Women's Hats for Thinning Hair


Return to Bouffant Newsboy Hats


To crown your head:   a "Hafahat"

Hat Bronwyn - brown


Hat Bronwyn - brown


$60 + $8 shipping



A tip from a hairdresser:   Never comb your hair when wet.

This was news to me. After washing my hair I'd always combed and parted it before blow drying, thinking it would be a tangled mess if I didn't. (Although, during the combing, it was alarming to see how many strands landed in the sink. Also, when my hair was dry I could see that on top where it was hardest to comb, many hairs were broken off short.)

So I tried the hairdresser's advice, simply toweling off and then using the blow dryer. Lo and behold, it untangled easily during the blowing! I think it even turns out a little fuller now.




If you would like to purchase a hafahat:

First, make sure it would fit you. (It will fit most women but not all.) Wrap a tape-measure around your head just above the eyebrows, to determine the circumference. If it's between 21 1/2 inches and 22 1/4 inches, then the hat will fit you. Return to the main page (Bouffant Newsboy Hats) to purchase.



The Evolution of Hafahat:

When I was growing up my family always sat in the same pew at church, two-thirds of the way back. During the service there was plenty of time to check out everyone in the rows ahead—clothes, hairdos, newcomers. But I remember being horrified by an otherwise-lovely woman whose fluffy hair was crowned by a bald spot, which shone in the overhead lights. "How can she be like that?," my younger self wondered; "I would never be like that." As though it were her fault.

By now I know that the only fault is in one's genes. My own hair has never been prolific or thick-textured, but in recent years it's gotten even thinner, making me self-conscious in situations where people can see the top of my head. I wished I had a small head-covering for certain social situations, but couldn't find one that met all my qualifications:

  • very lightweight
  • comfortable
  • an actual headpiece, not just a scarf-type thing
  • covering the crown of the head, yet as small as possible
  • able to stay in place

So I started making them. I christened my creation a "hafahat" because it's half the size of a real hat. It meets all my qualifications:

  • It's so lightweight that you can almost forget you're wearing it. It fits your head but won't scrunch your hair, as the stiff lining keeps it from resting on your head.
  • The part-rubber headband is quite comfortable. Put it on and squeeze it in or stretch it out, to whatever shape feels right. My own head is shaped like a football, so I bend the band into an upside-down U-shape to give my face more width.
  • It's a tidy symmetrical shape, not a wrinkled piece of material.
  • It covers as small an area as possible while still covering the crown of the head. It's appropriate indoors or out and is unobtrusive: at the theater it won't obstruct anyone's view.
  • It won't fall off (under ordinary conditions).

The hats are made of textured slub linen in brown (Bronwyn) or gray (Grace), with a softly-stiff buckram lining. They will fit most women but not all, so be sure to follow the purchasing instructions if you decide to order one. They are only spot-washable, as wetness could harm the buckram lining.