The purchase of a cowboy hat is a memorable event to a person who desires to adopt one of the traditional western American attires. It is entirely essential whether you are about to go to a weekend rodeo or a country music festival or you simply need an accessory that is fashionable in everyday life. There is no way that you can simply estimate your size and wish to be lucky as you shop online or in a store. A hat that is not the right one will make you so uncomfortable and this will totally spoil your whole appearance. That is why the learning of how to measure head for cowboy hat is the most important one before purchasing it. This is a mere minute process at home as opposed to the gigantic task of returns and exchanges. We will guide you through all the details of how to know the right hat size at the comfort of your living room. A great hat is a part of yourself and getting the right size would ensure that you will have it even in the coming years.
The Issue of the Right Hat Size.
The underestimation of the actual significance of a fitted cowboy hat is common to many people until they wear a hat that fits improperly. The tightness of a hat will squeeze your forehead and bring a great deal of headache even after a few hours of wearing. It will place an ugly red spot over your forehead, and you will feel like removing it far before your time will elapse. Tight hats also cut off the blood and cause one to feel overheated in hot summer days. A hat that is too loose on the other hand is all too irritating and distracting. It will slide down your eyes and cloud your eyesight or blow your head the moment you are struck by a good wind. Actual cowboys and outdoorsmen understand that a hat should be firmly fastened when they are riding a horse or laboring in the ranch. Although you may wear your western hat just because it is trendy, you would still want it to fit in and sit squarely and assuredly on your head. When you invest the time to fit properly, then you will be sure that your investment is an extension of your daily wardrobe. Good hats shape themselves to your individual head with time though it has to be the right size at the beginning to wear well.
Equipments required to make precise measurements.
There is no need to use highly technical and fancy equipment to obtain an accurate head measurement. A simple flexible cloth measuring tape is the best tool to use in the job. It is precisely what tailors and seamstresses apply to clothes in order to make changes. It loops round the natural shapes of your skull with ease and gives it the precise numbers without twisting and contorting. In case you do not possess a soft measuring tape, then you may use a length of non-stretch string or a piece of thick standard yarn easily. The string should be of zero elasticity otherwise the final reading will be totally false. A normal metal tape measure or a long wooden ruler will also be required to measure the string at a later stage. An example of this is a bathroom or bedroom mirror which is highly advised as it will assist you to make sure that the measuring line is in a straight line over your head. Lastly, take a pen and a piece of paper where you will be able to write your numbers down so that you do not forget them. These basic tools will be available on your counter and this will make the whole process of measuring simple and free of any error.
How to Measure Head of Cowboy hat Step-by-step Guide.
To have an adequate sizing outcome, it is vital to know the appropriate technique. These are simple steps that are to be followed to the latter to achieve the perfect western fit. The first step is to be right before your mirror with your posture straight as well as head held high. You need to put your hair in the same manner that you intend to wear it under the hat since the thick hairstyles make your hat size alter. Get your flexible measuring tape or non-stretch string and have the starting end of the same in the middle of your forehead. The tape must be positioned at the position of one and two fingers above your eyebrows. This particular position is where the inner sweatband of the cowboy hat will be popping on your head.
Then put the tape around your head in a nice manner. Hold it right above your ears and as over the broadest thickest part of the back part of your head. When you are using the mirror, you have to observe your tape closely on the mirror that it is fully flat all the way around your skull. When the tape is either at the bottom at the back or is too high at the top of your head then your measurement will be in essence off. Draw the tape tight in order to touch the skin and hair. You also do not want it to be tightened up to squeeze your head but it must never be loose or slack. The lesson of it is, that the tape must feel just as much like what you want your new hat to feel. Measure in inches and note down in your paper as soon as possible. One should always remember to measure it two or three times to ensure that there is total accuracy. In case you took a string pinch and the point right where the string meets the starting end. Place the string on a table, and use your ruler or metal tape measure and measure the string completely flat. Note down the last figure in your book.
The meaning of Cowboy Hat Sizing Charts.
After obtaining your actual size that you require you now have to convert your size into a size that is a typical cowboy hat. The United States fraudal sizing system of hats is somewhat confusing to look at until one gets used to it. These quantitative sizes are usually 6 3/4 to 7 5/8 or even bigger in case of custom orders. As an instance a head measure of 21 7/8 inches can be reduced to a size of 7 to the letter. There is a measurement of 22 1/4 inches equivalent to a size of 7 1/8. The vast majority of the respectable hats makers offer a particular detailed sizing chart on their site. The chart used to describe the particular brand should always be consulted since the size may be slightly different when comparing the hats of various manufacturers such as Stetson, or Resistol.
The general apparel sizing (Small Medium Large and Extra Large) is also employed by some of the modern western brands. The average size of a traditional hat is 7 to 7 1/8 and the size of a large is 7 1/4 to 7 3/8. In case you have the actual measurement in inches or even centimeters then you can easily locate your size in any chart that the retailer provides. The European brands may be using metric centimeters as their main unit of size measurement and therefore it is a good idea to write down the two metrics of inch and centimeters. Being aware of the exact numerical size allows you to have the final authority to shop without a second thought over the various brands of western wear without fearing to make a purchase and fearing to make a refund.
How to Find the Right Shape of Hats.
The amount of money you pay on a cowboy hat is not the entire equation as you have only one part to consider and that is the measurement of the head. The real form of your head will have a colossal impact on the way the hat fits and the comfort it will have on you when spending hours of use. The human heads mostly naturally fall in to 3 major shapes that include regular oval long oval and round oval. The most widespread head shape in the world is a regular oval and is compatible with majority of off-the-rack cowboy hats. In case you are a long oval head your head is long in the front to back and also in width it is narrow in length. Individuals with long oval heads tend to experience a great deal of pressure behind and on their forehead and their head of the hat is loose and floppy.
The head is a rounded oval and it is broader on either side and narrower on the front. Individuals having the round oval head will experience pinching on the side of the head directly over the ears. This is the reason why many of the best brands of cowboy hats produce hats that are tailored to fit long oval heads or rounded oval heads to eliminate this particular issue. You can also take a professional hat shaper or western wear store in case you purchase a conventional felt hat. They apply the hot steam in lightly bending the material and shaping the hat block to suit perfectly to your own head shape. This process of shaping involves the use of a custom that will make the hat fit snugly around your head no matter what the natural bone structure is.
What to Do When You Fall between Song Hats.
It is so much the norm to have your head measured and discover that you just fit in between two normal hat sizes in the chart. The golden rule of hat buying in the case is to always size up at times when you are not sure. A hat that is a little big can be easily fit to suit comfortably but a hat that is too small can not be extended to fit to make it comfortable without destroying its shape. In the case of the bigger size, you can purchase the cheaper hat sizing tape so that you can have an ideal custom fit. Hat tape is a sticky foam strip that has an adhesive at the backside.
All one has to do is to pull down the inner leather sweatband of your cowboy hat and stick the foam strips therein, under the felt or straw. A hat will fit well in long oval head by inserting a strip in the front and back. The introduction of strips on the left and right sides will assist in having a round oval head fit in a much more secure manner. Other ingenious individuals simply grab some cheap foam weather stripping available in a local hardware shop and use it as an inexpensive and, to a large extent, effective substitute of the official hat tape. To fit a bigger hat with a simple foam stuff, it is best to wear it by sizing down so that the hat would fit perfectly on your brow without losing the structural integrity of the gorgeous crown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most suitable material to use in measuring my head? The most ideal option when it comes to this will always be a measuring tape made of flexible cloth. It not only fits the natural curves of your skull very well but it also does not slip or slide. In case you do not have a cloth tape the second option is a piece of non-stretch heavy string or thick twine.
Would it be possible to apply a metal tape measure to my head? A hard metal tape measure should not be applied on your head. Metal tapes fail to bend around human curves in a proper manner. They will widen their mouths and offer you an artificially broad register that will readily lead to purchase of a hat that is much bigger than it should be.
Are cowboy hats smaller in size as they get old? Natural straw and felt cowboy hats may actually shrink with time particularly when they are subjected to heavy rain and intense sweating then left to dry in hot places such as the dashboard of a truck. This is the other significant factor that you should never purchase a hat that is already unbearably tight during the first day of ownership.
But what makes me know whether my cowboy hat is big or not? It is probably that your hat is too big when you can easily insert a whole finger between the forehead and the interior leather sweatband. The other obvious danger indicator is whether the hat is placed on the ears, as opposed to floating on them in a comfortable position a few inches above them. The hat you have on must be big enough to be high on your forehead, and not fall down your face when you shake your head vigorously.
Would I use my hair on my head or not? You have to always check your head with your hair in the same manner you intend to wear it under the hat. In case you wear your hair in the form of a low bun or a pony tail that you have to measure with. Thick hair is very volumizing and can change your size in hat required in a fraction.
Will a hat-stretcher repair a hat that has been made too small? A hat can be slightly snug and a wooden hat stretcher can help to ease the situation. But you can never make a hat more than one standard size, without permanently bending the brim and twisting the crown. Always it is most much better to purchase a hat that fits at the first place than to be able to use pain-inflicting stretching devices.
Final Thought
Determining your hat size is such an easy, yet, so important job that will help to spend many years of your life being comfortable and wearing a perfectly western hat. You are now equipped with the knowledge of what exactly constitutes head to cowboy hat so that when you are at the next time shopping your next favorite accessory, you are well equipped to do so with a lot of confidence. Also, do not forget to measure yourself several times to prevent mere errors and use the brand sizing chart before you make your final online purchase. It will make you feel great and natural whether you are wearing a classic rich felt Stetson in winter or a breathable straw hat in summer weather with a rugged fit. Do it gradually and take your time with the process of measuring and step out in the world in the true western style of comfort.
