As a woman building a brand in the motorcycle space, I care deeply about supporting and listening to other women who ride. For too long, many of the small frustrations female riders experience have simply been accepted as “part of the sport.” But the truth is, the more we talk about them, the more we can start designing better solutions for women.
There are a few things female riders experience that we don’t really talk about.
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Makeup disappearing
- Random short hairs appearing
- Scarecrow hair
- That cafe mirror moment
Why would you wear makeup while riding?
A comment many women riders have heard at some point, as if caring about how you feel and loving to ride can’t exist at the same time.
But the truth is, women don’t ride any less seriously just because we also care about our hair, our skin, or how we look when we take our helmet off.
We simply want the freedom to do both.
And as more women enter spaces that weren’t originally designed with us in mind, conversations like this start to matter.
Which is surprising when you realise that
Women have always been part of motorcycling.
As early as 1916, sisters Augusta and Adeline Van Buren rode their motorcycles more than 5,500 miles across the United States, proving women were just as capable of long-distance riding as men.
And the number of women riders has continued to grow ever since.
In the 1990s, women made up only about 8% of motorcycle owners in the United States.
By 2014, that number had grown to 14%.
And today, women make up roughly 19% of motorcycle owners in the U.S., nearly one in five riders.
The number of women entering the sport has more than doubled over the past few decades, making female riders one of the fastest-growing segments in motorcycling.
Yet despite this growth, much of the gear and equipment in the industry still hasn’t fully caught up with the needs of female riders.
Which brings us back to the small frustrations many women experience every time they ride.
Why this matters
For a lot of women, hair is more than just appearance.
It’s part of how we feel confident and put together. It’s something we spend time caring for, maintaining, and protecting.
So when something we love doing like riding starts to slowly damage it, it can feel frustrating.
But it doesn’t have to be something we simply accept.
“As more women enter motorcycling, the gear we ride in should start considering us too.”
The idea behind silky days
Silky Days was created to solve this exact problem.
A simple silk insert that sits inside your helmet, creating a smooth layer between your hair and the helmet lining.
By reducing friction, the insert helps protect your hair from the breakage and damage that can build up over time.
Because helmets are essential for safety.
But sacrificing the health of your hair shouldn’t have to be part of the deal.
More women are entering motorcycling every year, and with that comes the chance to rethink how the sport supports us.
Silky Days began with something small. Protecting your hair under a helmet.
But at its heart, it’s part of a bigger idea: that women shouldn’t have to compromise who they are in order to ride.