Who doesn’t love a good hat moment? Hats are the ultimate accessory for adding some instant style and personality to your look. A cute cap can take your outfit from 0 to 100 real quick. But we all know the dreaded fate that awaits underneath most hats – the flattened, frizzy hat hair. Ugh. It’s a tradeoff many of us make in order to sport some fabulous headwear. But guess what ladies, it is possible to wear hats without turning your luscious locks into a sad straw-like mess! We’ve uncovered the best kept secrets to looking slammin’ in hats while keeping your hair on point at the same time. Get ready to become a hat hair pro.
Prep Hair Beforehand with Moisturizing Products
The first step to hat hair prevention is loading up your hair with moisture before putting any headgear on. This helps create a protective barrier between your strands and the hat. Some great options to use are leave-in conditioners, hair oils, anti-frizz serums, or hydrating hair creams. Apply them throughout clean, damp hair before heat styling or air drying. Allow your hair to dry fully before adding a hat over top. Putting hats onto wet hair is a recipe for disaster – it will cause hair to flatten out and lose volume as it dries flattened under the hat. If you don’t have time to wash hair before wearing a hat, use a hydrating spray like It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Product. Spritz it evenly from roots to ends on dry hair before topping with a hat. The added moisture will keep hair smooth and tangle-free!
Change Up Your Part
Here’s an easy trick to cheat hat hair – simply switch up your usual part before putting on a hat. Hair gets accustomed to being parted a certain way and ends up developing “memory” in that section. Wearing hats in the same part line over and over can really matt down hair there. So try flipping your part to the opposite side or doing a deep side part instead of a middle one.This gives hair a fresh start under the hat, preventing it from matting in its usual spot. Don’t be afraid to get creative and do zig-zags or diagonal parts too!
Style Hair In Hat-Friendly Dos
Some hairstyles just work better under hats than others. For the least amount of hat hair, opt for looks that keep hair neat and close to the head. Buns, braids, ponytails, and slick, straight styles tend to hold up best under hats. The smoother and more contained you can keep hair, the less disturbance hats will cause. Try a low bun or braided pigtails when wearing baseball caps and beanies. For wide-brimmed hats, a low pony or straightened hair with tucked behind the ears works great. Steer clear of wearing hats over big, teased styles like half up dos. All that volume will get smushed flat in a hurry!
Choose The Right Hat Style
Believe it or not, certain types of hats cause more hat hair than others. Looser fitting hats like slouchy beanies put less pressure on hair, reducing friction and disturbance. Whereas tighter stretchy beanies grip hair more, causing it to kink up.Stiff structured hat styles like fedoras and cowboy hats tend to totally flatten hair since they don’t have any give. Your best bets are slouchy, oversized styles made from soft materials like wool, cotton, straw, or canvas. They allow hair to move around more freely.
Take Hat Breaks
If you’ll be wearing a hat for extended periods of time, be sure to give your hair some occasional breaks.Every so often, take off the hat and shake out your hair to restore volume and texture. Run your fingers through to loosen up strands. You can even quickly spot treat flattening with some dry shampoo. Carry small travel sizes of your favorite styling products in your bag too. That way you can do quick touch ups to smooth flyaways, redefine curls, or add shine serum when giving hair a break from hats.
Tuck In Strands Around Face
Tucking hair neatly behind your ears before putting on a hat keeps strands smoothed down around the hairline and sides of your face. This prevents funky creases or cowlicks from popping up and allows hats to sit better. You can lightly mist the front and sides of hair with hairspray after tucking for extra hold. Or if you’ll be active while wearing hats, use bobby pins to securely anchor strands behind ears. Don’t forget to let hair down and give it a good fluffing when the hat comes off!
Add Volume At The Roots
Unfortunately some amount of flatness is inevitable when rocking hats. But you can fake fresh volume at the roots! Before styling the rest of your hair, mist roots only with a volumizing spray like SexyHair Big Root Pump Plus. Then rough up hair at the crown with your fingers or a comb to lift flat sections. Style as usual, leaving the boosted roots to help provide some lift under hats. Just don’t overdo it with product or teasing near roots which can make hair dirty and knotted under hats.
Prevent Frizz With Serum
The friction caused from hat wear can cause major frizz issues. Prevent flyaways and frizz by applying an anti-humidity glossing serum or smoothing oil through the mid lengths and ends of hair before adding a hat. This helps keep hair sleek instead of dry and frizzy. Argan, coconut, and macadamia oil based serums work wonderfully to control frizz! Be careful only applying product to the lengths though and avoiding roots which can get greasy and limp under hats. And there you have it – all the inside scoop for looking ah-mazing in hats while keeping your hair on point at the same time. Who said you can’t have the best of both worlds?
Follow these pro tips and you’ll be rocking hats for days without a single bad hair day.
