Can you wear a wig with a hat? Absolutely! Wearing hats and wigs together can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Hats are great accessories to your outfit and help provide warmth in the winter and shade in the summer. Just because you wear a wig doesn’t mean you can’t look fabulous in a hat, too!
Here, we explore four steps for wearing hats with wigs comfortably and securely and offer advice on headscarves and turbans in the winter months for those days when you may not want to wear your wig.
How to Wear a Hat Over a Wig
1. Consider your hat choice
When wearing hats with wigs, the first step is to decide on the type of hat that will suit you and your wig the best. Of course, you should choose a style and colour that you like the look of, but consider the material that the hat is made from and its weight.
Any hat that feels heavy can make your head feel hot, uncomfortable and weighed down. If you can, find a hat that feels a bit too large on just your head, as it gives you extra room for the hat to be comfortably placed on top of your wig. Alternatively, when shopping, take your usual wig with you to get an idea of how it will feel.
2. Be sure to secure your wig
Wig cap or no wig cap when you want to wear a hat and a wig? Definitely a wig cap! A wig cap gives you the security that your wig is securely attached and won’t move or slip around when wearing a hat. If a wig cap isn’t for you, wig tape also has the same effect and secures your wig to your scalp.
Check out our guide on how to use wig tape to make sure your wig is perfectly secured.
3. Gently place your hat
Wearing hats with wigs is easy enough when you put on the hat gently. When you’re not wearing a wig, it’s easy enough to put on a hat when it’s cold outside or if you’re in a rush. However, consider a hat as an addition to your wig, to be lightly placed on top of it rather than pulled harshly down; you don’t want to flatten your lovely wig!
When it comes to how to wear a hat over a wig, try different angles. For example, you can wear a hat pulled further down and close to your ears for warmth. Alternatively, try wearing the hat at an upwards angle towards the back of your head to show off the front of your wig.
4. Taking off your hat
If you’re out and about in public and get too warm, we recommend removing your hat in a private space (preferably a bathroom with a mirror), just in case removing the hat displaces your wig at all or causes the fibres to move. When taking off your hat, use one hand to hold the front of the wig in place to prevent any wig movement and use your other hand to lift the hat off gently. Be sure to keep a wig brush or wide-toothed comb with you to get rid of any ‘hat hair’, tangles or knots.
Do You Need to Wear a Hat with a Wig?
Choosing whether you would like to wear a hat on top of your wig is entirely a personal choice. Some of the reasons we’ve seen for people choosing to wear a hat over their wig include:
In the UK, the summers are getting hotter and lasting longer, so it’s important that you take protective steps to look after your wig during the summer. Too much sun exposure can fade the colour of the fibres or even damage the wig, so it’s vital to protect your wig if you’re out and about in the sun.
The Mirna Cap from Masumi Headwear is made of linen and soft cotton for a lightweight, breathable hat, with a pretty embroidered design on the front and a small visor to shade your face and eyes.
When it’s cold out, most people bundle up, and this is particularly true of those with hair loss, as hair provides natural insulation for the head. Wearing a wig can, of course, help to restore this insulation but, on those particularly cold days, you might opt for a warm hat on top of your wig to really keep out the chill.
Look for cosy fleece- or bamboo-lined hats, and remember to go a size up so your hat isn’t too tight, which could crush your wig’s style or even give you a headache.
Sometimes you might want a break from wearing your wig, especially if you wear it every day or if you’re just popping out to the shops quickly. Check out the Briana and BB Bella caps from Christine Headwear; the ruffled, loose fabric gives the impression that there is hair tucked up underneath – even if there isn’t.
There are many ways to secure your wig without a hat. However, if you’re worried about your wig slipping (or if you’ve run out of wig tape) then a hat can help you go about your day with more confidence – and style!
Finally, if you’re new to wearing a wig and are feeling self-conscious, or if you’re worried about being asked intrusive questions by loved ones or strangers, a hat can help to disguise the wig and allay those concerns.
Hats and Wigs in Colder Months
Whether you wear a wig or not, a hat is a great accessory to keep you warm in colder months. In the winter weather, synthetic and human hair wigs have different care needs. Like your natural hair, human hair wigs will react to the weather and can frizz, so they need more care and attention than synthetic wigs, which maintain their style all year round. We recommend using wig care repair products to ensure your wig stays in the best condition possible, as the cold can dry out and damage your wig.
How Do You Secure a Hat to a Wig?
So long as your wig is properly secured with a wig band, wig tape or wig glue, you should be able to simply place your hat on top.
Avoid pulling the hat down harshly, as this can flatten your wig’s style and make it uncomfortable to wear. For extra peace of mind, you can use hairpins to secure the hat tightly into place (this is particularly useful for slouchy or beanie styles of hat).
For all things headwear, from hats to headscarves and turbans, you’ll find our guide to headwear for hair loss really interesting! For the warmer months, check out our blog on wearing wigs in the summer.
If you have any further questions, please get in touch with our friendly, expert team today – they’ll be happy to help you find your ideal headwear!
I always wear a hat when gardening. It protects my wig from the elements and acts as a sun hat. But I have learnt that it is better not to fasten the hat to my wig. As both my garden and the community allotment where I volunteer, have bushes and trees with head level branches, just waiting to grab hold of anything on my head. My gardening hat can be sacrificed to the branches instead of having my hair removed.
Yes, we do petite wigs :).
Do you make petite wigs ?