"Last night my wife looked at me and said I had sun tan stripes on my forehead and the top of my head, yup my hair has thinned some over the years. I have a Giro helmet with large vents on the top that open to the sky. Does any one have recommendations for helmets that have good ventilation while at the same time do not have large vertical openings that allow the sun to shine directly down the user's head. Thanks for your ideas."

This morning I put some non-greasy suntan lotion on my head, I will keep trying this to see how it works for me. Fortunately I live in a temperate climate, northern CA, but putting on a skull cap or helmet cover would be just to hot for me.

Wear a skullcap or do rag under the helmet.

I've never seen a helmet like that, and don't think I ever will.

Wrap your head with a bandana like a bada$$ Harley rider or wear a cycling cap. Neither will be quite as comfortable as going nekkid on top, but it beats having the dermotologist take a divot out of you head in a few years, as happened to a friend of mine.

Or just except the fact you're ahead of the pack with the newest tanning rage , Zebra stripes!

Bandana, skull cap, do rag. Something to cover your scalp. Bonus is that it will also absorb the sweat and keep it out of your eyes.

Yea wear a cycle cap,etc., under your helmet..
Or a sun cover over it, with brim and neck cape.. to cover up more..

Skate-bike helmets have less holes but that is at the expense of ventilation,

but OK if you ride casually, or live in a cooler climate, like this one..
... where it's raining currently.


and visit a dermatologist for a skin cancer screening,
50+ is when they show up..
I had 2 melanomas cut out , and have regular checkups now..

Depends on the weather and location where you ride- If you ride where I do in the UK and with our weather it will not be sun-tan--It's rust.

Cycle caps help on skull protection from suntan or rust.

Try some coverage as the others have suggested, one option is a buff https://www.buffwear.com/catalog/ light and versatile and all sorts of options.

Wear your stripes with honor.. I had a pair of gloves with a void on top of the hands that left a goofy tan spot.

Tell people you have a rare condition called stripeitus and it's contagious, then ask for a hug!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice tan on the arms and legs, whiter hands and feet, white strips on the wrist where the HRM watch and RoadID are worn and those goofy little tan circles where the Velcro closures on my gloves leaves a hole. I just don't let it bother me.

One of my helmets will give me forehead tan spots in the shape of devil horns. I put sun screen on my forehead for longer rides so my co-workers won't think I spend my weekends worshiping satan.

If I don't have 'helmet strap' white sideburns then I know I am not riding enough The sweat caps are what I use and I thin they will help with your problem. Use the suntan lotion and as said above, go to the dermatologist for regular checkups.

Mark

Be careful with this--it's what I did for years, and I've been in five or six times to have things pruned off my scalp, ears and neck.

Be careful using sunscreen on your scalp. Sweaty sunscreen in your eyes is not a pleasant experience. I never use sunscreen above my eyes when riding.

+1 on headsweats skullcap.
It keeps your head cool on hot sunny days, helps with sweat management, protects the tops of your ears from sunburn, keeps your helmet clean(er)
It keeps your head warmer on cold cloudy days, helps with rain management
Some of them also protect the back of your neck from sunburn.

I have a couple of different helmets that I rotate. Different vent patterns mitigates, but doesn't eliminate, scalp stripes. Oh well!

Nude cycling?

Another alternative. Remind me to buy some Noxema stock.

And very dark glasses.

Yes, but, what about the quality control issues ?

^^^As a career Quality Engineer, by profession, I am not doing a single inspection for this choice. Y'all are on your own

I dont get the helmet stripes but I do have a rather pronounced line across the tops of the wrists from biking gloves that makes it look like I have a pigmentation problem.

I'd think sunscreen would do the trick. As for it getting in your eyes, isn't that what the padding is for, to keep sweat at bay? If sweat is a problem you could also try antiperspirant on your head. That's what the stuff does.
For the easily-confused: Deodorant is not antiperspirant.

I've been using zinc oxide on my face, not sunscreen as I find it doesn't run as much when I sweat. As for the top of my head I use a dew rag under the helmet, it absorbs the excess sweat and doesn't really cause any excess heat build up if I wear a light colored one.

The padding in my helmet needs to wrung out often when the temps go above 85. Anything I put on head or forehead is going to drip back down because the padding is saturated.