Wrong Ways to Use a Magic Headscarf in Summer Outdoor Activities

Starting about a dozen years ago, a lightweight and easy-to-carry magic headscarf became popular in the outdoor activities and sporting goods world, widely favored by many outdoor enthusiasts.

The author is also a headscarf lover, considering it essential for outdoor hiking and overseas travel — a small one tossed in a backpack or tied to a strap can be quickly pulled out to filter sand and dust, and can also block sweat and UV rays, making activities more comfortable.

Magic Headscarf Diagram

However, there is actually a small misconception in its use: some people equate the magic headscarf with a handkerchief, which is not entirely correct.

The biggest benefit of a magic headscarf is that it can help you shade from the sun, keep your hair clean and neat, and prevent sweat from dripping into your eyes. Besides the various fancy ways of tying it on the head, it can also be tied on the wrist to wipe sweat when you perspire, without being scolded by your mother like when you always wiped your mouth with your sleeve as a child — but this creates a problem.

Magic headscarves emphasize being thin, elastic, and quick-drying, and the material itself actually has very poor water absorption. After a hiking trip, the amount of water you can wring out is just a few drops. So rather than wiping sweat, it’s more like just smearing the sweat around on your face.

Moreover, although the magic headscarf looks soft, it is still a chemical fiber material (for example, the classic Spanish Buff magic headscarf uses 3M’s Coolmax cotton-blend yarn). When you rub this abrasive cloth back and forth on your face, for people with delicate skin it is almost like being scraped by sandpaper, and after a several-hour activity it may well make the skin rough or even cause a mild inflammatory reaction.

On the other hand, the ordinary handkerchief that mothers and teachers have repeatedly told us to carry since childhood, because it is a cotton material with high water absorption, feels more naturally comfortable when used to wipe sweat (or rather, absorb sweat).

Finally, a reminder: the author is not trying to deny the usefulness of the magic headscarf. It can indeed effectively reduce the effects of hair, sweat, flying sand and stones, and the blazing sun during exercise, can also make it harder for sweat to flow into your eyes, and its fancy and diverse designs even look quite beautiful.

The author himself once, while traveling in a Southern Hemisphere country, had a discontinued headscarf disappear at a youth hostel, and has been thinking about it ever since.

The author’s advice is to carry two at a time when going out for summer activities: one magic headscarf and one ordinary towel or square cloth. Use the magic headscarf during exercise, then use the towel (square cloth) to dry off sweat, and you will absolutely feel a completely different sense of freshness.