How to Add a Headrest to an Office Chair – 2 Easy Methods

For those who have to spend multiple hours a day on an office chair, getting a mid-back chair without a headrest is worse than a nightmare. Because, of their skill to make you lose focus and productivity, cramp your neck and shoulder muscles, and threaten you with severe medical conditions.

But if you don’t have one with a headrest, you should not worry at all!

Because there is still a way out to make your Office Chair comfortable, to help you have a cramp-less body orientation, that is adding a headrest to your office chair.

Here we will be discussing How to Add a Headrest to an Office Chair to make it more comfortable for long hours of sitting. So you can think more about the work rather than your neck and shoulder pain.

Let’s get the ball rolling;

How To Add A Headrest To An Office Chair?

There are 2 possible ways to add a headrest to an office chair, either of them is not much technical or expensive. You can choose any of them as per your preference and level of understanding, as both are good enough to give your neck and shoulder support and comfort.

Here are those methods;

Method#1: Buy And Attach A Detachable Headrest

Almost every chair that comes without a headrest offers an option to attach a separate headrest by yourself. And because of the different backrest designs of each chair, you need to get the one that suits your chair’s measurement.

If you are not willing to go into these technicalities, then you can also go for the universal headrest that can be fitted on almost every chair.

The most recommended and easier to install among all universal headrests is the Lorell Hi-Back Chair Mesh Headrest.

After buying a Universal headrest, follow the following steps, and your chair will be all set to go;

Step#1: The very first thing to do is to collect all the tools required to configure the headrest. Here are the things you need to have by your side before starting a process;

• Headrest itself
• Clamps to fix your headrest with the chair
• Screw and Bolts to tighten the headrest of the chair
• Allen Wrench and Screwdriver

Step#2: Get the headrest attachment, and adjust it to the top of the chair at a position, where you needed it to be. Along with that, also look out for the position of the holes, designed for clamps. Mostly, you can spot them underside of the headrest.

Step#3: Now use universal C-Clamps as an anchor for the headrest, and place them at the top of the backrest, according to the measurement of the headrest holes designed to install clamps.

Step#4: Lastly, clamp the C-clamps onto the backrest and tighten the clamp with the headrest by using the screws and bolts.

 

An alternative to all these steps is to just drill two holes in the backrest to attach the headrest directly to your chair. Though, it is only recommended to those who have a chair with a hard plastic back shell or a thick bezel.

If you have got the same type of chair, and are willing to attach the headrest in this way while disregarding the steps mentioned above. Always use longer screws for better stability and solid support.

Can you detach the headrest back?

You can remove the newly attached headrest if you want to. Only you need to do, is reverse the process via you have attached a headrest.

Here’s a quick tip to help you, get the job done;

• Remove the screws out of nameplates and clips to detach the headrest.
• Remove all clips and put the nameplates back in the place to have a chair without a headrest.

Method#2: DIY Headrest Attachment

Attaching a universal headrest to an office chair is not expensive at all, considering the comfort it brings to you. But still, if you don’t want to spend a penny on it. There is another way to get a headrest for your chair, which we called DIY Headrest Attachment.

You just need to have a few materials required and follow the step-by-step process accurately to make a headrest attachment on your own.

Here’s the material, you should have to get started;

• Two rectangle pillows of the same size
• Rectangular Styrofoam
• Piece of Fabric or cloth

Step#1: Get two pillows of the same size as per the width of your backrest. They should be soft and properly padded, as they are going to define your support and comfort level. Stack both of them together at the backrest in such a way that one covers the sitting backrest area and the other covers the neck backrest area.

 Step#2: You can’t leave both of the pillows as it is, as the upper one can fall back to the ground because of no support. We have to add support to the pillows, which can be done with the help of Styrofoam.

Measure the height of your headrest, and cut the Styrofoam as per the measurement. Now while taking it as a base of your headrest, tie down the Styrofoam to the backrest of your chair for making the headrest stable.

Step#3: Lastly, use the piece of cloth or fabric to cover both pillows together that are kept stable and secure with the Styrofoam base.

Should Office Chairs have a Headrest?

There is no standard rule to this. Some people prefer to have one, while others don’t. But it becomes a necessity when you have to work for hours and hours. Otherwise, you could get muscle tension, and pain, and it could make you feel more tired as well.

Tension in the shoulder, arms, and torso is another reason to always get an office chair with a headrest.

Have a look at all the reasons that ask you to use an office chair with a headrest;

1. Better Sitting Posture

The chairs with the headrest are designed in a way that you keep on sitting in an upright position. Because the headrest is usually placed at a specific height and tilted at such an angle that whenever you cushion your head and neck with the headrest, your overall posture gets correct.

By making you sit in a correct posture, such chairs cause less stress on your muscles and avoid you getting tired soon.

2. Provides Adjustability and Comfortability

The headrest brings more comfort to your sitting experience by giving support to your head, neck, and shoulder together. And the feature of adjustability to personalize the headrest according to the body type and height enhances the overall comfort level.

Sitting on a chair with a headrest for hours without feeling tired is fairly easy compared to a chair that does not feature a headrest.

3. Increase Focus and Productivity

During the working hours, you need to be productive and focused to outperform the provided tasks. But we have found many employees struggling with productivity because of getting tired, feeling uncomfortable on a chair, and having pain in the neck, shoulder, or lower back.

All this can be sorted out with the help of an ergonomic chair with a headrest, as it does not causes discomfort, and save your body from stress, and fatigue. Ultimately, helps you in increasing your productivity.

Which Headrest Type Should your Office Chair have?

There are chairs available in the market that comes with an attached headrest of different types.

Let me walk you through the widely used types and their specific benefits so that you can decide one for yourself.

1. Built-in Headrest

The chair with a built-in headrest usually features a big backrest along with the high profile Headrest. It comes with a specific height, curve, and angle that cannot be changed later. Not even an external one can be placed on the chair, having a built-in headrest.

Therefore, you should be mindful of the height, curve, and angle of the headrest, and prefer to get one that can support and comfort your neck and shoulder accurately.

2. Height Adjustable Headrest

These headrests allow you to adjust the height of the headrest so that a person sitting on a chair can tune its headrest to his comfort and support level. The height adjustability features also make it a go-to choice for a person of any height.

The only downside of the headrest is that you can’t adjust the angle of the headrest.

3. Fully Adjustable Headrest

As the name implies, this headrest can be adjusted by all means. Whether you want to adjust a height or an angle, it will let you do so. This makes it a go-to choice for a person of every type.

We consider it to be the most versatile option that caters to the comfort and support needs of every person. You just need to tweak it a bit, and the chair’s headrest will be fully customized and personalized to give a comfortable experience.

The only problem is that this type of headrest is only found in an expensive office chair.

4. Chair with Headrest Pillow

This headrest does not come in an office chair precisely instead you can find it in the gaming chairs. You can opt for such a chair to use as an office chair. Bear in mind, that most chairs that have a headrest pillow, do not allow you to adjust or tile the headrest. Rarely, few chairs offer both features simultaneously.

Final Thoughts

If you can’t afford the luxury to have an office chair with a headrest, modifying your office chair to equip it with a headrest is the only best option to think about.

It does not burden your pocket and brings a lot of support and comfort to your neck. Enables you to enjoy the other perks as well including, correct sitting posture, increase in productivity, and many more.

And we hope this guide was enough of your help to add a headrest to your office chair.

Don’t forget to let us know about your experience of installing a headrest on your chair, and what changes you felt afterward!