Hats are produced in all shapes and sizes, and because of this they all fit differently on different people.
If you are someone that suffers from headaches and wonder if a hat is the cause then it is time to examine the type and style that you have.
Another big issue is how do you have your hair whilst wearing a hat?
Wearing your hair in a pony tail will make your hat feel tighter, so not a smart idea while wearing a hat. This tightness may affect your head and cause your headache during the day.
In this article we are going to through in detail about hats and what you can do to stop headaches from occurring in your life. Stick around if you want to know the answers!
Do hats cause headaches?
The simple answer you can receive a headache from wearing a hat and there are three ways this can happen as below-
Hats are way too tight for your head
If you buy a hat that is not the correct size, this will pull on your scalp which will cause the pressure to turn into a compression headache. This type of headache will be constant and will not go away until you stop wearing the hat. (this is the most common reason)
Allodynia
Allodynia is felt by any light touch to the skin, and this includes by wearing a hat. Anyone that suffers from this will experience a headache from the fabric touching your head and is considered or felt like a migraine.
Damage to the hair follicle
Depending on how you wear your hair, this may affect the hair follicles in your scalp. If you pull your hair back into a ponytail for instance, and then wear a hat, this is not the best idea.
The nerves under your scalp will become irritated when a hat or hair being pulled too tight, causing the headaches.
Here is a article on hats and damage to the hair follicles that can cause balding.
Wet Hair Under Hat
Having wet hair or a wet hat band can cause headaches in some people. This is normally related to a sinus headache, which is similar to someone who has wet hair and goes to bed with their hair wet.
The best thing to do is to dry your hair first before putting any hat on to avoid this from happening.
Allergic Reactions
Hats are made with many different fabrics and this includes straw, wool, tweed, cotton and felt. If a person has any allergic reaction to any of these fabrics this would also cause a headache in this person.
What types of hats give you a headache?
In the world there are about 50 different types of hats out there that people wear. Below are a list of the main types and whether they will be likely to give you a headache or not.
Size and the wrong fit is normally the culprit for a headache whilst wearing a hat. If this is your problem, we will have a solution for this for you.
Fedora: This hat is usually made in Felt/Leather or Cotton/straw fabrics. This type of hat normally has a band inside. If it is a leather band inside the brim this can make the hat very tight. A cotton band inside the hat is softer on your scalp. If this type of hat is too tight with the size or band, you will need to have it stretched to fit your head size.
Baseball Cap: As there are two type of baseball cap, if it is one that has a adjustable strap then this can be adjusted to fit your head. The other type that is a straight back cap then this may be too tight for your head.
This type will need to either be replaced with a bigger size (if too tight) or stretched with a hat stretcher to fit comfortably. Or if it is adjustable then just adjust the back to make the hat bigger in size.
Trilby: Trilby’s are normally made from cotton/straw, leather or felt fabrics. The hat normally has a cotton or leather band inside. The band inside can make the hat tight around your head especially if it is leather. If this is the case you will need to have this hat stretched or look for a bigger size.
Pork Pie: Is normally made from Straw, Cotton, Leather or Felt fabrics. Like Fedoras or Trilbys they can also have either a leather or cotton band inside the hat. If your pork pie is tight because of the band then you may have to have it stretched or go a bigger size.
Flat Cap: Are made in many fabrics that include cotton, leather, straw, felt or tweed. Some flat caps have an adjustable back and others are a fitted back. A flat cap with a adjustable back can be adjusted to make the whole cap larger.
If the cap doesn’t have a adjustable back, then the cap will need to be stretched larger or purchase larger size.
Beanie: Any beanie will feel tight when you first buy one. It will stretch out over time as the fabrics are normally cotton or wool. If you are finding it too tight you will need to stretch it with your hands or on a milliners block or hat stretcher.
Cloche: Cloches are made in either felt or wool. This type of hat is pulled very low down on your head. If the size is too small, it may feel uncomfortable for you.
Some wool cloches will stretch naturally, but any felt ones you will need to make sure the size is not too small to be comfortable.
Please Note: All hats can be adjusted to the correct size. If you purchase a hat that is too small then it is best to always buy a bigger size in the beginning. Or there are online hat stretchers that you can buy on Amazon.
Why do Beanie’s in particular cause headaches?
Beanie’s are made usually from wool or acrylic materials and are usually only made in one size which makes them different from other styles of hats.
Beanie’s are very tight to begin with and this type of hat needs to be worn in. This can sometimes take a full week of wearing a beanie in before it stretches and becomes more comfortable for you to wear.
If after wearing it in for a week and you still think it is unbearable than perhaps a different sort of hat that is not as “hugging” over your scalp like a fedora in a larger or adjustable size.
If you are prone to headaches and are worried about wearing a beanie, the best thing to do with a brand-new beanie is to stretch it manually with either a milliners hat block or a hat stretcher
Stretch it manually with either a milliners hat block or a hat stretcher OR Wear it in yourself, or get a family or friend to wear it in for you.
Do hatbands cause headaches?
A hatband is placed inside a hat by a milliner to catch any sweat that comes off your body when it gets hot. This is designed to stop any sweat actually ruining the actual hat, so the sweat just goes into the hat band and not into the fabric.
In some people when a hat gets wet or has sweat inside a hat. This wetness can cause headaches. If you notice that this is happening to you it is probably best to try and not wear a hat in any hot weather as this is what makes people sweat.
