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How To Wear Headphones With Long Hair [Hacks in 2023]

Are you tired of battling with unruly locks every time you slip on your headphones? Well, it’s time to bid farewell to those frustrating bad hair days and learn how to get better sound quality! Dive into our guide filled with innovative and straightforward tips that will show you how to wear headphones with long hair (and curly hair too!), transforming your listening experience into a smooth and comfortable one.

Learn how to wear headphones with long hair

“How to wear headphones with long hair” is a common question among music lovers and gamers with long or extra curly tresses. There are a number of possible solutions, including tying your hair in a bun or a ponytail, wearing a cap or beanie, or “splitting” your hair around the earpad to prevent tangling and ensure a comfortable fit. You can also use various products in your hair – just make sure that they don’t cause damage to your headphones.

Practical Tips on How To Wear Headphones With Long Hair

The issues you face while wearing headphones with long hair are entirely normal, and they affect guys, girls and non-binary.

We have organized our solutions based on the unique needs of each hair type. Here’s a quick comparison table of all the secret hacks for wearing a headset without messing your hair, and without your hair getting in the way:

Tips/HacksType of hairEffectivenessEasePrecautionsRecommended in Public forums
Buying earbudsAll types of hair5/55/5NoneYes, this is the best alternative
HaircutAll types of hair4/5⅘, you will need to refer with your barberNoneYes, but only if you are comfortable
Keeping Long HairCan be difficult for people with curly hair3/5⅖; growing takes a lot of timeProper hair care will be requiredYes, but it is time-consuming.
StraighteningAll types of hair3.5/53/5Frequent usage can cause hair damageYes
Styling gelAll types of hair3/53/5Can cause hair damageYes
DampeningAll types of hair3/53/5Frequent wetting damages hairNo
New hairstylePonytails can be tough for curly hair4/53/5NoYes
Loosen the headphone bandAll types of hair4/53/5Depending on the headset, a few cannot be adjusted.Yes
Headphone Hair Preventive Tips

Struggles with hair and headphones are real!

It is a common issue how to properly wear headphones with long hair. Not just because of “headphone hair”, but also to make sure the quality of the sound you are receiving is not muffled by your hair. And to lengthen the life of your headphones.

Haven’t chosen your pair of headphones yet? Check out our Essential Headphones Guide here.

Here are some of the suggestions given by members of a SubReddit (with just a few changes for readability). We discuss these all below and give you our views:

Split your hair around the earpad of the headphone. Put some in front of the earpad, and some behind the earpad (behind as in facing the back, not as in underneath the cup) I have long curly hair, way curlier than yours and thats what I do with mine.

the closest I can get is a hat; stuffing it all out the hole at the back looks even more ridiculous than default, though, not to mention it’s not always comfortable. Guess I’ll have to keep it growing for years to come.

Ponytail, or just push the hair behind my ears with the pads. But ponytail or other ways of tying it work better.

I feel like it’s eternally just too short to tie back without it being on top of my head, but I could try with one of those mail elastic band things. Would probably look ridiculous though—but then, I already do.

Pull it back and out of the way so youre not wearing a beanie made of hair. Maybe go for a ponytail or a haircut.

I have a similar problem although I don’t have curly hairs. Sometimes my hairs get stuck in the swiveling part of the headphones and when I try to remove the headphones off of my head it plucks 2-3 hairs. Man it hurts so much 💀

A bobble. Just tie it back into a ponytail and it will stay out of your way I normally either wear a hat (where I either have hair in front and the back or stuff everything out the back) or just stuff everything up and over, but with the latter it’s somehow quite prone to getting stuck. How do y’all deal with that? Do you just keep short hair? Is that the sacrifice headphone enthusiasts have to make?

Rach Wellard – Sound & Solitude

How To Wear Headphones With Long Hair: Tips For Gamers and Music Lovers

Tips to wear headphones with long hair

It’s time to unbox our bag of insanely actionable solutions for long-hair headphone lovers.

1. Go For Earbuds

The most effective (and budget-friendly) solution for long-hair audiophiles is wireless earbuds for music listening.

Pros of this solution

Earbuds are tiny, light, and portable devices, and they exert *NO* pressure on your head!

Choose any affordable earbuds (like Boltune) with comfortable and multi-sized ear tips.

Cons of this solution

You can’t wear earbuds for long periods as they can cause infections (if not cleaned properly) and may cause heat buildup inside your ear canal.

Also, this solution isn’t suitable for ardent gamers.

2. Snip Snap Cut!

Medium-length hair is challenging to manage. You can wait for the hair to grow or cut your hair up to shoulder length for a quick fix.

Here’s something extra you need to do:

Ask your barber for a perfect suggestion for cuts by hair length.

3. Aim For Long Tresses

If you happen to be someone with medium hair, avoiding hair damage is tricky. 

Increasing the length of your hair (not like Rapunzel, of course) can be pretty straightforward to handle. 

A quick tip: Sporting headphones go well for your long and newly grown hair.

4. Straighten Your Hair

Straighten your hair

Curly hair can also be a hassle.

The long curvy tresses of hair can get stuck into the headphones, causing you a lot of disturbance whenever you wear them.

Getting them straightened with a hairstyling tool can help you, as straight hair is easy to tie, comb and manage.

5. Use A Hair Styling Gel

For people who care about the length of their hair and want to keep their old hairstyle without cutting it short, the most appropriate solution is to apply a styling gel to their hair. 

But mind you:

Using unnecessary hair products can damage your hair, giving rise to dead hair.

People with persistent styling products or colored hair can even develop traction alopeciaa type of hair loss caused by tight ponytails or harmful chemicals in hair products.

So, don’t compromise on the quality of hair gel by compromising with cheap options. 

6. Hair Wet, Hair Set

The best DIY to keep your dry hair away from your ear canal is to dampen it with a bit of water.

Here’s what you need to do:

  • Remove the headphones
  • Wet them
  • Style Your Hair

And keep it away from your ears. Put the headphones back on and have fun. 

But it’s not simple!

You will need to repeat the process by spraying water after a while. Keeping your hair wet for long periods weakens your hair (Source).

So, this method is very cumbersome but economical. It prevents the condition of alopecia.

It does not matter the color of your hair, as anyone can apply this tip who wishes to treat headphones hair (More on that later).

7. Go For New Looks

Changing your hairstyle is the next best option.

  • Tie your hair into a ponytail or a bun.
  • If you don’t want to tie your hair at all, use a bobby pin to put it behind your hair so that it doesn’t hit your ears.
  • Ensure you do not tie it up for longer durations to avoid developing alopecia.

8. Try To Move Your Headset

It’s the simplest trick out of all.

You have to move your headphones band towards your forehead and then push them back again. It will put your hair back and will not bother you.

Caution: The strands may get untangled after a few hours so, you have to repeat the process with the band.

Advantage: You don’t have to put in chemicals to listen to your favorite playlist or get your game on.

9. Try covering your hair

Cover them up

This method is for stylish music lovers.

You have to get a beautiful bandana and put it on the front of your head and separate your hair from behind.

You will have them on the back, but the headphones are tied up in the front to prevent them from messing up.

Also Read: 5 Ways To Straighten Headphone Wires 

10. Loosen The Headphone Band

You can loosen the headphone band of your over-ears to get a perfect grip on your headset if it has an adjustable headband.

It’s not a permanent solution, but you can easily maintain them and prevent the pressure exerted with an adjustable band.

Other advantages include keeping your ears cozy, and you can also wear your favorite blue beanies with headphones for more style!

Loose ties will not mess up your hairstyle, and you can go to parties or outings quickly without having to redo your loosening after work when you have breathable models with a contoured design.

11. What is Headphone Hair and How to Prevent it?

What is Headphone hair and how to prevent it

When you wear a headset for a long time, the headband will exert pressure on a small portion, causing a dent in your hair. If you feel uncomfortable wearing headphones during meetings or get-togethers, you may have a problem called headphone hair.

But do not worry, this is not permanent damage to your hair; you can cure this with the tips and hacks mentioned above.

Recommended Reading: Hair Loss From Headphones: The Complete Guide [2022]

Some Extra Healthy Hair Tips For Headphone Users 

Can you wear headphones with wet hair

Here we share some of the best practices recommended by experts to help you enjoy long hair like no other!

Wise Choice of Headphones 

Here are a few factors to consider when you decide to spend some bucks from your pocket to buy an over-ear device:

Lightweight design: If you have long tresses (long hair), your pair of headphones should weigh less than 0.55 pounds. Heavy models put an undue burden on your hair, giving you dented hair and leading to headphone hair we discussed earlier.

There are more things to worry about:

The pressure of the headband can prevent your hair follicles from breathing correctly. As a result, they start dying, leading to colossal hair fall. 

Pro Tip: You can use custom-fit earphones to prevent headband pressure.

Lightweight design: If you have long tresses (long hair), your pair of headphones should weigh less than 0.55 pounds. Heavy models put an undue burden on your hair, giving you dented hair and leading to headphone hair we discussed earlier.

Your headphone design should be well padded, balanced, and breathable for superb audio quality and prevent headphone hair dents. A well-padded headband distributes head weight uniformly.

You can quickly tighten and loosen headphones if you have headphones with slide hinges. 

Adjustable Headband: Leaving the headphones in the same place for an extended period increases the chances of risk of headphone hair, so you need to be flexible enough to move them around.

Keep an eye out for Betty Power Headband, Breathable Headband, and Buff CrossKnit Headband that remove continual pressure and do not hamper your comfort issues. 

Placing The Band Correctly

If you can’t listen to your headphones, you can wear them around your neck.

The device will act as a loose ponytail holder for your long hair. With this, your hair will not mess up, and your daily hair style will stay fantastic too.

Put on A Cool Cap

You can wear a hat or a cap to avoid the problem of tangled hair strands in the headphones. You will also have a smooth head surface with a lid.

You can use this method with a beanie or plain hat.

Change Your Shampoo!

To avoid excessive greasy hair, you can even use dry shampoo instead of quality hair styling gels. Dry shampoo also prevents frizzy hair, giving you a better grip on maintaining it.

FAQs On Wearing Headphones With Long Hair

FAQs

Do headphones cause hair thinning?

Headphones do not cause hair thinning, regardless of how much you use them. However, if you do not take proper care of your headphones, the wear and tear caused due to low maintenance can lead to excessively pulling out your hair from the scalp causing hair to fall. So make sure you follow good headphone hygiene!

Do headphones lead to hair fall?

Wear and tear on your hair by tight headphones can lead to hair fall by pulling out the hair follicle from your scalp. This may lead to traction alopecia in some cases.

To ensure that this does not occur to you, you can follow the following steps and hacks:

● Buy comfortable headphones
● Grab the lightest headphones available
● Align your your headphones in accordance with our suggestions
● Practice good hygiene to avoid chances of hair damage

Do headphones cause acne?

Earbuds do not cause pimples or acne, but your over-the-ear headsets can be a reason for it. Wearing headphones before or after the workout session, not cleaning them regularly, or using them excessively are common reasons for frequent breakouts.

Sweat and moisture collect in and around the headphones, compressing the skin and promoting the growth of bacteria and yeast, causing breakouts. Proper cleaning and keeping antibacterial wipes handy can help prevent acne from headphones. Just make sure you research how to clean your headphones, because some wipes can damage the ear coverings.

Can you wear headphones with wet hair?

Headphones are electronic devices. Therefore, wet hair can function as a perfect conductor in the event of a short circuit, surge, or poor wiring. Moreover, damp hair damages the material of the headband and ear pads.

Stop using headphones during or after a shower to prevent damage to their materials. Remember using over-ear with wet hair can give you an electric shock, quite literally.

How to get rid of the oily smell on headphone ear pads?

To get rid of the oily smell on headphone ear pads, there are a few things to do from time to time:

1. Clean your over-ears daily. Take some isopropyl alcohol and wet a cotton swab with it. Give your headphones a good wipe to clean off the dirt.

2. Have a deep clean session once every two weeks. For this, you will first remove the ear pads and soak them in lukewarm soaped water. Press out the water and finally leave it to dry for a bit of time.

Be careful with the ear pads. Avoid being excessively harsh on them, and do not forget them in the water, as it could damage the material. Do this if you want to ensure that you get all the dust and hair out; this will prolong the life of your headphone earpads too.

3. Use silica gel packets. Silica sachets soak up any moisture in the surrounding air, so putting silica packets on your pads will keep them fresh, and your circuits protected.


Do you have long hair too? Tell me what methods you use to listen to music without messing your hair up in the comments below.

About the Author

how to wear headphones with long hair

Rach Wellard

Rach Wellard is the driving force behind Sound & Solitude. Her mission is to help you discover the profound impact of sound in your daily life and to explore the beauty of solitude. With a deep passion for the connection between soundscapes and emotions, she brings a unique blend of expertise and personal dedication to our platform.

Rach understands that every individual's auditory journey is unique, and she’s here to guide you every step of the way. As a devoted audiophile, Rach’s discerning ear carefully selects the most exceptional products that align with your desires for Sound or Solitude. In a world filled with noise and chaos, Sound & Solitude serves as your sanctuary.

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