I wish I had been able to see the webinar. Will there be a way to see it or a written version?
I also would love a replay or a transcript!
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We have a recorded version that will be made public once I edit out the beginning chatting etc. Likely tonight or tomorrow.
Transcript is not something I have readily available. Anyone with a stenography background is more than welcome to have a crack at it 
Also here’s the bigger news…
Next Tuesday 12/20/22… We will be having another Webinar at 7pm EST. With a representative from MIPS!!!
This is a big deal because that’s 2AM their time. But they do want to talk to us.
Registration for that event is here:
We’re altering this slightly so that you can register and be guaranteed to have confirmations for the link to Zoom.
In addition you can (and should) submit any questions that you have for the MIPS representatives here at this Google Form. (Which will also send you a confirmation email when you’re done)
I hope you’re enjoy this onslaught of helmet folks to talk to. Lots of exciting things to discuss.
Em
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It definitely was a very interesting talk! Particularly the discussion about the importance of helmet fit - leaves a lot to think about.
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I think the idea that you may not get much (if any) additional benefit from MIPs if you ride with your hair up, and the idea that helmet fit does not matter so long as your helmet stays on your head were the two ideas I was most taken aback by. It would be really interesting to see research on these topics in the future.
Re: wearing hair in a helmet, I wonder if there are other sports where athletes put their hair in their helmet? I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Obviously they have hair under a helmet, but the sports that come to mind as having their helmets studied (football, cycling, skiing) all wear long hair down and out the back of a helmet I believe.
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For sure there were a fair share of ideas that might be newer to our thought processes.
Dr. Miller has weighed in before on “hunter hair” and this is what he said then:
"A preferred hair style would be smooth and contoured to the head and thus avoid a big protrusion in the back or on top which could substantially alter the fit. Hair is pretty compliant and likely smooths out and pats down once you put the helmet on. The “fanning” and use of hair net procedures in the video seem to be a very reasonable approach that accomplishes a smooth and contoured fit. So if you wear your hair up then fit your helmet to that style; you don’t want it tight and uncomfortable.
The primary concern and most important aspect of the helmet fit is that it remains in place for that initial impact. During that initial impact you want your helmet to attenuate energy and “de-couple” from your head and thus move a little independently so it doesn’t take your head with it; even for just a millisecond. This extends the impact duration, reduces head movements, and flattens the acceleration curves which in turn reduces concussion risk.
Hair and your scalp act as a natural slip plane and thus helps de-couple your head and helmet which is a good thing. It won’t help much with the linear accelerations but certainly helps with the rotational kinematics by allowing the helmet to move more freely from your head during and impact. MIPS and other rotational technologies try to do the same thing (de-couple). It is difficult to say if any of these add any benefits over and above a full head of hair and may likely be very specific to the location and energy of a given impact. "
Video that I sent to him to explain hunter hair and what it looks like:
I also ran his response by @RAyers and his layperson definition was that Hunter Hair is more of a problem in a helmet equipped with MIPS or other Slip Plane devices. Less of a problem with helmets not equipped with MIPS.
Em
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I’ve been in need of a new helmet, but on a somewhat limited budget due to a recent divorce (ugh). I was pleasantly surprised to see that #2 on the list was very affordable (the TuffRider Carbon Fiber). Ordered one shortly after the study came out, and it was delivered today. I would say I have a fairly average-shaped head, and it fits well! On sizing, I measured my head and ordered according to the size chart (M), and it is sized appropriately. Happy to provide pictures if anyone is considering this helmet and would like a closer look at anything specific.
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It just blows my mind that for years we’ve had the “don’t put your hair up in hunter hair because it makes helmets fit poorly” now we’ve moved to “hunter hair for all!”
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I don’t think they make a helmet big enough to contain mine!
I feel like I missed a post. Why hunter hair for all?
I think it is because a spokesperson for the VT study suggested that a full head of hair inside the helmet acted like the MIPS liner to “disengage” the helmet from the skull in case of a fall. Thus, the idea would be that if you have a full head of hair, you basically have a built-in MIPS liner. 
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I actually raised the question of whether hair up in the helmet served a similar function to MIPS in the hunter hair thread last year. Glad an expert is weighing in on it! 
It is interesting to learn that like most other things in horses there is little actual research backing up the “truths” we’re so often told.
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Actually Barry has been clear that this is NOT the case in a MIPS helmet.
Having “hunter Hair” in a MIPS helmets causes it to be less likely to have the MIPS system work appropriately.
Em
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His quote that was stated above essentially says it’s not clear that MIPS gives any advantages over having hair. So maybe only bald people really need MIPS helmets. But also, as far as I know, no one has actually studied hunter hair in either a regular or MIPS helmet. To me, the point is that there are still many questions remaining about helmets in real world situations since all the tests obviously are simplified/idealized. We’re learning a ton from these new studies but there are still a lot of things left to learn.
“Hair and your scalp act as a natural slip plane and thus helps de-couple your head and helmet which is a good thing. It won’t help much with the linear accelerations but certainly helps with the rotational kinematics by allowing the helmet to move more freely from your head during and impact. MIPS and other rotational technologies try to do the same thing (de-couple). It is difficult to say if any of these add any benefits over and above a full head of hair and may likely be very specific to the location and energy of a given impact. "
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I believe Dr. Stephanie Bonin (ASTM Equestrian researcher) has studied hair etc.
I can see if she can comment here.
Em
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Thanks for raising this. Yes, I evaluated the effect of MIPS with 3 different headform-helmet interfaces, the bare Hybrid III headform (the higher friction or “sticky” condition), the headform covered in nylon stockings (intermediate friction), and the headform with a human-hair wig (lowest friction). We tested helmets with and without MIPS at 4 impact speeds and 3 impact orientations against a 45-degree oblique anvil. The results show that MIPS reduced rotational kinematics (the type of head movements associated with concussion) under all headform conditions, speeds, and impact orientations tested. The results also show that hair (with a non-MIPS helmet) can reduce rotational kinematics by amounts similar to MIPS on a bare headform. While I didn’t quantify the friction of a bald person’s head, if it is similar to the bare headform, this might mean that a bald person using a MIPS helmet has the same benefit as a person with hair using a non-MIPS helmet during a head impact. However, when we added MIPS to the hair condition, the peak rotational kinematics were further reduced, showing that MIPS provides additional reductions even in the presence of hair. MIPS did not have a significant effect on linear acceleration.
Like any study, there are limitations. I only evaluated on length of hair (about shoulder length) and one model of bicycle helmet; however, given their similarities in construction, I expect that equestrian helmets would have a similar response.
The full paper can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-022-02961-w
Disclosures: I am an injury biomechanist at an independent forensic engineering firm where I conduct research on equestrian, bicycle, motorcycle, and football helmets and their effectiveness. We have no financial relationship with MIPS. Prior to testing, I consulted with MIPS for advice on constructing our drop tower. I am also chair of the ASTM F1163 equestrian helmet committee.
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Thank you so much for the info you added to the live chat during the VT webinar last week, and thank you also for contributing your expertise to the discussion here!
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Thank you for sharing this. I’m not able to access the full article; can I assume that in the hair condition, hair was down or collected in a ponytail, not up in the helmet worn as riders might?
Yes, the hair was in a ponytail at the back of the head. The goal was to create extra “shear” layers between the helmet and headform with human hair. The hair wasn’t quite long enough to put up consistently and securely under the helmets.
Thank you! I’ve never seen a cyclist do hunter hair, so I figured it was a safe assumption.
