Hats and the effects

[maegalcarwen]

I was wondering, if anyone has bad experiences about wearing hats during winter?
I have really thick wavy hair, and I finally found a knitted hat which looks nice and fits my head. I know that for example, if you wear the same hairstyle all the time, that can leave marks in your hair, or cause damage.

Can this happen with hats?

[BowTie]

I'm from Finland so I've worn beanies all my life. I don't know if they are bad or not for your hair but they make my scalp feel strange. That's why I only wear them when it's very cold and only outside. I think it's important to protect your hair when it's cold :)

[inanna]

Another Finn chiming in, I suppose it's not that surprising that we would have opinions on this. :D

I like wearing loose beanies that have enough room for me to put all my hair inside them. The only downside is I look a bit funny with absolutely no hair peeking out, but my reasoning has been that if the tightest part of the beanie (ie. the edge) is not sitting on my hair, it can't cause much damage. I'm pretty sure the edge would have to be uncomfortably tight to really cause any damage or breakage, though.

If you constantly have to adjust the hat, I think frizziness and static might become a problem. Anyone who's from a really cold place remembers what their hair looked like as a kid after frolicking in the snow for hours, constantly pushing back your hat to keep it from covering your eyes. The tangles you can get this way on fine hair are epic.

Then again, I think just about any kind of hat is better for your hair than very cold temperatures. :)

[Coolcombination]

If it's made of the itchy kind that can irritate skin it might cause friction with your hairline roots perhaps...

[spidermom]

I wear a hat style that I think is called a tam. It's big and roomy, so all my hair fits inside and does not get crushed. It is made of angora (rabbit) and very warm.
I also wear scarves when it's not so cold.

[patienceneeded]

I knit, so I make sure that any hats I make for myself are roomy enough to get all my hair comfortably inside, even with a hairtoy. Now, I don't wear my giant hairtoys under a hat, but my normal-sided stuff (6" sticks, forks, etc) fit just fine under a "slouchy" beanie or similar style.

That reminds me...I have GOT to start knitting my Christmas presents. Plus, I want a new hat. And a new cowl. So many knitting projects, so little time. I really should finish my daughter's owl hat first.

[Misschilly]

I haven't thought about hair and winter because this is my first lhc winter, but I want to find a tam where I can put all my hair in..any ideas for that in Sweden?

[MissAlida]

I like to wear a hat when it's cold outside. But I hate to take it off. My curls get all flat on the top of my head, and the sides get kinky. I look awful after wearing a hat. I look even worse after wearing my ski helmet. No luxurious shiny bouncy hair on ski slope bars for me I guess. :))

[jacqueline101]

I wear a stocking cap sometimes I get a hat ring.

[caren]

If you are a knitter, or know a knitter, I love these:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTcalorimetry.html
You can make them of super warm, smooth yarn, and they can be worn around a bun or braids. I have made myself q few in different colors, in silk and wool. Yum.

[heidi w.]

Hats are fine to wear in winter, as long as it's not knit.
heidi w.

[jrmviola]

I think Hat Damage depends on your hair. My dad wears a hat 24/7 and doesnt have any hair loss or damage (he's in his fifties). His Dad did the same thing all his life until his 80's. However that was ball cap on short hair. Others may not have the same hair situation, and it may be different for longer hair- i know when i wear a ball cap i pull the hair thru the back and then ponytail and bun with a stick. I suppose like anything it just depends on your hair.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I wear beanies all the time and I've never noticed any damage in my hair from them.

[Leeloo]

This is my first LHC winter also and I was wondering about the same thing. I was thinking about using a silk scarf under the hats.

[neko_kawaii]

I wear lots of hats and have never noticed any hair damage from them.

[caren]

Hats are fine to wear in winter, as long as it's not knit.
heidi w.

Why not knit, specifically? Just curious.

[Nanna]

I'm also from Finland and was actually just the other day wondering about hairstyles under beanies. Not so much worried about the damage but the cold...

I hate to wear a bun under a hat because it always feels like wind blowing straight into your ears because it's not a tight fit anymore. So, it's probably going to be braids for the winter, again, and a strong desire to just chop it off because I'm so bored with the same braid every day but can't be bothered to invent new styles. Oh the joys of a long winter.

[Panth]

One suggestion I've heard is to sew a silk lining into your hats, or alternatively wear a silk sleep bonnet between the hair and the hat.

Personally, it never gets super-cold here (not enough to freeze hair, for example). I just wear a pashmina-type scarf as a scarf and then if it gets cold/windy enough I wrap it around my head. When it's super-cold I sometimes do that with two scarves, the first a thick knit wool one and the second a smooth cotton pashmina-type one. The cotton is better for brushing off snow/fine rain. If I had the money, I'd buy a big, wide, fine woven wool or wool/silk pashmina and wear that.

[BeccaAngel]

I only wear a hat at work (required) otherwise i wouldn't wear one :p

[emilyann]

Panth,
I got a very decently priced wool/silk pashmina off etsy.

Found it: etsy pashmina shawl (http://www.etsy.com/listing/152277897/luxurious-silver-pashmina-scarf-bridal?ref=shop_home_active)

It would be very warm wrapped around one's head in the winter! It's slippery enough that it probably won't tug or pull the hair.

[Panth]

Panth,
I got a very decently priced wool/silk pashmina off etsy.

Found it: etsy pashmina shawl (http://www.etsy.com/listing/152277897/luxurious-silver-pashmina-scarf-bridal?ref=shop_home_active)

It would be very warm wrapped around one's head in the winter! It's slippery enough that it probably won't tug or pull the hair.

Ooooh! They have green. Awesome. Thank you!

(Although, I have to ask at that price - do they really seem to be wool/silk?)

[Nique1202]

As a Canadian longhair, I have never noticed any damage from the hats I've worn. Occasionally shed hairs get threaded through them, but since I knitted most of my hats myself, there's already plenty of my own hair and my cats' fur stuck in the hat anyway so I'm not too concerned.

If you can learn to knit or crochet and have a little time and some patience, simple hats (no fancy patterns, cables, or patterned colour changes) are really easy to do. Even stripes are pretty simple! Also, you can make a hat to fit your head exactly, so you have exactly enough space on top and in the back to fit all your hair in, and it will still be snug enough around the ears and forehead to keep you warm if it's a little windy.

[pogo0685]

If you are a knitter, or know a knitter, I love these:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTcalorimetry.html
You can make them of super warm, smooth yarn, and they can be worn around a bun or braids. I have made myself q few in different colors, in silk and wool. Yum.
This is awesome! Thanks! I don't think anyone I know would like one but I want to make at least 3 for myself. I kept thinking I should find a pattern for a beanie that I could put over my buns, I hate how all the ones I have right now don't go over my head. I don't notice damage when I wear one, but most the time if it doesn't cover my bun then I leave my hair down and the wind makes it all tangled and that's where the damage comes from.