Comment by michelle on April 6, 2013 at 7:09pm

Yes the Buff works well. Lululemon (not sure where you live) makes and assortment of headbands and bandanas... They kept making headbands wider and wider as my hair fell out. The bandana got me through my first marathon...kept the sweat from my head. love it!

Comment by Debs on April 8, 2013 at 11:52am

I have been wearing a wide headband to the gym and just this week bought 2 buffs, they are just what I need, look trendy with the Buff logo and nice and wide to cover up my hair loss. thanks for this info, I will checkout these websites. It is so important to keep up with our normal exercise regimes.

Comment by Bernadette on April 12, 2013 at 8:01pm

I live in Canada & we have a store called Ardell's. they make the tube bandanas as well. They are awesome! And only cost $2 each. Also, if u turn them inside out, and put an elastic around the centre, then fold one side over the other, you have a nice little hat!

Comment by Brandy on July 14, 2013 at 9:27pm

Dear Alopecia Friends:

After 3 months of experimenting with different exercise hats, the verdit is in. Hope my research helps someone. I shared it with the wellness-at-work coordinator at my workplace, so that people with alopecia won't avoid exercise due to lack of hair.

If a person with alopecia doesn’t want to cover her/his head, that is fine. Read no further.

For those concerned about how to cover their heads when working out at the gym or taking a hike, exercise hats come in two varieties – beanie and bandana. While each exercise hat that I have discovered has its advantages and disadvantages, CoolMax is usually the best choice for a material. CoolMax uses sweat to cool the head and also dries much faster than cotton.

So far, I have discovered the following exercise hats:

1)_CoolMax Beanie. This is the most comfortable exercise hat. However, I only wear it at home for yoga and weight lifting, because I am not sure if it would stay on my head during a cardio-karate or aerobics class. Available at
http://www.headcovers.com/10107/coolmax-exercise-cap/

2)_Madison Exericse Cap. Also very comfortable, but made out of cotton instead of CoolMax. This cap is my choice for yoga classes, because the bandanas have knots in the back that make laying on my back a bit uncomfortable. This hat has always stayed on my head during forward bends and downward dog poses. Available at http://www.headcovers.com/11122/madison-exercise-cap/

3)_Coolmax Bandana with elastic head band + tie. This cap offers the strongest protection for staying on my head during vigorous exercise, such as jumping jacks or cardio karate. However, the elastic head band makes this hat less comfortable than the others. Since I am more concerned about keeping my head covered at a public gym, to prevent being mistaken for a male, I am willing to compromise the comfort in order to be safer. This hat is sold by an online restaurant supply store because it’s also a chef’s hat, and is resistant to heat and water.
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/royal-blue-headsweats-coolmax-8800-...

4)_Coolmax Halo Bandana. This bandana is more comfortable than the one above. Although I never had a problem with it falling off my head, I feel safer wearing the above bandana to vigorous exercise classes at the gym. During home exercise, I alternate between the CoolMax beanie and this hat.
http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Headbands-HPROTEXBLACK-Protex-Sweatband/...

By searching amazon.com for “CoolMax bandana”, other options will appear. For taking a walk, an ordinary cotton bandana is fine, although hats #3 and #4 offer extra protection.

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