Objective To more effectively mitigate the damage caused by shock waves to the head and enhance the performance of protective equipment, this study focuses on optimizing the structural configuration of helmet masks to reduce the energy transmitted from shock waves to the head, thereby minimizing the risk of head injury. Methods This study designed a helmet mask structure composed of polycarbonate and aerogel laminated composite materials. The coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) method in Abaqus was used to verify the validity of the helmet-head coupling model, and numerical simulations were performed to study the mechanical responses of different helmet mask protective structures under shock wave action. The effects of the type and thickness of the protective structure on head injury were analyzed. Results The study found that helmets equipped with masks can effectively delay the propagation of shock waves to the face and significantly reduce cranial stress and intracranial pressure (ICP) in the frontal and parietal lobes. In the prevention of moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), the 3-layer configuration (0.6mm aerogel) and the 5-layer configuration (double 0.6mm aerogel) masks can effectively reduce parietal lobe ICP by 29% and 35%, respectively. The 3-layer configuration (1.2mm aerogel) mask performs optimal performance in reducing vertex skull stress, achieving a 50% reduction, while the 5-layer configuration (double 0.6mm aerogel) mask exhibits superior effectiveness in diminishing frontal skull stress, with a 17% reduction. Conclusions The helmet mask structure composed of polycarbonate and aerogel laminate composites can effectively reduce the damage to the head caused by explosion shock waves, especially in the prevention of moderate and severe traumatic brain injury. The 3- and 5-layer configurations provide better protection. These results provide important theoretical evidence for the optimization of future protective equipment.