I was thinking about getting something to keep my noggin warm this winter, and was tossing up between a helmet or just a hood. I don't really kite near any solid objects like a wharf or reef, and the majority of my kiting is beach breaks with surf (sometimes quite large).

In addition to wanting to keep warm, I have been starting to play around with tricks and have come off badly a few times and slapped the water hard resulting in a bit of hurt for my ears. Suggestions? I would prefer to keep things minimal and just use the hood, but if just neoprene will not solve the ear owie, then I'll look into helmets.