The Headband of a Lifetime

So, from my last post you may have noticed that in nearly all of the pictures I am wearing a purplish pink headband.  I bought this headband out in California, and I loved it so much that I have decided to dedicate this post to the headband.  Ode to the headband.  Actually, there are several things that I own that I feel are so useful and great that I will probably blog about them also at some point in the future.  I believe it is important to write reviews like this because in our consumeristic society, it is so easy to get caught up with just buying up a lot of stuff that won't really serve it's purpose, won't last, or won't perform like you expect.  So when you do come across a product that is amazing, you should let as many people know as possible, all the while understanding that "stuff" will never ever ever ever ever satisfy you.  I think that's an even more important point to mention and take to heart in our consumeristic society.  Okay, enough about consumerism.  Back to the headband.

The headband really was just purchased on a whim (very a-typical for me), but I am so so so thankful that I ended up with it.  First reason:  I have extremely sensitive ears.  They are definitely the most sensitive part of me.  I not only hear extremely well (loud noises really bother me, so I avoid concerts and loud church services like an old person...), but my ears are so so sensitive to cold weather and wind.  I find myself needing to protect my ears on a run or a walk even if it is not particularly cold (up into the upper 60's, and warmer if it is a particularly windy day).  If I don't, my ears start hurting, I get a headache, and I am just all around miserable for several hours after the activity winds down.  So I was really grateful to have the headband on when we went on our early morning hike.

I loved having the headband on this hike because the temps when we started were a little chilly, so it was nice to be able to cover up my sensitive little ears.  Also, as the day warmed up, I could push it back behind my ears and it would still keep my hair back.  Which brings me to the second reason that this headband is so great:  it keeps your hair completely out of your face.  I am in that in-between stage of kind of growing out hair/layers/bangs, so I have a lot of little wispy hairs that don't go back into my ponytail.  Because this headband is so wide, it totally keeps all of those hairs out of my face.  It was a great thing to have when riding around in the convertible, as my hair was absolutely invincible to the wind behind the shield of the headband (as you can see, Nika has one too...after the first day of seeing me enjoying mine she could witness first hand what sheer contentment and utility the headband had to offer, so she couldn't resist going back to buy one for herself and also for Aunt Lynda).  

The last reason that I love having the headband on this trip was because it made doing my hair ancient history.  I am a very low maintenance individual, so messing with my hair is about as low on my priority list as having an appendectomy.  This headband made it easy to hop out of the shower, throw my hair in a pony tail, and not worry about what my unruly front wisps were up to (not quite bangs...not sure what else to call them).  I did my hair a total of two times in about 10 days...bliss.  You may wonder why I don't just go to WalMart and buy up a lot of other cheaper headbands and just be done with the whole obsession.  This is a good question.  Alas, I have faced a lifelong headband battle.  You see, most headbands do not stay atop my head.  When wearing a headband, you must agree it is important that the headband remain on the head.  Well, most of them just slide right off of my sleek locks and end up on the floor, letting my wisps fly free and often times leaving an embarrassing indention.  Not so with aforementioned super band.  

Okay, so what are the details you might ask?  Well, this particular brand is by prAna.  We bought ours at the outdoor retailer REI, but you can get them from Amazon.com as well as the prAna website.  They are about $12, but trust me when I say they are worth every penny.  I have worn mine to death, and also have washed it at least twice with no mal effects.  They have several stylish and trendy patterns to choose from (mine is called Orchid), and I am so addicted to it that I feel like I want to get another one, maybe the turquoise one (called Turquoise Congo Beats).  Okay, I have spent way too much time going on about this.  I'll leave you with one humourous picture that was taken of me sitting on the Santa Monica pier, late afternoon, dozing in the heat, hands folded across my chest like an old man.  Of course, I'm wearing the headband.