Let’s talk about hair! Hair Accessories, really.
I’ve been watching the Olympics nonstop this week and one thing I keep noticing is that being a female athlete means making some sort of decision about your hair – letting it grow long, keeping it short, or shaving it off. While it’s a tiny percentage of women who choose to shave their heads, some do and even they have to select a hair accessory to deal with their hair, or lack of hair, in competition. To prevent sun burning a shaved head a cap must be worn. If you choose to cut your hair short, you’ll still need some sort of headband to keep bangs out of your eyes. If you have long hair, you need to figure out how to balance keeping your hair out of your face with sun protection. There’s so much to consider it can feel overwhelming, but I’m here to help. Let’s start sorting through hair accessories!
Caps are a great start to the hair accessory conversation, because they offer the most coverage. It is currently estimated that 1 in 5 Americans will get skin cancer in their lifetime and, up to age 50, melanoma rates are higher in women than men. So fashion is no joking matter here! You must find the right cap to provide sun protection.
There are so many brands out there, but the ones I want to show you right now have designed caps specifically for women tennis players: adidas, ASICS, Nike, and Wilson. All of these caps provide sun protection merely by covering your head, but they also each have something special to offer. The ASICS Mad Dash Cap for Women features a dark underbill to reduce glare and side mesh panels that allow the head to breathe and release sweat. The adjustable reflective strap creates a perfect fit for every woman. Bonus? This cap is actually on sale at Tennis Express! 
The Wilson Women’s Rush Knit Tennis Cap is shaped a little different than most caps, offering a unique, personalized fit with its round top and adjustable back closure. Mesh panels are strategically placed for perfect airflow.
The Nike Women’s Featherlight Tennis Cap has the advantage of Dri-FIT technology as well as mesh panels along top seams. The Velcro closure creates a close, comfortable fit you can adjust to fit any hair style. Finally, my favorite cap hair accessory, the adidas Women’s Adizero II Tennis Cap. This boasts ClimaCool technology, UPF protection, and a non-glare undervisor to create the perfect competition cap!
Next up in hair accessories: Visors!
While all visors are similar, they are certainly not identical. Let’s look at Head, adidas, and Nike visors to compare. The Head Women’s Pro Player Tennis Visor is a really wonderful lightweight option with UV protection, mesh panels, and a Velcro closure. I especially like this option in the summer as it doesn’t add extra weight to your already sweaty hair.
The adidas Women’s Adizero II Tennis Visor features a ClimaCool sweatband, non-glare undervisor, and UPF 50 which all work to keep you fresh, dry, focused, and protected on the court. The hook and loop closure creates a tight, adjustable fit.
My favorite visor is undoubtedly the Nike Women’s Featherlight Tennis Visor. 
I have a small head and fine hair and what I don’t like about caps and visors is that they usually come in one size fits all (too big for me) and their closures catch and pull out my hair. Ouch! Well, that’s all done now because this visor fits closely with a stretchy sweatband that actually stays in place during play. Nike’s unique Dri-FIT technology and patented comfort bill design work together to create the perfect visor hair accessory!
The final hair accessory is the most minimal, but it can make a big difference in keeping hair out of your face: the headband. For today I’m going to leave out sweatband style headbands, because that’s a whole different accessory. What I like best about headbands is that they fit comfortably with sunglasses.
There are many, many different kids of headbands that all serve different hair accessory purposes. First up is the tie-back headband. Normally I’d say to avoid these because you don’t want them pulling your hair, but the Nike Tennis Headband is designed with a cotton base layer to absorb sweat and sit comfortably against your head. 
The next type of headband hair accessory is the wide, scrunch-back headband. The adidas ClimaCool Tennis Headband is a great way to keep your hair out of the way with technologically advanced fabric. The scrunched elastic back is super comfortable and stays in place without a sticky grip.
The most commonly seen headband on the court is the wide look, covering up the hairline to absorb sweat and keep back those flyaways! The adidas Performer Headband offers a soft fit with a mesh lining, providing extra breathability. 
The ASICS Reversible Set Headband uses PR Dry technology for moisture management. I love this hair accessory because it provides options with reversibility: a chic sequin-inspired print or classic black. It also has matching wristbands, if you want to create a complete, coordinated look.
Finally, the thin multi-pack headband is essential to any female athlete’s wardrobe as each pack includes multiple colors and designs to go with any training or competition outfit. The adidas Fighter Tennis Hairband 6 Pack comes with a variety of bright prints and solids and each band includes a silicone grip for perfect, all day fit. 
The Under Armour Women’s Mini Headbands also come in a pack of 6 with two of each color.
No matter what you decide to do with your hair, Tennis Express and TennisExpress.com have plenty of options in hair accessories to make sure you’re comfortable and distraction-free on the court. Whether it’s a cap, visor, or headband, if you buy a hair accessory today we will ship it today…so Happy Shopping!
