How to make a hat smaller

An ill-fitting hat won’t look or feel good. And while it’s easy to order a perfectly fitted hat thanks to a hat measuring guide, you might end up with one that’s slightly too big if you’re getting it second-hand, from a vintage store, or as a gift. Don’t worry though, there are a few different methods you can try to make your hat smaller. We cover four ways to shrink a hat below. 

How to shrink a hat

Here are some of the easiest ways to make a hat smaller. 

Sizing tape method

Hat sizing tape, or hat size reducer, is a commonly used product to help people keep their hats on their heads. It’s even used in shops when a customer’s head size is a little too big for one hat size but a little too small for the next size up.

The tape is made out of foam about ⅛ of an inch thick and has adhesive on one side. The trick is to slip it into the sweatband of a hat in precisely the places where it feels loose. You can use as much or as little as you need and adjust the placement until it feels just right before removing the adhesive protector and sticking the pieces down permanently.  

Placing the tape inside the sweatband keeps it hidden and ensures the hat’s fabric is resting against your skin, not the foam. This hat-shrinking method will still work if your hat doesn’t have any lining to hide the tape, but the finished look won’t be as neat.

Steaming method

This method involves treating your hat with hot water vapor and hot air. A word of warning, this could damage the wool of a tweed hat, so it’s best used for other hat types..

To steam your hat, you’ll need a large pan filled with water. Bring it to a boil and hold your hat (right way up) around six inches above the water. You might want to wear some rubber gloves to protect your hands from the heat. 

The goal is to heat up and moisten the band of your hat and encourage it to shrink. Hold it in place over the water for 30 seconds, then let it cool for 30 seconds, and repeat this process four times. 

Next, you’ll need a hairdryer on its highest heat setting. Let your hat rest on your fist and hold the hairdryer around 12 inches away, pointed at the band. Blast the hat until it’s dry and then try it on for size. Hopefully, it will have shrunk already but if it needs a little more coaxing then keep at it with the hairdryer for a little longer. 

Elastic band method

If you’re up for a bit of sewing, the elastic band method can help make your hat sit more snugly on your head. For this one, you need some waistband elastic, pins, a needle, and some thread that matches the color of your hat’s sweatband.

This idea is to attach the elastic to the back of your hat so it can hug your head instead of the oversized hat rim. To do this, you need to cut an appropriate length of elastic — just put on your hat and feel around to see where the looseness at the back starts on both sides — and cut as much as is needed to connect those two points. 

Because it’s elastic, you want it to be just about taught, so it can stretch when you put your hat on and hug your head. To test the length and placement, pin the elastic to your sweatband at each end and try your hat on. When the fit feels right, simply sew the elastic in place so you can remove the pins. Because you’re just fastening each end of the elastic to your hat, it’s pretty doable even if you’re not handy with a needle. 

https://www.pexels.com/photo/assorted-color-button-pin-on-brown-surface-1232131/ 

Alt text: How to shrink a hat using the elastic band method 

Blow dry method

This method is pretty much the same as the steaming method but uses room-temperature water instead of steam. Simply use a spray bottle full of water to lightly mist the band and body of your hat. 

Next, use a hair dryer on its hottest setting to dry both the outside and inside of the hat. Bear in mind that the band is the most important part of shrinking the size of your hat, so make sure it gets plenty of attention. Remember to hold the hair dryer about 12 inches away and, once it’s dry, do a fit test to see if you need to continue applying heat. 

Order a perfectly fitted hat from Tweedtopper

Using our size charts and our guide on how to measure your head, you can order a snug tweed cap in exactly the right size with no effort at all. Made from 100% premium wool, our timeless designs are both easy to wear and easy to care for. Check out our tweed caps here.