The Best Earmuffs and Ear Warmers, According to Cool People

Maryland-based Zamboni driver Andrea Burke likes this cable-knit ear warmer because it has a soft, cushy lining that still lets lots of sound permeate so she’s aware of her surroundings. She keeps this one handy at the rink and wears it so often that she compares it to “your favorite pair of jeans.” Christie Sausa, a figure skater and co-owner of Lake Placid Skate Shop, says she is similarly impressed by the Sherpa interior that makes this headband the softest ear warmer she has tried and the variety of colors and patterns available.

Sausa recommends this faux-fur ear warmer as a statement piece. She says she was surprised by the luxe quality (especially for the $14 price tag) of the headband, which she wears for outdoor skating shows because it can pass as part of her costume. The elastic stretchy panel in the back, which makes it easy to adjust, also secures it from sliding off during other rigorous activities like speed skating.

Sausa is a self-proclaimed “Turtle Fur devotee” — she usually keeps a few in her workout bag at all times — and has been figure skating in the brand’s ear warmers since the late ’90s. Thanks to its thick, double-layered material, this headband can be worn for several hours, and Sausa says it’s never uncomfortable or headache-inducing. “They are stretchy but not too stretchy, stay put through jumps and spins, and keep my hair out of my face and my ears warm,” she says.

Quince is one of our favorite places to shop for affordable cashmere pieces. This winter, I’ve been testing the brand’s supersoft ear warmer, and it’s become my go-to when I’m taking my dog out on walks. I even brought it on a fall trip to Sweden, where the temperature dropped well below freezing, and it kept my ears toasty.

Author Hannah Selinger — whose debut novel, Valley of the Moms, comes out this summer — often uses a headband to cover her ears when she goes ice skating and, also, “if I’m out and don’t want to wear a hat,” Selinger told me. During weeks when the weather isn’t particularly cold, she says headbands are a solid alternative to a hat. “I love this one from The North Face, which sits somewhere between fashion statement and cold-weather necessity,” she says.

The Vermont-based brand Skida is a favorite of PSIA-AASI national-team member Emily Lovett, who is also a cross-country ski instructor at Lake Catamount Touring Center. Lovett says this is ideal for high-intensity or “sweaty” activities because the fabric is breathable and moisture-wicking, and the wide band is more compressive than other workout-minded ear warmers she has tried.

Robin Barnes, a professional alpine ski instructor and PSIA-AASI national-team member, owns eight “tubes,” as the brand calls them, and says she appreciates their versatility: They can be worn as a scarf, face covering, or headband, the last of which is how she keeps warm under a ski helmet. Even if you’re not heading out onto the slopes, Barnes says it’s a lightweight piece you can “always keep in either your ski or snowboard pocket and a backpack if you’re hiking or riding bikes.”

As a Minnesota native and former collegiate runner, I’ve experimented with tons of winter headgear, and my favorite place to shop for workout-ready ear covers is at Lululemon. While the exact one I own is no longer available, this style is very similar. It’s sturdy yet thin enough that it isn’t prone to slipping. During the winter, I usually run in subzero temperatures, and the stretchy fleece fabric has been more than sufficient at keeping my ears warm. I also appreciate the reflective detailing for my after-dark runs.

Barnes says she regularly leaves this 100 percent merino-wool headband in her jacket pocket for après-ski. The thick, layered material also makes this a solid option for frigid activities that last longer than an hour because “it stays snug, but it doesn’t feel like it’s squeezing your brain,” says Barnes, who adds that, unlike a full hat, it doesn’t cause her to overheat. It’s pricier than other options on this list, but given that it’s all wool, Barnes says the quality is top of the line.

Hats often make our senior writer Lauren Ro feel too warm — but earmuffs, on the other hand, are just right. Ro stumbled across this pair in the Los Angeles Apparel store, and I loved the color options (there are more than a dozen, including pink, lime green, and red). She describes them as plush and toasty, even in subfreezing temperatures. “The fit is adjustable by pulling them down,” Ro told me, adding that they’re easy to throw on when she take her kids to school in the morning.

These Brook + Bay earmuffs have a nostalgic shape that Burke says reminds her of the ones she wore as a kid while skating on frozen ponds in Wisconsin. They’re also “soft like a faux-fur blanket,” she says, and “the band is usually a nice fit for people with smaller heads.”

If earmuffs seem bulky or fussy, try this foldable option recommended by Raquea Hemingway, the director of student and family services at Figure Skating in Harlem. She stands by the practicality of these earmuffs, which were gifted to her daughter for figure skating, saying that they have withstood constant trips to school and the rink for the past two years. They easily fit in a coat pocket or book bag, and Hemingway says they can be cleaned with a simple wipe-down, two factors that make these especially suitable for kids.

Madden says these remind her of what a chic Upper East Side grandma might wear but with an unconventional twist thanks to the exposed vegan-leather band rather than a fuzzy one. “They’re not exactly minimal, but there’s a certain sensibleness to them,” she says.

May, who prefers to match her ear warmers to her natural hair color, likesthese from Goldbergh, which “feel like a hug on both sides of my face,” she says.

Channel “Mariah [Carey] in Aspen” with these Lele Sadoughi earmuffs that feature a hand-beaded strand of faux pearls and oversize covers, says fashion and e-commerce editor Megan McCarty, who describes them as “equally of the moment and timeless.”

Former Strategist senior editor Chelsea Peng was drawn to these seashell-shaped earmuffs from the Kyiv-based brand Bevza because of their low-slung shape that’s very old Balenciaga — “spring-summer 2013, to be exact,” she says. Made from soft recycled leather, these are lightweight and will keep you warm enough for everyday wear, Peng says, plus they “stay put even when I’m power-bopping around.”