From sporting events and music festivals to medical procedures and personal identification, wristbands have become popularly used in the modern-day world. Whilst very popular, some may have difficulty putting wristbands on. Not to worry - we are here to cover the different ways and techniques you can apply to put on a wristband. 

Traditionally, wristbands featured buckles or clasps and required manual adjustment. They were stiff and made from inflexible materials such as hard plastic and rigid types of fabric. They even had limiting clasp options. 

Adhesive closures were simply not as common and velcro/snap buttons were way less common. What’s more, unlike today insufficient instructions meant it was unclear when it came to putting these wristbands on, making them pretty unsuitable for large events with numerous attendees.

However, wristbands have moved on, so let’s get into how you can simply master the application of these.

The Standard Way

Let us take you through a little step-by-step of the most common way a wristband can be applied. This includes being the standard way for applying wristbands with a clasp. Here goes…

  1. With the clasp facing up and design facing outward, get a hold of your wristband.
  2. Pop your hand through the open end. The design must be centred on your wrist.
  3. To make sure it fits comfortably on your wrist, you need to then pull the wristband over your hand until you reach comfort.
  4. Whether it’s adhesive, snap button, or velcro, align the closure and then fasten it securely.

Two-Person Job - Tyvek wristbands

Some wristbands may require another person to put them on for you. For example Tyvek wristbands. If you try to apply the wristband yourself, they can be too tight or misaligned, so bringing in an extra person can help. Here’s how to put on a paper wristband.

  1. Ask your friend to take the wristband and place your arm in the centre of the band.
  2. There is usually an adhesive strip to be removed. Ask your friend to remove this, curl the wristband around your wrist and then stick to the other end of the wristband, ensuring that you have a gap for movement and that circulation is not cut off.

Clip-ons

Most commonly used in the medical field or for ID, clip-on wristbands have a different application - even if so slightly - to other kinds of wristbands. They’ll be made with metal clips or plastic for attachment.

  1. With the clip facing up, hold the wristband this way with the tag and/or information panel facing the other way.
  2. With the tag centred on the top side of your wrist, then slide your hand through the open end of that wristband.
  3. It’s about ensuring a comfortable fit! So pull the wristband back over your hand and onto your wrist to reach this point.
  4. Place the clip over the edge of the wristband near the end closure section.
  5. To finish up, clip it well and ensure it holds the band in place - securely!

Follow some simple techniques like these and you can comfortably apply various types of wristbands (which we cover in a bit more detail further down this article). It’s worth remembering that each wristband has its own instructions, so always work to the guidelines set by the manufacturers. 

Each of the following types of wristbands may have a different application method:

Fabric Wristbands

Made from durable fabric materials, be that polyester or nylon - you’ll find these used at musical festivals. They’re comfortable to wear and usually will have a secure closing feature like a slide lock or metal ring. The fixture is usually tamper-proof to stop any sharing between friends!

Silicone Wristbands

Rubber wristbands are used largely for campaigning and awareness events. They’re light in weight, come in a variety of colours and are waterproof. The material that is used to make these wristbands is flexible silicone rubber and they can come made in debossed or embossed text designs. These are stretchy so you can just stretch the wristband over your wrist.

Plastic Wristbands

Plastic wristbands are made from vinyl or polyethene. You’ll largely find these types of wristbands used for access control at events and amusement parks. They’re tamper-proof and can be customised with special barcodes and unique serial numbers. They may feature a clasp which should be easy to use.

Tyvek Wristbands

Concerts, parties, nightclubs and one-day festivals - Tyvek (or paper) wristbands are everywhere. Made of lightweight material - they’re tear-resistant and water-resistant. Secured with an adhesive strip, they can't be removed without damaging them completely so ensure these are put on correctly from the very start.

RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) Wristbands

These wristbands contain small integrated circuit chips. These are to allow technology to work in a way that is identification based on contactless scanning. Use cases include cashless payments, access control and attendee tracking. These wristbands can be taken off and reused as they’re designed for multiple usage.

Summary

In summary, it's important to know how to put a wristband on for access and entry, for security and ID, and finally for functionality and comfort for the user.