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Woven Straws

As a general rule, woven natural straws are breathable and delicate. In addition to the specific straws listed below, this category includes straws such as laichow, parisisol, raffia, seagrass, and sisal. The single most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your hat is to handle it with two hands, by the brim. You should never pick up your hat by the crown – you’ll crack it open in no time and cry real tears over it. If you don’t think you can stop yourself from grabbing your hat by the crown, we advise you to look at our collection of braids – they can take a lot of abuse.

Panama

There are two easy ways to identify panama hats – 1) look for the “Hand woven in Ecuador” seal on the inside of the hat and 2) they’re woven from the center top out, resulting in a distinctive circular knot of fibers. Panama hats are frequently crisp and dressy, and breathable but delicate. The single most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your hat is to handle it with two hands by the brim. You should never pick up your hat by the crown – you’ll crack it open in no time and cry real tears over it. If you don’t think you can stop yourself from grabbing your hat by the crown, we advise you to look at our collection of braids – they can take a lot of abuse.

Paper

Sometimes called "Toyo" or "Twisted Toyo," paper straw is a less expensive alternative to panama. They breath reasonably well, especially twisted toyo. The single most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your hat is to handle it with two hands by the brim. You should never pick up your hat by the crown – you’ll crack it open in no time and cry real tears over it. If you don’t think you can stop yourself from grabbing your hat by the crown, we advise you to look at our collection of braids – they can take a lot of abuse.

Shantung

Shantung is a thin natural straw made from finely woven rolled rice paper with a coating for strength and a bit of sheen. These hats, like all woven straw hats, are delicate. The single most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your hat is to handle it with two hands by the brim. You should never pick up your hat by the crown – you’ll crack it open in no time and cry real tears over it. If you don’t think you can stop yourself from grabbing your hat by the crown, we advise you to look at our collection of braids – they can take a lot of abuse.

Sinamay 

Sinamay is most commonly used for dressy feminine summer hats. Think Kentucky Derby, outdoor wedding, and Sunday best. They hold color well and come in all the shades of the rainbow. Sinamay can be starched to be ridged for gravity defying fascinators and whirls of trim or kept soft to make big dramatic brims. These hats do very poorly in weather and should be kept dry.

Braids

Braids are a broad category encompassing a wide variety of natural and synthetic materials. Narrow strips of plaited fiber are sewn together from the top of the crown out to the edge of the brim. They are then blocked for a crisp finish and trimmed. This construction makes them harder wearing than woven options, but not as hard wearing as felts. 

We found this delightful vintage video showing how braids are sewn. Although this film is from 1955, little has changed. In fact, little has changed in hat manufacturing since the 1800s, when steam power was introduced. Much of the equipment used today was retrofitted from steam power.

Hemp

We seriously love hemp braids and take credit for convincing Stetson USA and Dobbs to add them to their offerings. Hemp fibers are woven into a thin braid, which is then sewn to form the hat. Hemp braids are both breathable and durable and frequently our top choice for everyday wear. They hold color well and can take poor handling, but we still advise you to handle your hat with two hands by the brim. Picking up your hat by the crown can change the shape of your hat and the natural oils on your hands will leave marks over time.

Linen Braid 

The braid structure (fibers are woven into a strip, which is then sewn to form the hat from the center top) adds even more durability to the already hard-wearing, soft, and breathable linen. It’s usually blended with paper, polyester, and/or polypropylene to help keep its shape.

Palm Braid

“Braid” is a bit of a misnomer. These hats are made from strips of palm fibers that are sewn together from the center top to form the hat. These hats are ridged and hold their shape incredibly well, which makes them an excellent choice for wider brimmed hats and sun protection. They often have grommeted air vents to increase airflow as they are not especially breathable without. Many of ours are outdoor hats for hiking, gardening, and other recreational activities, so they come with chin cords.

Paper Braid

Paper Braids are far more durable than woven paper, which can be listed as “paper,” “toyo,” or “shantung.” They’re made from fine strands of rolled paper that are woven into a strip, which is then sewn to form the hat. Sometimes the paper is blended with polyester or polypropylene for added strength. They take a beating and, because they’re priced affordably, you won’t be furious with yourself if you need a new one every season.

Poly Braid

These hats come in beautiful, vivid colors that hold over time. These hats don’t breathe as well as natural fibers, but they’re virtually indestructible – just don’t light them on fire or expose them to chlorinated water. They’re easy to pack and can be wiped down with a damp cloth if they get sweaty. All that and they’re typically available at a lower price point than woven styles.

Nylon Braid 

Sometimes called “horsehair” or “crinoline,” nylon braids make beautiful feminine hats. They’re light and airy, but not great for sun protection. They come in a wide range of colors. These hats take a fair amount of abuse but can be trimmed with beautiful feather work that is delicate. They can be a great choice if you need to travel with your hat or are going to an outdoor event and are not sure about the weather.

Ribbon

Ribbon hats are made from ribbon stitched together in the same way braids are stitched. They tend to be durable, with many casual styles being packable and rollable. The material is most common in summer styles, but occasionally shows up in feminine dress hats in high quality ribbons.

Hat Handling 

• The best way to keep your hat looking fresh and new is to handle it as little as possible.
• The oils from your hands will leave marks over time – especially on light colored hats.
• When you pick up your hat, do it with two hands by the brim. We know it’s what they do in movies, but don’t pick your hat up by the crown and definitely don’t grab it by the pinch. This is especially important with natural straw hats, which will crack open and you will be very, very sad.
• Many of our hats come already treated to be water resistant, but as a general rule, don’t wear your hat in heavy rain; light rain or drizzle is usually fine. Some brands and materials do better than others. 
• Light colored hats can show spotting from acid rain. Check our materials guide if you have questions about a specific material.
• If you get caught in the rain, sleet, or snow, shake as much water off the hat as you can and let your hat to dry overnight.

Hat Storage

When you put your brimmed hat down on a flat surface, you should rest it upside down with the crown touching the surface and the brim up (resting your hat brim side down will take the curve out and flatten the brim).

• You can hang your brimmed hat on a hook or a peg but you want to make sure that the peg isn’t poking the hat out of shape. Avoid sharp or pointy pegs.
• Long term, you should store your brimmed hat in a hat box.
• This will help maintain the shape and keep your hat free of dust, especially in the off season when you might not wear it for months. Head forms are also good to use. In the store, we use old industrial wooden spindles, candle sticks, and wall mounted candelabras.
• If you have a hat with feathers and a cat, you definitely want to store your hat in a box year-round - your cat will find and destroy those feathers in a hot second.

Caps, casquettes, and other cloth hats usually easy care.

• Like brimmed hats, they can be hung on a hook or peg.
• When you put your caps away for the season, you can stuff them with tissue paper to hold their shape and prevent deep wrinkling.
• Linen caps are particularly hard to keep wrinkle free. 
• You can steam your cloth hats using a tea kettle or pot of boiling water or by using the steam setting on an iron to send out bursts of steam.
• Never iron your caps.
• Be careful not to burn yourself - steam is hotter than boiling water!

How to Clean a Hat

The first thing to understand is that hat cleaning is a specialized process that needs to be done by a professional. DO NOT ever put your hat in a washing machine or give it to a dry cleaner unless they specializes in hat cleaning (which is rare). You can gently spot clean most hats, but there aren’t a lot of places where you can get your hat cleaned these days, so you’ll want to do everything you can to keep your hat in good condition. Prevention is the name of the game.

• For felt hats – lint roll your hat regularly and use a hat brush (make sure you watch our how to use a hat brush video) to get at deeper dirt and, especially with long hair hats, keep the finish looking top notch. Bonus points if you use steam with your hat brush (use a tea kettle or a pot of boiling water if you don't have a kettle).
• For synthetic straws – brush off dust and gently wipe down your hat with a damp cloth. Be mindful of the trim, which might spot if exposed to water.
• For natural straw – brush off dust and be kind to your hat. Spot clean as soon as you notice a spot. Shantung is particularly difficult to clean.

If your hat needs restoration or refurbishment beyond these simple steps, we recommend you send it to a professional. Contact our friends at McLaughlin & Hayes.

Okay, let’s talk about sweat: it’s gross and we all want to pretend it doesn’t happen, but it does. It’s best to be prepared, especially in the warmer months.

• You can spray the inside of cloth sweatbands (the part that faces the hat) with scotch guard to make it harder for sweat to get through to the outside of the hat.
• If you’re having a sweaty moment, when you take your hat off, set it crown side down on a flat surface and flip the sweatband up so that the sweat dries out of both sides of the band, rather than through the hat. BUT if your hat has a cloth or grosgrain sweatband, it's possible that your sweatband may shrink. If you're worried about it shrinking, keep your hat on until the sweatband dries (doing so will give you a really good fit). 
• The thing that is most likely to start looking bad is the hat band. You can get the band changed (this is a service we offer in the brick and mortar store) or you can put an interchangeable hat band over the existing hat band.

If you have a question about care or storage, call us at 937-222-HATS and we'll help you understand best practices, or drop us a line and set up a FaceTime or Zoom consult - sometimes it's easier to see than to tell.