What do you wear under your motorcycle helmet?

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Whether you have your own motorcycle helmet, or you share it among others, it is very important for you to wear your own head gear. Many people do not really know the importance of this garment, known as balaclava, or even if they do, they tend to ignore it.

You must wear a balaclava under your motorcycle helmet. A balaclava is a fitted garment that covers your entire head and neck region, with some parts of face (such as your eyes and/ or nose and mouth) remaining uncovered. A balaclava is known by many names around the world, including balaclava helmet, bally (in the UK), or even a ski mask (in the USA).

Reasons to wear a balaclava under your helmet

There are many reasons to wear a balaclava, and ideally your own balaclava. Many riders or motorcyclists are part of a group where they share each other’s motorcycles and helmets. Even if you are one of them, you can share the helmet by wearing your own balaclava. It gives you the flexibility to share but putting on your own balaclava is very important for you for hygiene purpose.

balaclava under helmet

Since there are many bikers who have their own motorcycles and the hygiene factor is not an issue for them, it is still very important to invest in your own piece of headgear. Balaclava provides you with the comfort and ease to enjoy your motorcycling experience without worrying about certain external factors. Some of the important reasons to wear a balaclava are:

1. Helmet Padding for Lifetime

Although most of the helmets you purchase now have removable and washable helmet pads, but that does not mean it is convenient to do so every time you finish off your ride. When you wear a helmet, you exhale inside it and your breath and sweat gets absorbed in the helmet padding. Not only that, if you apply hair products such as hair oil, sprays, gels, and mousse, etc., these hair products would be absorbed in the helmet pads. After a certain time, your helmet would become a breeding ground for germs, exhibit a bad smell, and cause rashes.

Washing and drying your helmet padding (which could be with the helmet in many instances where the padding is not removable) every week may not be too doable – what you can do is to put on a balaclava and enjoy your motorcycle ride as much as you want. All you have to do is to put your balaclava in the laundry with the rest of your clothes and you have a clean one for your next ride!

Wearing a balaclava does not only ensure the cleanliness of your helmet, it also means that your helmet padding will have a super long lifetime as there will not be any wear and tear that the helmet padding may have gone through due to constant washing.

Although most of the helmet pads are washable (and therefore removable to wash them) and can be replaced when worn down, replacing your helmet padding is not cheap. Therefore, if you wear a balaclava under your helmet, it could save you a lot in the long run – both time and money.

Best Balaclava Offers for Motorcycle Helmets

Top pick

Tough Headwear – Strike

  • Flat stitching for helmet comfort
  • Antifog meshed sections
  • winter ready

Editor’s choice

Tough Headwear – Ninja

  • Lightweight
  • Antifog meshed sections
  • 100% Polyester

Best value

Ergodyne

  • 100% Polyester
  • Hinged design
  • Full head & neck coverage that easily tucks into jacket

2. Long Hair

If you have long hair, you must have gone through the discomfort of hair whiplashing your face. Even if you tie your long hair, the strong wind forces your hair to go exactly where you do not want them to go – swirling on your face and especially in your eyes.

Your balaclava will tuck in your long hair. It is harder for your long hair to come out underneath the balaclava as compared to when you only tie them up using a hair band. Not only that, you can roll up your balaclava and make it into a hat – this will keep your long hair in control and your head warm as well.

If you are into using hair creams and gels, your balaclava protects your helmet paddings. This way, you enjoy your hair treatments without worrying about cleaning the helmet.

Whatever style of balaclava you want to wear, you can enjoy a comfortable, hair-free ride – which means no more whiplashing on your face!

3. Body Temperature

Your balaclava is an intelligent piece of clothing that has both warming as well as fast cooling effects. If you enjoy exploring the world on two wheels, chances are you often encounter climates that are harsher than what you would like them to be. If you have been sweating under your helmet praying for some proper ventilation mechanism or riding during below zero temperatures on cold winter nights – you know exactly how it feels like.

balaclava

You need a constant (or at least close to that) body temperature. If it gets too hot, wearing your balaclava under your helmet would be great means to absorb extra sweat and dry off quickly without worrying about moisture, odor, and rashes. Balaclava is especially made from breathable material keeping in mind your exposure to sun, sweat, and humidity.

When the weather gets chilly, the last thing you want is to feel those chills inside your bones. The balaclava protects your forehead, back and front of the neck region, head and ears, keeping them warm and cozy. You can wear your balaclava in different ways covering up your nose and cheeks as well – it all depends upon your preference of comfort and style. This keeps your head warm and protected as riding your motorcycle amidst sharp cold winds is not too comfortable, is it?

Conclusion and final thoughts πŸ’­

Balaclava is not just any clothed motorcycle gear – it is a vital one that you need to get no matter what the climate that you live in is. Many female riders prefer wearing a balaclava because it prevents the helmet padding from getting makeup stains. It keeps your medium to long hair tucked in (and is especially useful if you have your hair cut in layers) providing you with a super comfortable ride.

During hot days, your balaclava keeps your head sweat-free, itch-free, and cool, and during the extremely cold winter nights of mountain biking, your balaclava protects you from the evil chilly winds. It can be easily washed in your washing-machine along with the other laundry. You do not have to wash your helmet padding or the helmet after every sweaty trip.

The versatility of this piece of clothing is undeniable. You can wear it in different ways exposing your eyes, mouth, and nose, or covering your mouth, cheeks, and nose. Not only that, balaclava is available in different styles that you can roll down to make a folded collar around your neck or roll it up to make a cozy hat. No matter what style and reason you have, always wear a balaclava underneath your motorcycle helmet, and then enjoy the ride!

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