Women's Hats for Thinning Hair


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To crown your head:   a "Hafahat"

Hat Brooklyn


Hat Brooklyn


$70   $60 + $10 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 hairs landed in the sink. Also, when my hair was dry I could see that on top where it was hardest to comb, many strands were broken off short.)

So I tried the hairdresser's advice, just 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.





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. I remember being horrified by an otherwise-lovely woman whose fluffy hair was crowned by a bald spot, shining 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 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 events, but couldn't find one.

So I started making them. It quickly became apparent that the only way to anchor a small hat on an insubstantial amount of hair is a headband. I christened my creation a "hafahat" because it's half the size of a real hat. It has these good points:

  • 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.
  • It's a tidy symmetrical shape, not like a scarf.
  • 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 block anyone's view.
  • It won't fall off (under ordinary conditions).

The hats are made of brown linen, with a softly-stiff buckram lining. They're only spot-washable, as wetness could harm the buckram lining.


Would this hat fit you?

It's made to fit a woman's average head-size, which is about 22 inches. Wrap a tape-measure around your head just above the eyebrows, to determine the circumference.


Would it cover what you want?

This hat, from center-front to center-back (including the covered headband), is 7 and 1/8 inches. Cut a piece of ribbon that length and lay it on top of your head, front to back, from where you'd wear a headband. Use a hand mirror in conjunction with a wall mirror to check the back of your head.


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