You need a hairband to keep your hair from getting wet when washing your face in the morning. You may also need it to keep the sweat away from your eyes when doing sports.

But are you aware that hairbands are so much more than a practical accessory? In 2015, they are a big fashion statement. One designer is even quoted as saying that hairbands send the bold message that states something like this: Look at us, our hair-do is fresh, modern and messy!

Fresh?! Modern?!

Historical perspective

In truth, hairbands, also known as hair bands, headbands and head bands, have been around for about two or three thousands of years. In all that time, they never completely went out of style. And every now and then they get revived as the current in thing.

Here are some of the most notable hairband looks sported through ages:

Egyptians, Greeks and Roman, women and men, loved their hairbands. Sometimes they wore them as a simple band tied around the forehead, sometimes as a complex network of ribbons weaving under and over the curls.

Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar sported a headband made from laurels in recognition for his military conquests. The same laurel wreath on the head of the Florentine medieval poet Dante Alighieri singles him out as a poet laureate.

A thin string worn low on the forehead was very popular in the 15th century.

It is called ferronnière after the painting La belle ferronnière, which may or may not have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

If you look closely, you will see that Mona Lisa (undoubtedly painted by Leonardo da Vinci) is also wearing a ferronnière.

Iconic hairbands

• Alice band is probably the most famous hairband ever. It is named after the main character from Lewis Carroll’s books Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass Alice who is often depicted wearing a hairband.
• Some may call it cheap chick, but the wide dark hairband that Brigitte Bardot used to display atop her blond locks is the look many try to replicate even today.
• The wide red headband that Christopher Walken tied around his forehead in the film The Deer Hunter for the purposes of playing Russian roulette contributes greatly to the spine-chilling effect.
• It has been said of the tennis player Bjorn Borg that “it’s quite possible that no human being has ever looked better in a headband”. Borg played good tennis too.
• As for the hairband that Jimi Hendrix sported… The words can not describe its mesmerising effect on the fans.
• Then there is the hairband from the film Reflections in a Golden Eye that faithfully remains on the head of Elizabeth Taylor even as she scornfully throws her brassiere at dumb-stricken Marlon Brando.

Celebrities with hairbands

Here is a gallery of hairbands spotted on celebrities these days:

Whether you opt for a flexible horse-shoe shaped hairband, or an elastic loop, wide or narrow, make sure that your hairband sits comfortably on your head. Too big, and it will slide off; too small, and it will hurt your scalp.

When you search for your ideal hairband on bidorbuy, I recommend you make at least three searches: for hair bands, head bands and Alice bands. Just to make double-sure, repeat the searches with the words spelt together: hairbands, headbands and Alicebands. You will find some lovely surprises. Have fun!