Hat Too Small? Try A Gentle Stretch

Hats that are too tight don't necessarily belong in the donation bin. The right material might mean stretching is a fit.

You’ve just scored the perfect hat–but what do you do if it’s a squeeze? While hats come in different shapes and sizes, sometimes scoring the right fit can feel like the real hat trick. The good news is–depending on the material–many hats can be gently stretched to fit your head perfectly and comfortably.

Not all hats can be stretched. Successfully stretching your hat depends on the fabric, so check those labels before getting started! The materials that work best include:

• Cotton: Cotton hats are among the easiest hats to shape and stretch as a soft, pliable material that’s willing to conform size and shape of your head. 
• Wool Felt: Wool tends to shrink over time–be careful with the amount of water used to stretch and shape wool felt!
• Leather: Leather is stiff and tends to shrink back to its original size after being stretched. Lots of patience and attention to detail are needed to properly stretch leather hats. Depending on the cost and quality, you may consider finding a leather worker.

We advise against stretching straw or synthetics, and the interwoven design of straw and the qualities of synthetics could mean potentially destroying your hat. 

Stretching Your Hat

Once you’ve determined the fabric and whether your hat can be stretched, it’s safe to get started. Some hats stretch out naturally with time. For example, ball caps and toques often stretch as they get broken in. When you’re stretching a ball cap, try wearing it for a couple of weeks to see if it loosens up naturally over time. Other hats, like fedoras, can be trickier, particularly if the hat is too tight due to a sweatband. In most cases, removing the sweatband is seldom worth the hassle and cost to slightly increase the size of the hat. Instead, we recommend these three methods.

The Ball Stretch 

One of the least complicated and quickest methods of stretching a hat is to simply find an object to help break it in, like a ball.

Grab an object like a small soccer ball (making sure it’s as similar in size and shape to your head as possible), and stretch your hat to fit it around it. Leave the ball inside the hat overnight. Repeat this process as many times as necessary until the hat retains a new, more comfortable size.

Steam It

Steaming works on a variety of hats, including cotton and wool felt. Customers have even used the method on straw and leather–but this takes a lot of time and patience. Steaming your hat encourages the hat to loosen up and become more malleable. When it dries, the hat becomes moulded to your head shape and size.

Steps for steaming your hat into shape:

1. Boil some water in a small pot or kettle
2. Hold the hat over the steam for about 60 seconds, then take it away for thirty.
3. Do this about four times. 
4. Turn a blow dryer to the highest setting and blow-dry the hat until it’s mostly dry.
5. Place the mildly damp hat and wear it until it dries completely.
6. Besides stretching and resizing, steaming a hat can also take away unwanted wrinkles and folds.

The Hat Jack

For people who want to work a bit more by the book, a hat jack or a stretcher can be a useful tool. Make sure to follow all instructions. In many cases, using a hat hack will also require lightly steaming the hat first.

If your hat is being especially stubborn or if you're not comfortable stretching a hat, find a professional to do it for you.