Headband, photo by Nickel Bag of Funk

"Headband" by Nickel Bag of Funk is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.

Headband

Also listed as Head Band

DisputedBalanced hybridType I β€” caryophyllene/limonene
Most-cited cross
OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel
Breeders on record
Dr. Greenthumb Seeds, ETHOS Genetics, Litt, North Atlantic Seed Co. (White Label)
Median THC
18.2% Β· 491 tests
Total terpenes
1.88%

Commonly reported: happy, relaxed, uplifted, euphoric, creative Β· tastes earthy, diesel, citrus

🧬 Look for DNA test reports on Kannapedia β†—

Type labels are reported marketing/morphology labels, not chemistry. Basis: both sources say hybrid.

Genetics

Family tree

Headband
  • OG KushWell-supported
    • unknown (Florida 'Supernaut'/'Krippy' bag seed)Well-supported
  • Sour DieselWell-supported
    • Chem 91Well-supported
    • unknown (Weasel's grow)Well-supported
  • Verified
  • Well-supported
  • Reported
  • Folklore
  • Disputed

Bred from Headband

Head CheeseStrawberry HeadbandCalifornia Sour DieselDiscoMadhatterPurple TurbanCrescendo RBX1Headband LarryHeadband x OGTKM10Heady DogAngel BandBandogCrackhead F1Headband 99Headband Cookies BX1Headband F1Headband S1Headband x ColombianHeadChezKatsu’s BFTLavender HeadbandLotus HeadMango BandOver The Moon Kush

Genetics

Lineage claims

  1. OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel

    Well-supported

    Tier A dossier headband

  2. Chem 91 Γ— Mass Super Skunk Γ— Sensi Northern Lights

    Reported

    Tier A dossier headband

  3. Chem 91 Γ— Sensi Northern Lights

    Reported

    Tier A dossier headband

  4. OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel

    Well-supported

    Stated by Blimburn Seeds, Dr. Greenthumb Seeds

  5. WIFI Γ— (HELL'S OG x SFV) Γ— (CHEM SIS x SOUR DEBB x CHOCOLATE DIESEL)

    Reported

    Stated by ETHOS Genetics

Competing claims are shown side by side, never merged.

1 breeder version (autoflowers, F2/S1/BX, remakes)
  • North Atlantic Seed Co. (White Label): Dosidoes Γ— Headband (derivative (crosses the strain itself: F2/S1/BX/remake))

Lab data

Cannabinoids

Cannabinoid medians for Headband
  • THC18.2%n=491
  • CBG0.45%n=463
  • CBC0.06%n=285
  • CBN0.00%n=157
  • CBD0.00%n=306
  • THCV0.00%n=83

Bar = median; line = lowest to highest test. Public lab records; values vary by grower and lab.

Lab data

Terpenes

Terpene medians for Headband
  • Limonene0.37%n=146
  • Ξ²-Caryophyllene0.26%n=148
  • Myrcene0.18%n=148
  • Humulene0.11%n=148
  • Linalool0.11%n=148
  • Ξ²-Pinene0.08%n=104
  • Bisabolol0.07%n=148
  • Ξ±-Pinene0.06%n=148

Good for

Use cases

Use-case percentiles for Headband
  • Creativity94th
  • Energy86th
  • Social81th
  • Clear-headed69th
  • Stress66th
  • Relaxation51th
  • Focus36th
  • Pain17th
  • Appetite17th
  • Sleep15th

Percentile vs. other strains, from user-reported effects plus lab terpenes. Terpene links to effects are hypotheses with weak evidence; faded bars are terpene-only.

Awards

πŸ† Cannabis cup record

  • #1

    High 95 Cup 2025

    Flower – Organic Β· entered by Best Friend Farms

    reported Β· source

  • #3

    Errl Cup 2024

    Sun Grown Flowers Β· entered by Sands Seeds

    reported Β· source

  • #2

    Connoisseur Cup 2021

    BEST MEDICAL SATIVA Β· entered by Bobby Brown Best Buds @BobbyBrownBestBuds

    reported Β· source

  • #2

    Connoisseur Cup 2020

    BEST OVERALL REC SATIVA FLOWER Β· entered by The Green Joint

    reported Β· source

  • #3

    High Times Cannabis Cup / Medical Cannabis Cup (United States editions) 2019

    Sativa Flower Β· entered by High West Cannabis

    reported Β· source

  • #2

    Prairie Medicinal Harvest Cup 2015

    Best Indica Β· entered by Remo

    reported Β· source

  • #1

    High Times Cannabis Cup / Medical Cannabis Cup (United States editions) 2013

    Hybrid Cup Β· entered by Loud Seeds

    reported Β· source

  • β˜…

    The Emerald Cup 2010

    04

    reported Β· source

Dossier

History & sources

1. Summary

"Headband" names at least two different plants, and much of the literature conflates them.

(1) An East Coast Chem-line clone, also called Original Diesel, Diesel #1, Daywrecker (Diesel) and Underdog/Underdawg. It is attributed to Weasel (Mike Klopp) and described in forum lore of around 2009–2010 as "91 Chemdog Γ— (Mass Super Skunk Γ— Sensi Northern Lights)". Weasel's later statements, as summarised on Overgrow, are simpler: Underdog = Chem 91 Γ— Sensi NL.123

(2) A West Coast "707 Headband" club clone, widely described as OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel and popularised in Northern California in the 2000s.145

Seed versions add a third and fourth meaning. Reserva Privada (DNA) sells "Headband"/"Sour Kush", made by "reversing the OG Kush to pollinate the Sour Diesel", and says explicitly that its cross "is not the 707 or any other clone only 'Headband'".64 Cali Connection's "Sour OG" (SFV OG IBL Γ— Sour Diesel) is marketed as the "818 Headband".5 Loompa's "Headband" is OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel, a.k.a. Underdog OG.4 So the parentage of a given Headband is disputed, and "OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel" is only well-supported as the identity of the 707/club and seed versions. A podcast host who knows Chemdog reports Chemdog saying "multiple times" that he never had or grew a Headband. Subcool's 2006 sample list from Chemdog nonetheless includes "Head band".17

2. Identity

  • Names/aliases: Headband, 707 Headband, Humboldt Headband, Sour Kush (DNA/Reserva Privada rename), 818 Headband / Sour OG (Cali Connection), Original Diesel, Diesel #1, Daywrecker (Diesel), Underdog / Underdawg (Top Dawg sold "Underdog #1" seeds c. 2010), Underdog OG (Loompa).1456
  • Type as reported: "mostly indica" (Reserva Privada seed); hybrid in most databases.6
  • Era: the East Coast Diesel #1/Underdog dates to the mid-1990s (see sour-diesel); the 707 Headband to the 2000s in NorCal; Reserva Privada seeds by 2009; the Cannabis Cup 2009 placing claimed.246
  • Breeders/keepers: Weasel (East Coast cut); unknown (707 clone); DNA Genetics/Reserva Privada (Sour Kush seed); Cali Connection (818/Sour OG); Loompa (Loompa's Headband).2456
  • Propagation: both (clone-only cuts plus seed lines).

3. Genetics & lineage claims

3a. East Coast Headband = Original Diesel = Diesel #1 = Daywrecker = Underdog: Chem 91 Γ— (Mass Super Skunk Γ— Sensi NL), by Weasel

Confidence: reported (forum text c. 2009–10, read on air in a Breeders Syndicate episode; no originator statement in that form).

A THCFarmer "Original Diesel/Daywrecker" thread, read on the Breeders Syndicate provenance episode, says the "Original Diesel, also known as Diesel #1, Headband, Daywrecker Diesel, Underdog, came from a cross of 91 Chemdog Γ— Mass Super Skunk Γ— Sensi Northern Lights done by a guy known as Weasel". The host notes that Weasel has since given varying accounts.1

3b. Underdog/Headband = Chem 91 Γ— Sensi Northern Lights (Weasel, later)

Confidence: reported (Overgrow synthesis of Weasel's podcast statements).

LonelyOC (2024): "Underdog (aka Headband) = Chem 91 Γ— Sensi Northern Lights". In this account Albany Sour Diesel is a Mass Super Skunk Γ— Underdog bag seed, which makes Headband a parent of Sour Diesel rather than a child.2 Competes with 3a (on whether Mass Super Skunk is in Headband) and with 3c (on direction).

3c. Headband = OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel (707 / club cut and the seed versions)

Confidence: well-supported as the stated identity of the 707 Headband and the DNA/Loompa/Dr Greenthumb seed lines; disputed as the identity of "Headband" in general.

  • Reserva Privada (DNA): Sour Diesel Γ— OG Kush, made by "reversing the OG Kush to pollinate the Sour Diesel", "not the 707 or any other clone only 'Headband'"; mostly indica; feminized; about 63 days.6
  • Cannigma (2020): "most commonly-described as a mix" of Sour Diesel and OG Kush, most commonly credited to DNA Genetics. DNA describes Sour Kush as "formally known as Headband".4
  • GreenState (2023): 707 Headband = OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel "bred by DNA Genetics", renamed Sour Kush. This conflicts with Reserva Privada's own statement that its cross is not the 707 clone.56
  • THCFarmer poster (read on Breeders Syndicate): "there's a fake headband going around the club scene aka 707 headband … it's a sour diesel og cross by all accounts", distinct from the East Coast cut. "The real headband/underdog is closely held."1
  • Dr Greenthumb seeds: Headband = OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel.8
  • Loompa's Headband = OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel, a.k.a. Underdog OG.4
  • Chemdog reportedly smoked Swerve and a friend out with a batch of "headband" that both judged to be "basically straight-up OG Kush".1

High Times (Dec 2010 and Jan 2011) independently prints the DNA/Reserva Privada account: Sour Kush (a.k.a. Headband) = "the OG Kush to pollinate the Sour Diesel". It adds that DNA "released a superb version of this famous Diesel and Kush cross" known to East Coast residents as "Headband".9

3d. 818 Headband = SFV OG IBL Γ— Sour Diesel (Cali Connection "Sour OG")

Confidence: reported (secondary; the breeder site is robots-blocked).5

3e. Chemdog's connection

Confidence: disputed. The Breeders Syndicate host says Chemdog told him "multiple times" he never had or grew a Headband.1 Subcool's August 2006 list of samples Chemdog brought includes "Head band".7

4. Naming

"Headband" for the pressure-band feeling around the head is the common folk explanation. GreenState asks whether that effect is placebo induced by the name.45 Confidence: folklore.

5. Timeline

  • 1994–1995 β€” Weasel's Diesel #1/Underdog era on Staten Island (see sour-diesel).2
  • 2006-08 β€” "Head band" is in Chemdog's sample set given to Subcool.7
  • 2009-11 β€” 22nd HT Cannabis Cup, Amsterdam: Green Place coffeeshop places 3rd in the coffeeshop category with "Headband Kush", grown from Reserva Privada/DNA genetics. High Times describes it as "from the Chem Dawg family … a hybrid of the OG and Diesel lines". Cannigma's "3rd overall" overstates this.109
  • c. 2009–2010 β€” THCFarmer threads debate whether Original Diesel, Daywrecker, Diesel #1, Underdog and Headband are one cut. Top Dawg sells "Underdog #1" seeds (2010).1
  • 2020s β€” Riot's Headband Zkittlez uses a "NorCal cut" Headband mother. Ethos "Headband" is a retired line with an unrelated recipe.8

6. Notable cuts / remakes

  • East Coast Original Diesel / Underdog β€” "closely held"; Archive sells Original Diesel Γ— Dosidos #18.18
  • 707 Headband β€” the NorCal club cut (OG Γ— SD).15
  • 818 Headband / Sour OG β€” Cali Connection.5
  • Reserva Privada Headband / Sour Kush β€” seed.6
  • Loompa's Headband (Underdog OG).4
  • Catalog descendants: Riot Headband Zkittlez (NorCal cut Γ— Zkittlez BX3); Freeborn Headband Γ— Sky Cuddler Double Kush; Ethos Headband Cookies BX1.8

7. Historical descriptions by era

  • 2000s: strong head pressure and a heavy, long high; diesel-lemon-kush aroma (Cannigma summary of community descriptions).4
  • 2020s: Cannigma gives 9–10 weeks flowering, about 1.7 oz/sq ft indoors and a mid-October outdoor harvest; GreenState reports many users describing pressure "like wearing a headband".45

8. Cannabinoid & terpene profile

Caveat: strain names are not reliable chemotype identifiers, and "Headband" covers several different plants.

DatasetNameTHC avgnTerpenes
Smith 202211Headband / Head Band / Sour Kush / 707 Headband18.7%632myrcene 0.54, caryophyllene 0.35, limonene 0.33 (n=166; total 2.13)
WA I-50212Headband + Sour Kush variantssee fragment1,083β€”
Current records13"Headband"20.4%465limonene 0.37, caryophyllene 0.29, myrcene 0.18, terpinolene 0.15 (n=148)
Current records"707 Headband"20.1%46myrcene 0.73 (n=8)
Current records"Sour Kush"19.8%91myrcene 0.70 (n=13)
Cannigma aggregate4"Headband"20.8%not statedmyrcene 0.78, caryophyllene 0.32, limonene 0.18, pinene 0.16

The appearance of terpinolene in current "Headband" lots (0.15% average) is unusual for an OG Γ— Sour Diesel and may reflect mislabeled or unrelated product.

9. Community sentiment

  • Head-pressure "headband" sensation β€” common, neutral to positive.45
  • Strong, long-lasting, relaxing high β€” common, positive.4
  • Diesel/lemon/kush aroma β€” common, positive.4
  • Confusion over which Headband (East Coast vs 707 vs seed) β€” common among growers, negative.156

Overall score: 78/100 (an estimate; the strain is popular in the WA and MI markets, while grower forums are dominated by the identity debate). Sample size estimate: secondary aggregates (Cannigma, GreenState) plus forum threads; Reddit not sampled for this strain.

10. Open questions / could not verify

  • Weasel's own first-hand statement of the Underdog/Original Diesel recipe (podcast episodes referenced but not identified).
  • Whether the 707 Headband was bred by DNA (GreenState) or is unrelated to DNA's seed line (Reserva Privada's own statement).
  • Official confirmation of the "2009 Cannabis Cup 3rd overall" (not in Wikipedia's compiled list).
  • Westword "Why Colorado tokers love Headband" (HTTP 403).

11. Sources

Footnotes

  1. The Breeders Syndicate, "Researching Cannabis Provenance via Forums β€” Original Diesel", date unknown; reads THCFarmer threads c. 2009–2010 on air. ASR transcript: https://github.com/muf4/canna-transcripts (transcriptions/The Breeders Syndicate 3.0) β€” podcast. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12

  2. Overgrow, "Sour Diesel Thread (Part 1)" #938, LonelyOC, 2024-01-24. https://overgrow.com/t/sour-diesel-thread-part-1/84315/938 β€” forum_post. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. Craft Growers Network, "Gabbing with Gaby SI w/ The Weasel and Notso dog", date unknown. ASR transcript in muf4/canna-transcripts β€” podcast. ↩

  4. The Cannigma, Ben Hartman, "Headband", 2020-11-13. https://cannigma.com/?p=22086 β€” secondary_database. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16

  5. GreenState, Cara Wietstock, "Headband strain: a tale of two plants", 2023-09-06. https://www.greenstate.com/reviews/headband-strain-a-tale-of-two-plants/ β€” news. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12

  6. Seedfinder, "Headband (Reserva Privada)" breeder description. https://seedfinder.eu/en/strain-info/headband/reserva-privada β€” secondary_database (reproduces breeder text) β€” unverified_url: true (search snippet). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  7. Overgrow, "Rip Subcool" #51, 2020-02-05, reposting subcool.com/chemdog (Aug 2006 sample list). https://overgrow.com/t/rip-subcool-til-next-ride/27417/51 β€” forum_post. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. Breeder catalog facts (research/dataset/catalogs): Dr Greenthumb Headband (OG Kush Γ— Sour Diesel) https://drgreenthumb.com/headband-%e2%99%80-cannabis-seedsheadband-%e2%99%80/ ; Riot Headband Zkittlez; Freeborn; Ethos; Archive Original Diesel Γ— Dosidos #18 β€” seed_catalog. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  9. High Times #419, Dec 2010 (seed review "Sour Kush a.k.a. Headband") and #420, Jan 2011 ("Top 10 Kush Strains": DNA Headband, 3rd 2009 Cup). archive.org item hightimes1974-2018 β€” news. ↩ ↩2

  10. High Times #411, Apr 2010, 22nd Cannabis Cup results/coverage (Headband Kush, Green Place, coffeeshop 3rd). archive.org item hightimes1974-2018, "High Times 411 Apr 2010_djvu.txt" β€” news. ↩

  11. Smith et al. 2022 (src-chem-smith2022-data). ↩

  12. WA I-502 (src-chem-wa-i502-jikomes2018). ↩

  13. Cannlytics + CT DCP, _computed_current_lab_stats.json β€” lab_dataset. ↩