How to use any item as headgear in Minecraft

There are certain Minecraft items that can go on a player's head. The slot is typically reserved for helmets made of iron, leather, gold, diamond, Netherite or chain (with a turtle helmet also being applicable). Even a carved pumpkin can be put onto someone's head, which can make life very difficult for them.

There is a way, however, to put any item in that head slot, with a little trick. Here's how to do it.

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How to use any item as a helmet in Minecraft

One Reddit user has discovered a way to use any item in place of a helmet, which can yield some pretty unique results. According to them, any item can be used there, so anything from a sword to a grass block can become a helmet. Those are unlikely to provide much protection, though.

The command in question differs for which edition it's being used on, and the "shield" and "stone" can be changed to the item players want to put on their head. Here are the commands for each edition:

Java Edition: /item replace entity @p armor.head with stone 1

Bedrock Edition: /replaceitem entity @p slot.armor.head 0 shield 1 5

Unfortunately, this command only works on players, though it can be used against opposing players. For example, a carved pumpkin is difficult to see out of and can actually be enchanted with Curse of Binding, which means if the Minecraft player successfully uses the command to put it on, it'll stay on until that player dies. That wouldn't be the case without the curse, though.

An enchanted pumpkin makes life difficult for the player who wears it (Image via Minecraft)

Additionally, it doesn't work on mobs. The only way to put a different head on a villager, Enderman, zombie or other is to use some sort of glitch or mob. It's possible, but not in vanilla Minecraft like with the use of this command.

This command can be used to great benefit as there are a few blocks that are stronger than armor, especially if it's damaged armor. Stone blocks and other blocks can be stronger against blasts or attacks than leather armor or heavily damaged armor.

Other than that, there's not much use for this trick, other than for fun. It can be used to create some amusing images, like a player with a grass block on their head, but it's not very useful in that regard.