Best Lacrosse Helmets for Youth & Adult Players

How to Choose a Lacrosse Helmet

Here is what you should consider when choosing a helmet for yourself or your child.

Safety

First and foremost, you want to pick a helmet that is safe. That’s what is most important, and if your child isn’t safe, then comfort and style don’t matter.

How do you tell if a helmet is safe? 

The easiest way is to check if it meets the standards set by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOSCAE) and Safety Equipment Institute (SEI). 

I would be surprised if any new helmets that were released nowadays didn’t meet these standards. I guess an older version of a helmet may fail to meet standards if they are updated, but generally all helmets on the market today should meet these standards.

You may also want to read customer reviews to see if players have had any issues with the helmets breaking or hurting—which I have done to create the above list.

Size

You should also make sure to order the correct size when choosing a helmet. There are generally two different sizes: Youth and Adult. 

Youth sizes are typically for players around 12 and under, whereas Adult helmets are for older players.

Aside from being comfortable, choosing a correctly sized helmet is also crucial for safety. If your helmet is too tight or loose, the helmet won’t absorb and disperse hits correctly, possibly leading to injury.

If you’re not sure which size makes sense, you can always measure your or your child’s head. Most helmet companies have reference tables that allow you to match up your head’s circumference to the correct helmet size.

You can also go to your local lacrosse or sporting goods store or try on teammates’ helmets to see which fit the best.

Comfort

While not all people find lacrosse helmets to be necessarily “comfortable” by any means, your helmet shouldn’t cause you any pain. 

If it’s overly tight, you may have to use the adjustment mechanism (often located on the back of the helmet) or adjust the chin strap to loosen it up—and vice-versa if it’s too tight. 

Note that some helmets may be more comfortable than others simply because they fit your head shape better. This is another good reason to try on different models before choosing one.

Vision

Having good vision out of your helmet is also very important. Though most have a very similar shape, the shells and facemasks can vary slightly from model to model which may affect how well you can see out of it.

Your field of vision shouldn’t be dramatically reduced by putting on a helmet, especially considering most don’t cut off much of your peripheral vision.

Weight

If you are comparing helmets that meet all safety standards and seem to be equally safe otherwise, it may be beneficial to choose a lighter helmet.

Having a lighter helmet can help you play faster on the field, both in your overall running speed as well as how fast you can move your head to react to passes and checks.

Colors

Many organized teams have specific helmet colors that players are supposed to wear. 

Before buying a helmet, check if your team gives players helmets or if there are certain colors that players should buy. 

Most lacrosse sites like lax.com and lacrosseunlimited.com allow you to customize your helmet completely on the site before purchasing. 

If colors don’t matter as much, you can usually get a helmet faster and possibly cheaper on Amazon. Depending on the helmet, you may also be able to customize the colors too.

Shell

The shell makes up the bulk of the outer layer of the helmet. It is typically made of a hard plastic with liners inside that keep your head safe and comfortable.

Visor

The visor is like an extension of the shell that covers your forehead. Some helmets may have a separate piece of plastic for the visor whereas it is just continuous with the shell for others.

Chin

The chin—as the name suggests—covers your chin area. It is usually made of a similar material to the shell and visor but may be a different color.

Facemask

The facemask is typically made of metal and covers your (you guessed it!) face. 

The facemask can have a big impact on your visibility. If the horizontal bar lines up with your eyes when wearing your helmet properly, you may have trouble seeing. In this case, you can try tilting the helmet up or down more, just make sure that it still fits properly so you aren’t risking injury.

Chin Strap

The bottom of the chin strap covers your chin while the straps to each side run up the side of the helmet and connect to the shell to keep your helmet secure. 

There are two straps per side. One connects around the temple and the other connects around the base of the shell towards the back.

It’s important to make sure the chin strap is tight enough that your helmet won’t move around too much independently from your head. For example, if you grab a player’s facemask and move it from left to right or up and down, the helmet shouldn’t move all over while the head stays still.

Your chin strap also shouldn’t be so tight that the helmet hurts.

Mouthpiece

Though it’s not technically a part of the helmet, most players also wear a mouthpiece which may be connected to the facemask with a strap or just rest in the player’s mouth. 

Be sure to check your league’s rules to see if a mouthpiece strap is required. My state, for example, required one for high school players.

Many players boil their mouthpieces so they can form them to their teeth. This makes the mouthpiece more comfortable, increasing the chances that the player wears it, while also making it safer.