Ok, blondes can wear this fine, but maybe not picky people. I wore this helmet for 5 years rockclimbing, mountaineering, ice climbing, and even occasionally backcountry skiing (and once on a bike, not recommended!). It kept my noggin safe from many many scrapes, tossed ropes and falling rock and debris, but never was the most comfortable. I have a small head and thus bought the smaller size (size 1?), forgetting to leave room for a hat. The larger size was so big I couldn't get it to tighten small enough. If the chin strap on the smaller size had been a wee bit longer it would have made all the difference, but alas, after much discussion with the manufacturer, there was no way to fix it. I've never had a problem shoving a ponytail in the Elios, but I recently upgraded to an Elia. It is much more comfortable, although I prefer the adjuster knob on the Elios. Good weight for durability.