I will define BMX helmet as the hard shell with the soft foam inner designed for multiple strikes at a slower speed just so we don't confuse design intent with style. There are plenty of helmets out there that look similar to a BMX helmet that have crash protection rating.
Anyway, BMX helmets are not designed nor are they safety rated for bicycle speed collisions. They are frequently used as such, and are certainly better than no helmet, but I would personally stick with a helmet made for a bicycle while riding a bicycle just to be safer. BMX helmets are hot, but usually comfortable. I wear one when I'm at the skate park, but I'm a total hack who hardly leaves the ground and rarely moves quickly.
Full face helmets come in to play when you're worried about crashing so hard that you'd break your jaw or remove your face. They're hot, they're expensive, and sometimes they really make sense for the way people ride. I do only recommend them for DH and the definition of FR that includes ladder drops and big jumps. Other reasons would be protection for prior or existing facial injuries (like if you have a broken jaw and don't want to hurt it worse in case you fall).
I say it's best to get a good mountain bike helmet with a bit of extra back of the head protection and wear it unless you're doing something like DH or FR. Great choices are the Giro Xen and the Fox Flux.
I guess it doesn't matter what you wear as long as it's a helmet, but there are better choices than others depending on exactly what you're doing.
Anyway, BMX helmets are not designed nor are they safety rated for bicycle speed collisions. They are frequently used as such, and are certainly better than no helmet, but I would personally stick with a helmet made for a bicycle while riding a bicycle just to be safer. BMX helmets are hot, but usually comfortable. I wear one when I'm at the skate park, but I'm a total hack who hardly leaves the ground and rarely moves quickly.
Full face helmets come in to play when you're worried about crashing so hard that you'd break your jaw or remove your face. They're hot, they're expensive, and sometimes they really make sense for the way people ride. I do only recommend them for DH and the definition of FR that includes ladder drops and big jumps. Other reasons would be protection for prior or existing facial injuries (like if you have a broken jaw and don't want to hurt it worse in case you fall).
I say it's best to get a good mountain bike helmet with a bit of extra back of the head protection and wear it unless you're doing something like DH or FR. Great choices are the Giro Xen and the Fox Flux.
I guess it doesn't matter what you wear as long as it's a helmet, but there are better choices than others depending on exactly what you're doing.
