Disproportionately, its victims are women, but men do succumb to its scourges.
It affects only a small segment of the population, but its affects can be severe.
Sufferers feel compelled to flee cameras. They may seek shelter under ill-fitting and unfortunate scarves or hats.
It scares women and small children. Frightens friends and families. Consigns the afflicted to an endless succession of dateless Friday nights.
There is no known cure. Prevention is complete amputation. Baldness, a tell-tale sign of a former bout, is an unavoidable side-effect to condition-avoidance.
What is this terrible disease?
If you ride a motorcycle, I bet you already know…
The dreaded Helmet Hair!
It can come in many forms:
The plastered to the side of the head look or the soggy Benji dog with tufts sticking out at weird angles style.
Then there is the Super Sic. Modeled after MotoGP racer Marco Simoncelli, this strain of helmet hair leaves your coif flat on top with a frayed rat’s nest rolled around the nape of the neck.
Those with shorter hair, upon which the inside grooves of the helmet act as a mould, may find themselves tormented by the Three-parts-to-Tuesday and the closely related Dueling-Mini-Mohawks.
The only escape is to shave the head bald. Which, for individuals not looking to play the part of Mr. Clean, particularly a female Mr. Clean, this is no option at all.
So what to do? You can run, you can ride, but you cannot hide.
Unless you hide your hair?
Understandably, not everyone is anxious to don a doo-rag with skulls or flames emblazoned on the fabric. Bandannas tend to make wearers look like a cross between Capt’n Jack and Aunt Jemimah. Cowboy hats are difficult to transport on the motorcycle when it has been swapped for a helmet.
But there is a solution: Baseball caps!
And not just any baseball cap.
But the sort of caps that you would wear even when your 'do hasn't been brutally squashed and twisted beyond recognition.
The sort of cap that would command cool anytime and anywhere:
The Steve McQueen Legends Cap:
Or the more modern Triumph Urban Sport Cap:
For the racing fan, there is Ducati's D46 cap, celebrating the year's biggest homecoming: Valentino Rossi's decision to return to Italy and ride the Ducati Desmosedici:
Caps for the Ducatisti include:
The Ducati Logo Cap:
The Puma Logo 80s Cap:
And if you have run out of room for yet more carbon fiber on your motorcycle, you can always plunk it on your own head with the Ducati Corse Carbon Cap:
And because Ducati never does anything halfway, you can click here for several more great caps to hide that helmet hair!
The Puma GP11 Cap is one of my personal favorites... even if I mostly stick with Triumph.
(Ride Ducati; Wear Triumph! Or preparation for my future Triumph moto?)
Cheers!