Coffee Break – Wide Double Headband

65 Comments

1. I never wear them with my hair down — it just doesn’t work with my hair length and the way it wants to fall naturally. That look seems more preppy / young and / or Hillary to me anyway, Gossip Girl resurgenge notwithstanding.

   Love wearing them with a low pony, though – simple way to keep my front layers neat and add a little polish. My favorite are the simple thin plastic ones that JCrew keeps in-store — black, tortoiseshell, and the like. I may be biased though, as they are one of the few styles that doesn’t pinch my head!

   1. Ooooh – they don’t pinch your head? I will have to try these!
      I LOVE headbands, but get terrible migraines if I wear them all day. The ends of them hit at a point behind my ears that proves tortuous! any suggestions on additional brands that do not do this would be much appreciated!

      1. Yes! I could hardly believe it myself. It’s only one specific style, though, and I’ve never been able to find it online – basic plastic, about pinkie-width or slightly thinner, and a simple horseshoe shape (it doesn’t try to do anything fancy at the ends with bending, balls, etc). This is the wider version of what I’m talking about: http://bit.ly/lakWlC (note – NOT recommended!)

         It has two small combs glued to the inside to help it stay in place. Hope it works for you!

      2. My head always hurts when I wear headbands too, BUT I combat this problem by taking my headband off when I’m in my office and with the door partially shut (b/c no one sees me anyways) and then whenever I venture out in public or out of my office I put the headband back on. :) Of course I guess this wouldn’t work for people in cubicles or more public spaces.

         1. This! I have one Goody headband that I love that doesn’t give me a headache. I can’t find it anywhere else in other colors and it’s nowhere online!

2. I like them, they tend to flatter my face, but how do you wear them with glasses??? Or maybe the answer is “you can’t.” *frownie face!*

   1. I wear my France Luxe comfort headband with glasses – I think the Coffee Break one is too much headband to wear with glasses, but the skinny, hair-colored ones seem ok to me. It’s not THE most fashionable look, but it’s good enough.

      1. Thanks. Looking at them now!

   2. I wear glasses every day and used to regularly wear all sorts of headbands. I didn’t think it looked odd. I haven’t worn them recently because they seemed really popular for awhile and then sort of disappeared again.

      1. How do you align the headband with your glasses? I can never figure this out.

   3. I wear headbands often with glasses. The trick is that the color of the headband must be very close to the color of the eyeglass frames or else it will look quite awkward. I am currently wearing black-framed eyeglasses, and I only wear black headbands. It looks quite chic.

3. Can anyone recommend a great place to get my eyebrows shaped in Philadelphia? Name of a specific person (not just the salon) would be great. I have already been to Anju Threads and wasn’t crazy about it. I’d like to try Nives Riddles but she no longer works at Rescue Rittenhouse spa. Thanks for any recs!

   1. I go to the really mean older Russian lady at International Salon on Sansom. No idea what her name is but she’s always there. She’s can be kinda cruel with her comments (she told me that I need to touch up my roots and i thought she was going to make the woman in front of my cry talking about her bad skin last time I went.) But it’s like $11 and you can just walk in. I always ask to have my eyebrows be kept on the thicker side though as all of the women who work there have pencil thin eyebrows.

      1. When I lived in Philly, I went to her too. I always asked for a fuller brow and got what I wanted. You do have to brace yourself for unsolicited criticism, but she’s fast and good.

4. I can only look at headbands and sigh. I’ve never been able to find a headband that doesn’t make my head hurt – they all do. I can barely tolerate sunglasses on my head and I had to switch from glasses to contacts because of headaches.

   I guess they just aren’t meant to be :-(

   1. I feel your pain. I’ve got a big head – I’ll admit it. And every single headband I’ve ever had will pinch the sides of my head and end up giving me a headache – that magically disappears when I finally take the darn thing off.

      1. I was trying to avoid saying that I have a big head, but I do have a rather large one myself.

         But I also find that it has gotten worse as I have gotten older (only 27 btw). I can’t really tolerate ponytails or butterfly clips anymore either. So I have come to the conclusion that I will have very long hair that will be worn down for the foreseeable future (since it is curly and said big head would look 10X bigger with short hair). I’ll just have to live with not having an “adult” haircut ;-)

         1. I’m the same – I don’t have a particularly large hat size so I don’t think my head is that big, but anything that squeezes my hair or head in the slightest drives me berserk. I can only do very low ponytails. Forget butterfly clips or headbands!

         2. I have a massive head and can’t take things poking into it either – but I do use elasticized headbands sometimes, which seem to work and don’t aggravate me. I think Goody makes some…

            1. Doh! Should have read what Diana Barry said below first…

         3. I have a ginormous melon head myself, and have worn my curly hair both short and long. Sadly, long hair doesn’t disguise my noggin. :-(

            Any large headed women out there have good suggestions for hats? I cannot get one stinking hat to fit me, and I’d really, really like a wide brimmed hat for the summer.

   2. I agreed with you Barrister (love your handle!) until I tried the France Luxe comfort headband. It’s fantastically comfortable – http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/france-luxe-comfort-headband/2928284

      1. Haha! Thanks for the compliment. I had been trying to come up with a clever one for a while and this one finally popped in my head today.

         Thanks for the recommendation; I’m going to add the headband to the list of pretty things I will stare at and eventually purchase during a moment of weakness.

         1. Since it’s from Nordstrom, I kept the tag and receipt. If the headband ever breaks, I’m taking it right back for a new one, so it’s not that expensive in the long run… or this is what I told myself :).

   3. oops – should have read the entire string before commenting — someone has my same problem!

5. I loooooove headbands, especially the ones by Deepa Gurnani (you can find some on shopbop: http://www.shopbop.com/deepa-gurnani-accessories-hair/br/v=1/2534374302163094.htm)

6. I have a giant head and so I can only wear stretchy elastic headbands – the regular ones pop off my head and/or give me a headache in 2 minutes. I used to wear the very thin velvet/fabric ones about an inch or 2 back from the hairline a few years back when that was fashionable.

   Don’t do the wide ones, though, too Hillary/Muffy!

   1. they aren’t fasionable anymore? i live in southern california and i see them all over the place… errr, maybe just when i’m running errands and at the gym. i’ll have to pay more attention.

      1. I think the wide ones are back in, or were for a bit anyway, but like many trends . . . “if you were around for it as an adult the first time around, it may not work so well . . . “

7. Today has been fantastic for two reasons:
   On Friday evening, my blackberry completely imploded, deleting both email accounts, all my contacts, apps, photos, videos, etc. Today, the IT guy fixed it and recovered everything except a few photos!
   About a half hour later I got a call from a firm where I’ve been interviewing for about 3 months (remember the marathon job interview with 6 hours of driving to 4 offices to meet with 30 people? that was me.) I got the job! I really didn’t think I was getting it because my references hadn’t heard from them yet, but he said it was a unanimous decision and I should have a formal offer letter by tomorrow! Now, the part I hate – negotiating.
   He told me I’m at the top of the salary range, so I’m thinking I’m going to have to negotiate working out of a smaller office (closer to my house) some days, more vaca, perhaps a signing bonus, etc. Any tips?

   1. Congrats! Were you the birthday girl?

      Not much to add to your list of things to negotiate for. Does the position typically have a bonus? Perhaps you could lock in (or set a minimum for) your bonus for the first couple years?

      1. Thanks! (Yes, I was the birthday girl.)
         That’s a good idea – I’m sure there is some bonus included in the compensation structure so I’ll keep that in mind!

   2. Just want to say congrats on the job and good luck negotiating!

   3. Yay! That’s wonderful! Congrats!

   4. Congratulations! It is so impressive that it was a unanimous decision by 30 people!

8. I have one of these headbands in a different pattern but the exact same brand style and I love it. I paid the original $40 price 3 years ago and do not regret it. I’ve never worn a headband more and it looks great at work with my hair down or in a low ponytail. Plus, most headbands tend to be slightly too small for my head and pinch but this one fits just right. It has enough pressure and just enough of the comb-like points on the inside to hold back my very thick and heavy hair. Highly recommend!

9. I already look young, given that I just finished law school. So, when I start work in a few weeks, my friends have forbidden me from wearing anything with bows or any headbands- just to make sure none of the partners think I’m in high school (which was a comment made at a party last summer by a partner).

   But, I really love headbands, they’re so fun.

10. I love them. An absolute staple in my look.

    1. For the record, I’m in my early 20’s. I don’t look very young though so it doesn’t make a difference, really.

       1. I love them too!! 80% of the time when I wear my hair back, I wear a headband. I’m a huge fan of headbands with some sort of flower or embellishment on one side.

11. Unfortunately, I have a very large forehead, so headbands are out for me. I prefer to wear my hair short, so in the summer it is really not necessary for me to wear anything other than a scrunchie.

    My first boyfriend told me he wanted to palm me like a basketball when I wore a headband, and I’ve never worn one since.

    1. Huh, what an odd comment. Men are so strange.

       1. This!

       2. Men are so strange, especially the one posting as Susan.

       3. I believed it. My high school boyfriend told me “they could show a drive in movie on your forehead” when I wore a headband. He didn’t see why that was an insult. What? What’s wrong w/ a big forehead? Was his response.

    2. Oh Ellen/Alan/Elan – the scrunchie comment is a dead giveaway!

       1. I miss Ellen. Her stories about Alan and her bald boss always brought a smile to my face.

       2. Who is Ellen/Alan/Elan?!

    3. Susan, just wondering how old are you?

12. Lovely. I’m a big headband fan too — they are great for keeping my bangs out of my face.

    I am ashamed to admit that my go-to headbands are the cheapo drugstore type, because I am way too good at snapping them in half. I got sick of spending money on the expensive, pretty ones, and now I just get the cheapest possible ones that match my hair color, and I buy several at a time. Does that mean my Corporette card gets revoked?

    1. You’d have to revoke mine as well! I get the 3-packs at Dollar Tree!

       1. I bought skinny headbands from forever 21 (a pack of 5 or 6).
          They are lovely, very thin, and didn’t cause a headache.
          I am wearing a bronze one with a bun.

13. Can you get away with headbands if you have long, curly hair? I always think headbands and hats look funny on me, since my hair inevitably pokes out in multiple directions if I start trying to restrain it in any way. However, all the non-work people in my life (ie: mom, sister, friends, husband) say I look nice when I try on one of their headbands/hats. Thoughts from the curly-haired?

    1. Hats definitely, although you have to balance with the shape of your hair (if you’re wearing your hair down) – I find wide-brimmed hats that are fuller than my hair look much better.

       Headbands, at least for me, no. It looks weird – my hair’s pulled back straight and tight until the point of the headband, and then it’s curls going every which way behind the headband. I don’t like it.

       1. I’m a curly and flatiron rarely. I don’t care for the– smooth until the ponytail/headband– look. I don’t brush out my curls –I just flatten them with a tied silk scarf folded and used as a headband while I get ready and then add this headband: http://ficcare.com/Products.aspx?collId=85 . The tortoise matches my auburn hair perfectly and the space between the two pieces allows for a little volume if I want to wear my hair down and also looks chic paired with a tidy bun!

       2. Yep, I think hats are fine on top of curly hair, but headbands are definitely problematic. Though if you just place the headband on top of your head (rather than pushing it back from your forehead), it can work ok. The curls, or my curls at least, fall in such a way that there is some space between the curly pieces that the headband can fit in.

    2. Instead of placing all of the hair behind the headband, insert the head band back a couple of inches from the front, and let some of the side strands lay in front of the headband. This has the advantage of p0ulling some hair back, but also not producing the weird flat/curly problem in the comment below.

       1. *pulling

14. Any thoughts on wearing headbands with short hair like a pixie cut? Too cutesey?

    1. I have a short-ish afro. It’s between 1 and 2 inches long most of the time. So it’s kind of like a pixie cut and I wear headbands all the time.

       1. I am currently transitioning and hoping to eventually get a TWA to wear headbands

    2. I have a pixie cut (straight), and I think that headbands look very cutesy on me. I have worn clips and headbands for fun, but it’s not a serious lawyer look for work for me. I think hair texture matters. I’ve seen women with short afros like the poster above who look fabulous in them.

    3. I wore headbands all the time when I had a short, curly cut.

15. Late-in-the-day threadjack to note that there’s a great sale on at Talbots today – I got two pair of leather boots, three dresses, a couple of sweaters and a shirt for $150. Half of it is winter wear, but I’m patient. :)

16. I have long, straight, thick hair, and I dig headbands. I don’t wear them much (see pinchy bighead problems discussed above). I’m 33 so I don’t much worry about looking young. I don’t think it’s possible for me to look like a highschooler anymore, plus I’ve been at my place almost 9 years so they all know me. :)

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