The elusive perfect fitting hat. Does it really exist or is it just a mythical tale? If you own more than one hat, you probably know what we’re talking about. Okay, maybe you only own snapback caps. If so, this article is not for you. For the rest of you hat lovers, we’re going to focus on resizing a hat that is too big.
You may have read about some crazy methods to shrink your hat like, wearing it in a hot shower or soaking it in extremely hot water for 30 minutes or more. We don’t suggest trying these approaches. Hot water can cause the colors of your hat to bleed. If you are a baseball cap fan, you should never get the visor wet. Once it’s wet it will lose its firmness and eventually stop holding its shape. Instead, we recommend a couple of reliable methods that won’t ruin your hat in the process.
The Hair Dryer Method
Fill a clean spray bottle with cold water and spray your the crown of the hat until it is damp. Use a hair dryer to dry your hat. Make sure that it is on medium heat and that you are continuously moving it across the surface of the hat, not staying in any one place for too long. Try not to heat the brim so it doesn’t lose its shape. Once the hat is dry try it on to sit if it fits. You may need to repeat these steps multiple times to get the right fit.
Size Reducer Method
The best and safest way to shrink a hat is to use size reducers. You can purchase them online or at any hat store. Size reducers are usually foam tape or felt strips that. They fit inside the sweatband of your cap. Size reducers are pretty inexpensive, but if you don’t want to shell out any cash you can use anything small and flexible enough to fit inside your sweatband as a substitute. A folded up handkerchief. An old belt cut down to size, or even an old t-shirt cut into strips. Get creative! Our favorite technique is sewing elastic. You can get 10 yards for about $8, making it both inexpensive and effective.
Use the hair dryer method if you don’t want to put things inside the sweatband of your hat, but prepare to be patient. We recommend keeping things simple and using the size reducer method. It’s guaranteed to work and gives you the most flexibility to in achieving the perfect fit.
