I already own quite a few skull caps and headbands, but it seems there’s always something different out there. One of those things is the CrownWear Ultimate Head Liner.

It looks like a regular skull cap, but it’s supposed to serve two purposes. Not just to keep sweat out of your eyes, but also to keep your hats and helmets clean.

How does that work? Well, the inner layer (“comfort layer”) is made of silk so it’s comfortable on your head, and the outer layer (“filtration layer”) is tightly woven cotton. Apparently, sweat, oil, and dirt are trapped between the layers, meaning they can’t ruin your hat or helmet.

This sounds like a great idea if you’re wearing a fancy, commemorative, collector’s edition, one of a kind baseball cap. But if you’re wearing a cycling helmet, who cares?

Honestly, I don’t care if my helmet gets sweaty. It’s bound to get sweaty, muddy, faded from the sun, and possibly cracked, no matter what I’m wearing underneath it. And the helmet’s lifespan isn’t all that long anyway.

I just want to keep sweat out of my eyes! So, with that mindset, here is my review…

First, the cap looks great. It has a nice, understated look – less flashy than most cycling apparel. The embroidered logo is a nice touch, too.

You can really tell it is a well-made, quality product. I’ve only had it 3-4 weeks, but it is made in the USA, and all you have to do is look at the seams and stitching to see how solid it is. Everything is tight and perfectly joined together – I could probably wear it for a year without so much as a thread coming loose.

That’s a good thing, because price-wise, at $23, it is the most expensive skull cap I have.

This CrownWear is also comfortable. The silk is really soft against your head, and I couldn’t feel any seams pressed against my head. It’s probably slightly more comfortable than my other skull caps, although my other caps are not uncomfortable by any means.

The cap is also rather thick. It is definitely thicker than my SweatVac; it’s more similar to my Nashbar cold weather skull cap, actually.

The thickness worries me, because it blocks the refreshing air flow through my helmet vents. I like that air flow, which is why I normally stick with headbands or thin Coolmax skull caps. With the CrownWear, I just didn’t feel any cool air hitting my scalp.

On the flip side, a thicker skull cap usually holds onto more sweat before getting saturated (and thus letting sweat drip into your eyes.)

In all my testing, I was unable to get the cap soaked with enough sweat that it would become saturated and let sweat drip into my eyes!

I tested this a few times when out running, riding, and lawn mowing. Not one time did I actually sweat enough to get the cap saturated with sweat. The cap always soaked up my sweat, and not a drop ended up on my sunglasses.

I was getting annoyed at this, because I was testing in August, and the temps were rather cool (unlike July which was ridiculously hot!) We’re talking 75 degrees in the afternoon! So I wasn’t sweating as much as I would have liked.

Then September gets here and temps hit 87 degrees! Not wanting to risk my last hot testing day, I soaked the head liner in the sink pre-ride. This way, it was already saturated. I went out and did some hill intervals for an hour, and you know what? I didn’t notice a single drop of sweat running down my face!

After the ride, my body was absolutely covered in sweat! It was like I just stepped out of a swimming pool. Yet, this CrownWear Ultimate Head Liner was holding onto every last drop of forehead sweat!

So the cotton might not dry out that fast, and it doesn’t allow for air flow, but it definitely holds onto sweat!

My final verdict is…

In the end, the CrownWear Ultimate Head Liner is a well-made product that did a spectacular job of keeping sweat out of my eyes. However, I still prefer the thin Coolmax skull caps when it comes to cycling. They keep sweat out of my eyes and let air flow onto my head, so I can’t see a reason to use something different.

I’ll probably save this for running.

Official website: www.CrownWear.com

The skull cap has always been a part of my summer wardrobe, but for winter riding, I typically stuck with balaclavas. But balaclavas are best for bitter cold and can be overkill at say, 35-45 degrees F.

So I’d wear my fleece ear band on these cool days, but that left my scalp exposed! I could couple the fleece ear band with a mesh skull cap, but that was not very comfortable, nor very warm.

So I purchased a Nashbar polypro skull cap designed for these cold days. It was on sale for $9 over the summer, so that’s a pretty sweet deal, especially when you consider my Coolmax skull caps were $12-15 each.

The cap is very thin, so it fits easily under my helmet. It seems nearly as thin as my SweatVac cap, and it’s probably ten times thinner than a regular fleece winter cap. I think it’s even thinner than the Nashbar polypro ear band I have!

But despite that, it’s warm. It covers my head and pulls down to cover my ears completely, which is the best part. No wind on my scalp and no frozen ears!

It’s not the best when it comes to comfort, but it’s comfy enough. This has a thin fleece-like layer next to your skin, and then a waterproof-like layer on the outside. Obviously this is not as comfy as a thick, soft fleece beanie, but it’s a trade off – those are thick and wouldn’t fit under a helmet.

My biggest complaint is that the ends kind of dig into the bottoms of my ears and the sides of my face. That’s annoying, but you forget about it after a few minutes.

It might take a ride or two to get used to wearing a tight cap, but you’ll get used to it. And I have to pull it tight to get it to stay down over my ears, but once my helmet is on, it holds the cap in place.

That about wraps it up, but one last thing I want to point out is a possible danger of this type of cap. Even when properly tightened, the slippery outer fabric allows my helmet to slide around my head when bumped ever so slightly. This doesn’t deter me from wearing it, since the same thing happens with most other winter head coverings, but it’s something I thought I should point out.

My final verdict is…

Skull caps are great for winter riding, and this one is pretty good (best when on sale for $9.) I’ve been wearing it during the Fall/Winter season of 2008 and plan to keep wearing it through the Spring of 2009.

I think this one is great because it’s cheap, and I only need it for a few months out of the year. If I needed it more often, I might buy something more expensive, but this one is good enough for me!

Official website: www.Nashbar.com

It’s summer. The days are hot. And you sweat. The sweat drips into your eyes. It stings your eyes and smears on your glasses, impairing your vision.

Standard helmet pads just aren’t enough to soak up all the sweat. And you can’t stop sweating. But you can keep the sweat out of your eyes!

Here are eight different ideas I have tried out to keep my sweat at bay:

1. Cotton Bandana

I wore those good old fashioned cotton bandanas (a.k.a handkerchief, do-rag, etc.) when I was a kid because I thought they were cool. Being cotton, I never wear them while riding, although I see some people who do.

The bandana soaks up sweat, but the cotton doesn’t do a good job of wicking the sweat away from your skin so it can evaporate. It is also a bit too thick, making it get very warm, and that thickness might interfere with your helmet’s fit.

Pros: Cheap; easy to find.

Cons: Bulky; warm; cotton is not a performance fabric.

2. Wicking Do-rag

A wicking do-rag is just like the old-fashioned bandana, but it’s made with a wicking material such as Coolmax so it actually works for cyclists. It is a lot like a skull cap, just with extra material hanging out the back.

It can still be a bit too bulky, although the extra surface area allows it to absorb more sweat and spread it out for easier evaporation.

Pros: Wicking material; more surface area for sweat evaporation.

Cons: Could be too much material.

3. Coolmax Headband

I used to wear a terry cloth headband while playing basketball, to keep the sweat out of my eyes. I always liked it, so I started wearing mesh headbands while cycling. They work well and are thin enough to fit under my helmet (unlike terry cloth headbands.)

They are very lightweight and don’t take up much space, and they cost around $3. The Coolmax material, while there isn’t much there, will still soak up your sweat before it hits your eyes.

Just be sure to get the ones that tie in the back though. Ones that just slide onto your head will usually get pushed out of place when you put your helmet on.

Problem is, on very hot days, eventually the headband does get saturated with sweat faster than it can evaporate, so some sweat might still drip down.

Pros: Cheap; lightweight; no ventilation issues; Coolmax fabric is great; easily fits under helmet.

Cons: Eventually it will get saturated with sweat, rendering it useless.

4. Skull cap

The skull cap is a cross between the old cotton bandanna and the Coolmax mesh headbands for cycling. Most of these thin caps are made of a Coolmax-type mesh material that is great for wicking sweat away.

Having more material than the headband, it takes much longer for it to get saturated. Your sweat soaks upward toward the top of the cap while the bottom end on your forehead soaks up new sweat.

Problem is, covering your entire head can restrict airflow to your scalp. That’s not great on super hot days. You also have to find a skull cap with the right fit. Some come down over the tops of your ears, which I don’t like (that’s a bit too warm for me.) Although it keeps the sun off your ears, so that’s a good thing.

However, it all depends on the particular cap. Brands will vary – for example, Headsweats and SweatVac caps are quite different.

Pros: Great sweat absorption.

Cons: Can’t feel air on your scalp; can be too warm.

5. Halo Headband

The Halo is like a regular headband with something extra – it has an inner channel that redirects sweat away from your eyes.

It is comfortable because it is still fairly soft, small, and thin, but you don’t have to worry about it getting too saturated with sweat. That’s because instead of just absorbing sweat, Halo’s sweat channel redirects sweat from your forehead to the sides of your head, so it doesn’t end up in your eyes.

Pros: Comfortable; redirects sweat away from eyes.

Cons: More expensive.

6. Sweat Gutr

The Sweat Gutr is interesting – it’s a plastic headband. It doesn’t absorb sweat; rather, it acts as a “gutter” to collect sweat and channel it to the sides of your head. That way, the sweat runs down the sides of your head instead of into your eyes.

The concept works, but you might have to play with the fitting system a little bit to make sure it fits comfortably. It’s very low-profile and will sit just about your eyebrows, so it’s not actually under your helmet.

Pros: Cool design; concept works.

Cons: Expensive; not exactly soft.

7. Vaseline

If you hate the idea of getting a cap or headband, try this – you can wipe a little streak of Vaseline across your forehead, right about your eyebrows. It will be like a unibrow.

When done correctly, your sweat runs along that and down the side of your face. It is a lot like a single-use Sweat Gutr.

Just don’t take your glove and wipe off your forehead. There goes your headband!

Pros: Cheap; easy to find; convenience of a “single use” product.

Cons: Wipes off easily; can be messy.

8. Towel

As seen in the very first picture, you could wrap a towel around your neck and use that to wipe sweat off your face. This method works, but it’s really only feasible while riding your trainer. (You don’t want to drop the towel into a spinning front wheel…)

Pros: Lots of absorbency; you probably own a towel already.

Cons: Doesn’t work while riding outside; dangerous.

My final verdict is…

In the end, I’m a big fan of the SweatVac Ventilator cap. It soaks up a lot of sweat but doesn’t make me overheat, so if I had to choose just one option, that would be it.

Want something a little different? Opt for the Halo or Sweat Gutr. They both work, but your choice depends on personal preference.

But no matter what your favorite product is, I think we can all agree that sweat dripping into our eyes sucks!

Tip: Whatever you get, make sure the edge of the headband, cap, etc. is pulled down almost to your eyebrows. That way it collects all your forehead sweat.

Photo credit: alex_lee2001

I absolutely hate sweat running down into my eyes. First, it stings. Second, it destroys my contacts. Third, it creates nasty streaks on my sunglasses which impair my vision.

So I have purchased multiple headbands and skull caps to conquer this problem, and one of my favorites is the SweatVac Ventilator cap.

At first I didn’t see the need for the SweatVac cap, since I already had plenty of headgear, but once I got a white helmet, I figured I should have a white skull cap to match! Since the SweatVac Ventilator Cap looked really cool, and was on sale for $15, I grabbed one.

And it was even better than expected…

Technology and Construction – The first thing I noticed about this skull cap was the advanced construction. Instead of a single layer of Coolmax, SweatVac uses multi-layer technology, so there are basically two layers (TRANSPOR dry layer and DriSmart Performance Fabric) to this cap. The inner layer channels moisture away from the skin to the wicking outer layer where it evaporates.

It’s kind of like having an extra sweatband built inside the cap.

Fit and Comfort – As soon as I placed this cap on my head, I knew it was the one for me! It slid down nicely; I could pull the cap down snug and it would sit just above my ears!

The Ventilator cap feels great, even under a helmet. It seems to have a better fit than other skullcaps I’ve used (perhaps it’s a bit more round.)

Performance – The layering system mentioned earlier is nice because it keeps your skin dry and comfortable even though you are still sweating. You keep sweating, it keeps transporting that sweat away.

The nice thing with skull caps is that they take longer to saturate with sweat than a headband, although at some point most of them will get saturated and start to drip a little. (So even if it’s 95 degrees, it can be more comfortable to cover your whole head.)

But the SweatVac Ventilator blows away the competition. I have only used it for one season, but on no occasion has it let me down. It just keeps wicking the sweat and evaporating it.

Having the more open mesh (the black layer) on top is great, too. It allows more air to hit your scalp, making good use of your helmet’s air vents.

Durability – I have used this cap for about three months now, and so far there has not been a single durability issue.

My final verdict is…

The SweatVac Ventilator cap gets a very high recommendation from me. It beats out my Headsweats coolmax skull cap and is certainly my favorite piece of summer headgear.

If you are thinking about getting a skull cap or headband, this is a wonderful choice.

Official website: sweatvac.com

Buy online: www.nashbar.com (about $15)

As soon as I started riding seriously, one of the first cycling specific pieces of gear I purchased was this Headsweats coolmax skull cap. That’s because I quickly realized how much sweat pours down my face, which sucks, so I had to do something about it.

I had cotton bandanas, but cotton doesn’t work so well at wicking sweat and keeping you cool. And I had terry cloth headbands, which don’t fit under helmets. Hence the reason I favored a thin cap made with Coolmax, which helps to wick sweat away from your skin for easy evaporation, keeping you cool and dry.

I have actually had this same skull cap for about seven years now, so it’s about time for a review…

Material: This skull cap is 100% Coolmax. It is made with four panels of all the same material, which is nice and simple. That’s a good thing though because you don’t need to mess with Coolmax to make it work better – it’s very good as is.

Fit: Despite being a “one size fits all” skullcap, it fit me pretty well. It is a bit big though, so the ends come down about halfway over my ears. That’s good on cooler days that might freeze the tips of your ears, and it’s good to keep your ears from getting sunburnt.

However, sometimes I prefer not to have my ears covered at all. In that case I have to fold the ends up, which is a bit of a hassle.

Comfort: When pulled down snug, this is certainly comfortable. Even with my helmet pressing it against my head, it feels fine. I have worn this in temps ranging from 40 to 100 degrees F, and while it can be a tad warm in hot weather, it’s still more comfortable than sweat in my eyes! I prefer it for cooler days though.

The problem with hot days is that you don’t feel the air hitting your scalp as you would if you just wore a headband.

Durability: I have used this countless times over the past seven years. A few threads have started to come loose from rubbing on my helmet, and the color isn’t quite as bright anymore, but that is it. The durability on this thing is superb – I expect to get many more years out of it!

It still smells nice, too.

My final verdict is…

This Headsweats skull cap is good, and it has been working well for me for years, but it’s not the best one out there. It certainly keeps sweat out of my eyes and doesn’t make me too warm, so there’s nothing wrong with it, but I just prefer the SweatVac Ventilator cap that costs a few dollars more.

However… if you want something that will come down over the tips of your ears, or if you have a large head, then this could be the one for you.

Official website: www.headsweats.com

Buy online: www.performancebike.com (about $13)