REVIEW: Smart Crown Chakra Accessory -- Crystal Headbands Part 2: Bigger, But Not Necessarily Better?
By The Treasure-Sharer
If you read my review on crystal headbands, you'll remember that, while they were brilliant in concept, they were too small for me to be able to wear regularly and make the most use of, since they gave me headaches from pinching my head.
I had seen that there was another seller on the Temu platform selling crystal headbands that looked pretty much the same, but had ads showing that the size of its headbands were actually larger than the ones I had ordered from the vendor I had chosen to buy both of the crystal headbands I had initially purchased from. I also liked the fact that its ads specifically stated that the beads were wrapped with copper wire (whereas the ones I had bought previously hadn't specified what material the wiring was made of). See below for the ads showing an amethyst headband, and the size and material specifications of the new crystal headbands I ordered, taken from the promotional ads from Temu.
I decided to order an amethyst headband from the other seller to test the different size mentioned. I was excited when it arrived and I tried it on, and it really was bigger -- still unfortunately not big enough for the handles to reach down past the top of my ears, but thankfully large enough to not squeeze my head as much as the first ones I had bought, and wide enough to actually not give me headaches.
See below for images of how the bands of the crystal headbands I ordered fit my head. They went down to my ears, but were still not long enough to tuck behind my ears securely, like a crystal headband that actually fits should.
However, I encountered a new problem, in that the crystal beads of the new amethyst headband were not as pretty as those on the crystal headband I had bought previously from the other seller. While the amethyst beads on the first crystal headband were a consistent shade of deep purple, and clear throughout, the amethyst beads on the second crystal headband felt not-as-nice in comparison. Many were different shades of pale light purple, and some were even cloudy. Some even had inclusions (things inside the crystals that made them less pure than crystals without any). See below for side-by-side comparisons of the new amethyst crystal headband and original amethyst crystal headband I bought.
While I usually like rough, unpolished crystals that look very natural, in this case, I didn't really like them, because, while I actually felt pretty putting on and wearing the first headband, I felt like the second amethyst headband disappeared on my head, and didn't add much to my look at all. I didn't feel excited or happy to wear it, like I did while wearing the too-small, but very pretty first amethyst headband. See below for a closer shot of the new crystal headbands on my head, from the top.
On top of that, it had FEWER crystals on it than the original amethyst crystal headband I had bought had, so that you could see a lot of the metal band from the side while wearing it, while the original ones I had gotten had enough crystals that they would disappear into your hair, and have a prettier effect. See below for side shots of the new clear quartz and amethyst crystal headbands.
I don't know if the seller used fewer crystals to make up for the larger amount of metal used in the banding. I original misread the ad and thought that it said that the band was made of copper, when it in fact only mentioned having copper wiring used to wrap the beads into the banding. I don't think that real copper is cheap, so I thought that maybe I would at least be getting more copper in the new headbands. However, I would think that even LESS copper wiring would be used, if fewer crystal beads were used in the new headbands. It's also possible that the original crystal headbands I ordered didn't even use copper, since the promo ads for them didn't specify what they were made of. If they don't actually have copper wiring, than I suppose they could have used the money saved on not using copper wiring to be able to afford to use better quality crystals, but I feel like a seller using better crystals would also use copper wiring to help them work even better, so I really don't know. The wiring used on all the crystal headbands I received looked the same to me, but I didn't test to see if they were really made of copper because I didn't want to get them wet, have them potentially turn green, and ruin the prettiness of the bands, so I unfortunately can't say for sure what the wiring is made of.
I felt sooooo disappointed, and so torn, since, with the second headband, I had one that I COULD wear more, but didn't really WANT to wear more.
I felt dumb for not ordering the clear quartz headband option, because I thought, "Heck, it's clear quartz -- how can you mess that up?" -- thinking for sure that it would have come looking like the first clear quartz headband I had ordered.
So I ordered a second clear quartz headband -- this time from the seller selling the bigger crystal headbands -- and eagerly awaited its arrival.
I was surprised and pretty disappointed when my new clear quartz headband arrived, and the crystals on it were as blah and disappointing as the ones on the new amethyst crystal headband I ordered had been.
Rather than being clear, the crystals were cloudy white. And, as with the new amethyst crystal headband, the new clear quartz crystal headband felt much better to wear on a physical level, but felt disappointing to wear on an emotional level, since I also didn't feel that it looked that great, such that it didn't make me happy to see myself wearing it.
To be fair, the description for the clear quartz crystal headbands I bought from both sellers called them "white crystal," and the crystals on the second headband were white. See below to see a photo comparing the new clear quartz crystal headband (on the left) with the one I had ordered previously (on the right).
I think that what I experienced is one of the problems you can experience with buying things from different sellers -- with your expectations for the one you buy after set by the one you bought first. Perhaps I would have been okay with the look of the second headbands I received if I hadn't been so pleased with how the first ones had looked, but because I really loved the way that the first ones looked, and saw their appearance as a big pro, the second versions that arrived, while there was nothing inherently wrong with them, felt really "blah" in comparison.
The difference in the quality of the crystals used is very obvious. See the photos below to see all the crystal headbands together.
As the article Amethyst Grading by the engagement ring company With Clarity explains, "Amethyst differs from other gems in the sense that the price isn't linked to the carat weight of the stone. Instead, gemologists carry out amethyst stone grading by assessing its color -- with amethyst clarity and the level and severity of inclusions taken into account too... An amethyst's color grade determines its quality and value... As a general rule, the deeper the shade, the better-quality the amethyst... an amethyst that is very pale or exhibits light or dark patches is considered less desirable and therefore will be less expensive."
Grading clear quartz also depends on its clarity and transparency, with low-quality clear quartz being cloudy and containing more inclusions.
I honestly don't know if the quality of the crystals affects their healing benefits, as I'm not a crystal expert, and different sources differ in what they have to say about this matter.
I think I lean more toward what SGCrystalHealing has to say in her article Are Higher Grade Crystals More Powerful than Lower Grade ones? As she explains, "Are high grade crystals more powerful, effective and better? I would say yes and no. Yes they are[,] if that’s what you're attracted to for your healing[,] and no they're not[,] if you aren't attracted to them... If you are using a crystal for healing, the most important thing is to choose a crystal based on what you're attracted to, and NOT the crystal grade. If you're just collecting and wanted a gemmy quality crystal, go for it. There is no right or wrong."
Honestly, I had my reactions to the crystals used in the headbands without even thinking about their quality when I first saw them, so, clearly, the higher-quality ones speak more to me. If the lower-quality ones call to you, then they're probably right for whatever you need at the moment.
The ad for the new crystal headbands actually promised high-quality crystals (see the promo ads posted at the beginning of the article), where the one at the very right described them as "carefully-selected, high-quality natural crystal."
Well, in the case of these new crystal headbands, all three promo ads were deceiving, as the crystals on the headbands I actually got did NOT look the same as the ones in the photos (with the crystals on my new crystal headbands being much cloudier, and the amethysts being much paler than featured).
The promo ad at the start of the article on the right also said that the headbands would be "comfortable to wear," and, while I would say that they were significantly more comfortable than the headbands I had bought originally, the new crystal headbands did still pinch my head a bit, and were not as comfortable as I would have wanted.
The advertised measurements of the new crystal headbands (see the promo ad in the center at the start of this article) also didn't match the actual sizes of the new crystal headbands I got. I measured the length and width of both of the crystal headbands I ordered to see if they matched the measurements in the ad, and they both fell a little short. The ad displayed them being 5.9 inches long and 5.1 inches wide (measuring from the bands, not including the crystals), and the actual crystal headbands I received were disappointingly slightly smaller in length and width. See below for photos showing the lengths and widths of both of the new crystal headbands I received.
As I mentioned earlier, the second seller ironically very much skimped out on the amount of crystals he/she used to make his/her version of the crystal headbands. You can see how much fewer crystals were used in the bigger headbands in the photos below.
And they don't just look like they have fewer crystals because there's more metal band to cover -- I lined them up and held them side by side, and there's definitely a pretty big noticeable difference.
I thus can't rate the new crystal headbands higher than the original crystal headbands, even though they didn't hurt my head to wear like the previous ones I had ordered and reviewed.
I feel like crystal headbands are the kind of thing that most women order because the headbands look beautiful, and they want to FEEL beautiful while wearing them. If not, they probably would just order plainer metal headbands with no crystals on them, or ones made of cloth. While the first crystal headbands I ordered were pretty enough to fulfill the emotional satisfaction of wearing them, the second crystal headbands better suited the healing aspect of wearing crystal headbands, in allowing them to be worn for longer periods of time by large-headed people.
It really disappointed me that there had to be a trade-off to begin with, as I really wished that there were a seller that combined quality crystals in a good quantity with a bigger band size, to better accommodate different head sizes, but I unfortunately did not find that in ordering crystal headbands from these two sellers.
I actually did see another crystal headband vendor selling crystal headbands with cloth covering the ends of the headbands to make them more comfortable to wear, but I didn't order them because they were double the price, and didn't look any bigger than the others I had already ordered.
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Review:
Pros:
-wire material used to secure beads identified as being made of pure copper
-decent size band that doesn't quite fit my large head, but is large enough not to pinch my head and give me headaches (re. better for those with big heads than the ones I bought in my first crystal headband review)
-made with real natural crystal (at least the clear quartz and amethyst ones)
-crystals woven in very securely, with low likelihood of any falling off
-offer a way to wear crown-chakra-related crystals where they'll have the best effect
-very durable
-good-sized crystal beads
-reasonable price
-great way to incorporate wearing crystals into your everyday life
-clear quartz version can match with pretty much anything, if you choose the clear quartz crystal headband
Cons:
-lower-quality crystals used in headband -- crystals not as clear or brilliant in color as previous headbands ordered
-smaller quantity of crystals used than in other crystal headbands I ordered
-not as pretty as other crystal headbands ordered, due to lower-quality crystals used
-the crystals of some headbands could possibly be fake
-the arms can slightly pinch against the head, for those with big heads
-colors might clash with what you are wearing
Gem or Junk?
For Us: Gem (3 1/2 stars out of 5)
I'm actually sad to have to report that I can't give these other versions of crystal headbands from a different seller on Temu a higher rating than the ones I originally ordered, even though I was really hoping I would be able to.
In my original review, I focused on the crystal healing benefits of the crystal headbands, and why they were worth getting despite being too small for big heads.
The focus of this review has to be on the look of the new headbands, because, let's face it -- most people wear accessories for how they look, and the new crystal headbands I ordered look sad in comparison to the first ones I received. Where I feel like I would probably compliment a person I saw wearing the first crystal headbands I bought, I don't think I would with the new crystal headbands, because I simply don't think that they look as eye-catching or good.
I also don't like the fact that they have fewer crystals on them than the first seller's crystal headbands did. That simply doesn't make sense to me, as you'd think that they could have at least added MORE crystals, if they were going to use lower-quality ones. If they weren't going to look as good or be as good-quality as those used in the first headband, I would have at least hoped to be able to lean into the healing benefits of the crystals themselves, but, for these types of crystals, fewer crystals = less healing energy, making me especially annoyed at the much-lower quantity of crystals used.
Thus, while these second crystal headbands are more practical to order for those with larger heads, I would actually order from the first seller, if I had a smaller head.
I suppose that if you wanted a crystal headband that DIDN'T stick out and wouldn't be noticed as much, and just wanted to wear it for the healing benefits, then the new crystal headbands might actually suit your style, so I wouldn't rule them out, if you prefer a more low-key look.
Definitely read my first crystal headband review, if you haven't already, though, to get a better, fuller picture of what to expect, and more info on how you can benefit from crystal headbands.
Gems For Who?
1) People with bigger heads, who want the benefits of wearing a crystal headband.
2) People who want more assurance that the wiring of their headband is made of real copper.
3) People who don't mind cloudy, less clear and brilliant crystals.
4) People who want a low-key headband they can wear every day.
5) People who want more low-key, less stand-out crystal headbands.
6) People who have average-sized heads, who want a pretty hair accessory to hold their hair back.
7) People who love crystal wearables.
8) People who want to wear crown-chakra-related crystals on or near the crown of their head.
9) People who like affordable crystal jewelry.
10) People who like affordable hair accessories.
11) People who want to develop their crown chakra.
12) People who believe in and want crystal healing benefits.
13) People who have an affinity with clear quartz or amethyst.
14) People who like using headbands to hold back their hair.
15) People who want a simple, low-maintenance way to keep their hair tidy and away from their face.
Conclusion:
I was actually planning to return the first crystal headbands I bought if the second ones ended up fitting my head better (which they did), but ended up deciding to keep the original crystal headbands anyway, since I liked how they looked better, and so like them and will use them for a different reason.
While I don't think that the new crystal headbands I ordered were bad, per say, I just felt let down by their look, in comparison with how pretty the first ones looked.
Different people have different preferences, so it's possible that you might like the look of the new crystal headbands I bought more than the ones I bought initially.
I guess I'd recommend the crystal headbands from my first review if you really care about ordering the prettiest headband. If you have a huge head, then I'd probably recommend ordering one of the second batch of crystal headbands, since they feel A LOT better, and are probably better for you to wear in the long run.
In general, I still think that either are worth ordering, to wear for the benefits of being able to wear the crown chakra crystals on the crown of your head, as I mentioned in my first review, so it's up to you which would work better for you.
If you want to try buying one and don't yet have a Temu account, please use my referral link to sign up, which will help support our site, and give you access to a $100 coupon bundle that you can use toward your future purchases.
I didn't go as in-depth in this review because I already covered the benefits of crystal headbands in the review I wrote about the first two crystal headbands I bought, and just wanted to give you an update on the new headbands I ordered from a different seller, in the hopes of finding a better crystal headband alternative for those with big heads. For a fuller understanding of the crystal headbands, if you haven't yet read my first crystal headband review, you can read it here.
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