I need to keep my hair out of my face. Ensuring my cream makeup products and serum blushes don't cause my spindly locks to irritatingly cling to my face. Ditto when I'm masking up and don't feel like having my hair stick to my skin when I'm trying to treat it to a little hydrating happiness.

When my fluffies around my face decide to embrace the humidity and puff out like a cumulus cloud, you're there doing the hard work of pulling them down and flattening them out in a way no hair spray and comb ever has.

When my daughter's attempting to change out her earrings and then asking for my help, you pull back her masses of hair, giving me easy eyesight access so I can talk her through pushing those posts into her lobes.

When I want to make it look like I've made an effort, while making absolutely none, you're there with your hint of sophistication, elevating my pony tail or messy bun into something stylish.

Unlike your hair accessory friends, your size means I don't waste precious minutes of the day searching for you. You're obvious. You're there. You're easy to spot. And because you don't go missing every five minutes, I don't find myself grudge purchasing you every five weeks (I'm looking at your hair elastics and bobby pins! Do better!).

Perhaps best of all, you're a chameleon. You can be simple in your size and colouring - a chic black or tortoiseshell. You can be glamorous. You can offer a little height, or rock an interesting pattern. You can bring the bling with diamantes galore. You're like a good pair of shoes for the hair... you elevate a look simply by existing.

Darling headband, you're a hardworker. You're a constant. You're the MVP of the hair accessory set, and I'm glad to have you on my team. Never let me go.

So, are you a lover of headbands? And what are your reasons for wearing them? Or have you banned yourself from headbands, and, if so, why? Chat below!