Hat lovers and enthusiasts everywhere will know just how essential great hat care is. Being able to take the measures to extend your hat’s lifespan doesn’t take much, but it can greatly affect the look and even comfort of your favourite accessory. Straw hats can be particularly known to be ‘fragile’ and prone to fraying due to their natural fibres.
While we can definitely take our hats to be repaired by a professional should something happen, taking preventative measures is a far easier process in the long run. Here are some of the best tips to keep your hat from fraying:
- Moisturise!
- Store Your Hat Away From the Heat
- Handle With Care
Sure, these might seem broad and obvious, but there’s more to it! Keep on reading to find out more about how to give your straw hat the best proactive care.
1. Moisturise!
It turns out we are not the only ones who need to integrate moisturiser into our self-care routines – our hats do too. The straw in our hats will become brittle if not properly moisturised, which in turn makes them far more prone to fraying and even cracking.
Now, we’re definitely not telling you to head to your bathroom cupboard and pull out your favourite face cream – straw hats need way less moisture than that. Some hat owners recommend using baby wipes on your straw hat as an affordable hat care hack. Since baby wipes contain a small amount of gentle soap and water, they are a great option to give your hat just the right amount of moisture and keep it well hydrated. Gently wipe your hat occasionally and you should be good to go! If the baby wipes feel too saturated with moisture, simply wring them out on the sink before proceeding with your moisturising session – easy!
2. Store Your Hat Away From the Heat
We know that our straw hats are even more prone to fraying when the fibres are dry. Extreme hot weather greatly speeds up both the fraying and cracking process in our hats by drying out the straw significantly faster. While it’s impossible to avoid exposing your hat to sun and heat – that’s what hats are made to protect us from, after all – it’s not hard to minimise exposure whenever we do get that chance.
In other words, storing our hats in cool places is essential to contribute to its durability. Do not leave your straw hat in your car, for example, or hanging near a window if you can.
3. Handle With Care
Handling your Panama or other straw hat with care goes beyond just being generally careful. It’s about knowing how to pick it up, put it down, and rest it in a way that will best maintain its shape and ultimately cause less wear and tear to your accessory, avoiding fraying and keeping it like new for way longer.
Straw is famously malleable, and that can go against your favour when it comes to dealing with your hat. Go for the brim whenever you are picking up your straw hat, and so avoid pinching the crown. This technique will keep your hat shaped to your head and avoid unwanted deformities, as well as eliminate unnecessary and harmful friction to the already vulnerable crown. Good luck!
