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Summer hats and long hair

SarahD8

Veteran

I have enjoyed seeing posts about summer hats in recent weeks -- everyone looks so fresh and fun! For myself, I love the idea of a sun hat in summer -- I think a simple wide-brimmed straw hat in particular is very fetching and I also like the idea of sun protection.

But I cannot seem to get summer hats to work for me in practice at all.

-My hair comes down to the bottom of my shoulder blades and it is THICK. If it's sun hat weather, and particularly if I am planning to be out and about for long enough to make a sun hat attractive from a practical/sun protection point of view, I probably want my hair up and off my neck. TOO HOT and sticky otherwise!

-But of course hats don't work very well with a ponytail or messy bun or the like. The "bump" makes the hat not fit. Maybe there is a secret hat-compatible updo that I am missing?

-I can't just pile my hair up on top of my head and plop the hat on top. (1) there's too much of it, won't fit under the crown, and (2) it won't stay anyway (too slippery).

-Maybe I need a different style of hat? I feel like I want like a visor, but with a crown -- is that a thing? Or one of those hats with a ponytail hole? Is there a way to wear such a thing that is not hopelessly dorky?

Please share your summer hat wisdom, and feel free to use this thread for other summer hat questions of your own.

Dressing

23 replies

Latest reply was from Ginger

Runcarla

Veteran

I would think that long hair would work better, 'cause it wouldn't get flattened! ( I get really bad hat head, but need the protection.). Maybe a low ponytail, braid, or bun?

Pic below from weekend at local Highland Games in front of a vendor at the event - very hot and sunny.

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kerry

Veteran

I have long hair - shoulder blades or longer - and I often wear hats in the summer. I agree that hair needs to be contained when it’s hot. My hair is not so thick though. I do a low ponytail, pigtails and braids with sun hats. With a high ponytail I might do a ball cap. I should add that my style is very casual and even more so in summer. During the rest of my life I wouldn’t wear braids or pigtails.

Anonymous

I had exactly this kind of hair until about two weeks ago when the prospect of fooling around with it all summer just seemed too annoying, especially since I really don't like hair accessories at all.

I cut it to a little below chin level and I'm thrilled with the difference. But, if that does not appeal, I think Kerry's suggestions are pretty much the range of options.

SarahD8

Veteran

Runcarla, you look so nice in your sunhat! It really frames your face well. Your picture is making me think that the hat I do have (it's a cotton bucket hat, kept for just-in-case emergencies) doesn't fit me very well. It seems to want to come down very far over my face. Maybe it is too big? Haha, it is too big until my hair makes it too small!

Ok, I tried a low ponytail. It meant that the brim of my hat mooshed a big lump of hair exactly where I did not want it -- against the back of my neck.

A low bun was better neck-comfort-wise, but then I had a bump of hair that interfered with the fit of the hat. Actually it seemed to want to push the hat forward, further down over my eyes so I could not see at all!

kerry, good suggestions. May I ask how you define pigtails vs. braids? When I hear "pigtails" I picture two plaits on either side of the head, like Pippi Longstocking. I can try that! But are braids something different?

Isabel, congrats on your new haircut, sounds perfect for summer! I wore my hair in a chin-length bob or just below for quite a while, but in retrospect I don't think it was a very flattering look for me. Much better to keep it below my shoulders I'm afraid.

3style

Veteran

Here is a typical straw hat for me. Would this work for you?

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Jules

Veteran

I’m having the same issue. Love hats, enjoying having long hair, but not together. I have my eye out for a baseball cap style that works with a high pony but doesn’t look ridiculous on non-sporty me!

krishnidoux

Veteran

I'm having this exact problem... with my wigs!
Yes, I'm that crazy that I consider wearing not just the wig but the sun hat over it. My bio-hair (that's how wig wearers seem to refer to their natural mane) is in a below the chin bob and quite thin.

What I have done so far:

1) Not wear my new straw hat.

2) Not wear my wig, but wear my bio-hair in a low ponytail with a ponytail hairpiece attached onto it, and rolled into a but. Unfortunately this solution doesn't work with a straw hat or any brimmed hat. In a cap, I can pull the ponytail+attached ponytail hairpiece through the cap's hole in the back. I can do this with my bicycle helmet too.

3) Wear the wig, which mean: on top of my bio-hair, a bad or a nylon cap, the wig itself, the hat.

I'm curious to know if anyone has suggestions.

3style

Veteran

Krishnidoux, I wear hats rather than visors in order to keep the top of my scalp from sunburn. If I wore a wig, I’d just wear a cute visor to keep the sun out of my eyes. Or a bandanna head kerchief look can be fun. Look at some photos of Georgia O’Keefe. She was a master at head covering.

Gigi

Veteran

No solutions from me. I suffer with hat hair. I reserve wearing hats for times when I'm going to be very informal anyway, like a baseball game or picnic. I just let the hat smoosh my hair, and I tuck my hair behind my ears once the hat is off--that seems to make the best of a no-win situation.

kkards

Veteran

i have a baseball style hat that i can tread a ponytail thru...also have a lightweight bucket hat that works with a ponytail.

..but if i've been thinking of also trying this one...i think the notch in the back would work really well with a ponytail.

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kerry

Veteran

For me pigtails are two ponytails - no braiding. I like braids because it keeps my hair more contained but I like the two ponytails because it takes up some real estate over my shoulders.

SarahD8

Veteran

3style, oh that straw hat looks so nice on you! And I can see that it is thick-ponytail compatible. Very interesting, I notice that the brim sits basically parallel to the ground. I usually wind up with straw hats sitting farther back on my head, so the brim is at a 45 degree angle to the ground. Your hat also sits much higher on your head than hats generally do on me. I wonder if I have just been wearing them way, way too big? Is there a name for the specific style of hat you are wearing?

Jules and Gigi, sorry to hear that you are also flummoxed by summer hat issues but I'm reassured that I'm not alone. krish I can see how wigs would add another dimension of complexity to this undertaking. On your wig thread it looks like you have been very successful in incorporating wigs into your style! I like 3style's suggestion of a visor.

kkards, yes, that notch-back seems promising! In poking around I notice that straw hats come in a similar design too, it appears that sometimes they are called "cloche style" hats. Very tempted to try something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Womens-.....p_1_vtp?pf

kerry, A-ha! Yes, now I understand the pigtails/braids distinction. I could try both of those approaches and see if they sufficiently mitigate the "hair lump" issue. Thank you!

ChrisM

Veteran

I have long hair complicated by a large cranium. If I can find a hat that fits my noggin, there certainly is no room to stuff my hair up in it.

I braid my hair into a long braid and bring it over my shoulder to the front - keeps my neck a little ventilated.

Here’s what I look like most of my vacation time. Having the hat on my head is well worth it! I burn too easily to negotiate.....

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Christina F.

Veteran

My hair is about shoulder length. I love how hats look on me, but not so much if my hair is down. Since I wear my hats when it's hot, I just wind it into a quick bun at the nape of my neck.

3style

Veteran

I don’t know the general name, but the hat I was modeling was an older version of the:
https://www.columbia.com/women.....L9966.html

I got a second one which is like the one that is pictured, but it was just a smidge too tight in the l/xl so I passed it along to my mom.

Since I couldn’t find an exact duplicate, I’ve never tried to fold mine. Strictly hatbox material for me.

I’m hard to fit in hats, because they are rarely large enough. I’m so excited to see the jcrew wide brim packable hat comes in 3 sizes and not just two! Will definitely check it out.

If I wear a summer hat at a 45 degree angle, I get basically no eye shade and it doesn’t stay on long before it starts sliding off.

I do have a quilted nylon puffer type spring/fall Lands End rain hat which I wear at slightly more of an angle; the texture makes it stay put.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Sometimes I’ll do a low or low-side ponytail under my hat.

LaPed

Veteran

I've definitely seen a number of straw hats with a split back reminiscent of a tulip hem. Example: https://www.amazon.com/Straw-P.....B06VV875SJ

It might also be worth trying a hat that is a size smaller, so it sits higher on your head. I like the idea of a low braid or a pair of braids over the shoulders. I also feel like there must be a good way of doing a chignon/low bun that would work, but that seems like a sweat-trap to me. Says someone whose hair never makes it to shoulder length... can't stand the feeling of hair on my neck.

SarahD8

Veteran

ChrisM, I'll try the single braid too! I have a lot of trouble getting my hair to stay in braids (it's very slippery) but worth a shot. Low side ponytail sounds good too, Janet. Then the pony might not interfere with the hat brim so much (since there tends to be more space between shoulder and hat brim on the side than in back for me). Christina, I think you're on to something with the bun, I definitely noticed in my experiments yesterday that there was less of a hot-and-sticky factor than with a ponytail.

3style, thanks for that info on your hat. I think I have the opposite issue, my head seems to be smaller than average. La Ped, I think you are right that it would be worth seeking out a size Small hat (rather than one-size-fits-all, even if adjustable). I do like that "tulip hem" style, it is right in my vintage-y wheelhouse!

rachylou

Veteran

Hair roll at nape of neck?

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Ginger

Veteran

Sarah, my hair is mid back and I wear hats in the summer. It’s so uncomfortable to have hair against the back of the neck! Until a few months ago I would twist my hair at the nape and then clip it against the back of my head with a flat metal clip. That fits neatly inside a hat, but isn’t the best look without the hat; I usually use a big plastic claw clip because it looks better.

Just recently I started doing a high messy bun, as my hair is continuing to get longer. To my immense surprise, it fits extremely well in my hats! And I don’t have to fuss with it like I do for the clips. I think it works because:

1. I wear wide brim fedora style hats in straw (i.e. Panama) or fake straw. Think Indiana Jones. The crown is higher than the typical modern hat and my messy bun fits fine. See Finds.

2. I added a hat elastic to my hats. It’s almost invisible - you wear it around the back under your hair, not under the chin - but it helps keep my hats on in breezy weather. And also if my hair is adjusting the fit of the hat in any way. One of my hats is really too big but it's never come off even in 35+ winds.

3. Possibly the way I do my bun. It’s fairly high, so it’s fitting in the crown of the hat, but it’s also soft and will flatten. Not a hard knot. I follow this tutorial and get a different result each time, but I'm liking it!

http://www.freckled-fox.com/20.....y-bun.html

Pictures of my hair, and then one after getting back home at the end of the day. I was fending off a headache that day so I was very much hiding under the hat and sunglasses! Unfortunately this hat wasn’t a match with the dress, but it was the better choice for how I was feeling.

(I just saw the blush pink one and I think I need it. Like now.)

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Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Low ponytail gets my vote. Chic.

SarahD8

Veteran

Ginger, THANK YOU so much for this detailed information!! The high messy bun sounds extremely promising, and I appreciate the how-to link as well (despite having long hair that I often wear up, my up-do repertoire is pretty limited). I'm totally intrigued by the hat elastics too, seems like those could be very useful! The messy bun look really suits you and I love your outfit with the fedora and shades (but sorry to hear you weren't feeling well).

rachylou and Angie, I'll try a low hair roll and low ponytail too. I suspect those will require that "tulip hem" hat style but I'm game to experiment.

Ginger

Veteran

I hope it helps, Sarah! Have fun experimenting with hair. There are lots of great styles on that site. (Talk about hair goals!) The only thing with the hat elastics is that they have to punch through something to hold on. Usually the sweatband inside the hat works fine, but some types of hats (the looser ones) don't have sweatbands. In that case the metal will have to go through the hat material itself. But they really are pretty brilliant!