Helmets for Girls? – Helmet Myths Article

Helmet Myths: The facts about motorcycle helmet fiction

A series of articles from She Rides® dealing with motorcycle helmet myths

Helmets for Girls?

We hear it all the time in the store, “Do you have motorcycle helmets for girls?”. The majority of the time, the person is looking for a pink helmet or a helmet with flowers or butterflies. But more and more, we are finding people that believe a standard motorcycle helmet will not work for a woman and motorcycle helmet manufacturers are taking advantage of this. We have seen several manufacturers that are making helmets and marketing them as designed for women (and selling them at inflated prices). These helmets typically are available only in smaller sizes and are designed to be lighter (sometimes this means less cushion for your head during impact).

There are two physical things that determine the helmet you should wear: your head’s shape and it’s size. Granted the majority of women’s heads are smaller when compared to most men’s heads but both men’s and women’s heads come in the same shapes. There are several different head shapes and these differing shapes are why some helmets give you headaches on long rides and others feel loose on the sides but fit snug on the front and back of your head. Most manufacturers make their helmets to fit the most common or “neutral” head shape (85% of people have this head shape or something close to it) which makes it easy for most people to find a proper fitting helmet. Unfortunately, the remaining 15% aren’t as lucky.

To find a proper fit in a motorcycle helmet, you must be patient and try on many different helmets from several different manufacturers. Leave each helmet on for 10-15 minutes to check for pressure points. You may have to search for a while but you will eventually find a helmet that fits you comfortably and securely. Depending on what kind of helmet you are looking for, in our opinion, Arai has the largest variety of helmets made for different head shapes and they have a great reputation for safety and service.

For many women (and some men), the design/color on the helmet is all that matters. Pink, flowers, hearts, butterflies, these may all be pretty but remember, a helmet is used to protect your head from damage in a crash. Pick a helmet that fits properly and then pick a color/design. Or better yet, once you find a helmet that fits properly, buy a helmet in a plain color, take it to an airbrush artist and have them put a design of your choosing on it. Be creative!

To answer the question above, yes, there are helmets for girls! You don’t have to wear someone else’s spare helmet. Go out there and find your own comfortable, properly fitting helmet. And if you can’t find a really pretty one, don’t worry about it, there is an airbrush artist out there willing to make your helmet a very special one of a kind!

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