WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER WRITES ABOUT HAT HAIR

We got a call from Ray Smith from the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago. Smith wanted sales statistics for headwear sales in the US. He also wanted to discuss the subject of “Hat Hair.” So we put him in touch with a few of our loyal subscribers.

The article came out on February 11th …and it was so great we wanted to share it with you. It extols the virtues of wicking fabric to eliminate some of the effects of hat hair. When they tested different hats (Biltmore, Bailey and Orvis) to see which ones caused hat hair, the winner was a $40 hat from Orvis. The consensus was that the elastic sweatband with wicking capabilities helped keep away perspiration, thus minimizing the effects of hat hair. There you have it, we learn something every day, don’t we?

For those of you who have not seen the article, read on. Also pay attention to the comment by Smith that the headwear industry has not really capitalized on the sun screen aspect of headwear. More about that later on.

How to Have a Better Hair Day
From new high-tech fibers, an unintended fix for an old problem
By RAY A. SMITH
February 11, 2006; Page P5

Death, taxes -- and hat hair. For guys trying to keep their heads warm in winter, the crumpled-hair look that comes from wearing a hat has been one of life's inevitabilities.

Hoping to create a more comfortable hat, makers are increasingly turning to high-tech fabrics intended to keep the wearer's head from becoming sweaty. By keeping the moisture factor low, these designs produce an unintentional side effect: Hair doesn't get matted down as much, making it easier for a man's coiffure to spring back into place.

Oddly enough, this isn't exactly making headlines in the dress-hat world. When it comes to marketing, most makers are a fairly conservative lot, perhaps not surprising for companies selling fedoras. Despite all the attention focused on skin cancer for years now, for instance, they've only recently begun promoting hats as protection against the sun.

And when it comes to hat hair, makers have largely avoided the issue. Industry experts say style is more of a factor for hat buyers. "Men, according to our research, rarely if ever complain" about hat hair, says Art Gardner, past president of the Headwear Association trade group. The group bases its research primarily on feedback from retailers who relay hat shoppers' comments, which may not account for hairdo-sensitive types who avoid hat purchases altogether.

"Maybe we've missed the boat in not considering hat hair to be a significant drawback," says Don Rongione, chief executive of Bollman, parent company of Kangol, Bailey and other hat brands.

For Randy Weston, the specter of hat hair was enough to put him off hats permanently. On chilly days, he now dons ear warmers that wrap around the back of his head. If a hat promised to address his hair issues, "I'd be willing to give it a try," says Mr. Weston, an editor at a technology research firm.

The science of hat hair is fairly simple. It's caused by the force of the hat pressing on your head. Oil and sweat make it worse. Sweat "can actually act like glue," says David Grier, a New York University physics professor, who compares the effect to two pieces of glass firmly held together by a drop of water.

Hat makers must strike a balance between the snug fit required to lock in heat and the prospect of leaving indentation in your hair. If a hat is too tight, you'll get a telltale line. And a traditional dress hat with a leather sweatband -- typical of more expensive models -- often leaves a line because the band is rigid and doesn't breathe as much as fabric.

To manage perspiration, makers looked to fibers that wick away moisture and had been used for comfort in some golf hats for years. Dorfman Pacific, maker of Scala and Equator brands, started using wicking fibers in elastic sweatbands in its dress hats this winter. Bollman now puts them in the fabric sweatbands in 50% of its crushable felt hats, up from about 10% two years ago. This year, Orvis is putting elastic sweatbands with wicking fibers in its wool felt hats that cost less than $100. (Customers for its pricier hats still expect a leather sweatband, the company says.) And Borsalino plans to add the fibers to some of its hats this spring.

Occasionally hat hair can have an upside. "If you're letting your hair grow," says Rodney Cutler of Cutler Salon in New York, "having a hat on can take the volume out of it, so you won't look like you have Barry Manilow or Neil Diamond hair."

But Fred Belinksy, president of California retail chain Village Hat Shop, says he's considering plugging some of the new styles as hat-hair-resistant. "Who knows how many people aren't coming into the store in the first place because they are worried about hat hair?"

Left: Biltmore, $110: Rigid leather sweatband gives hat a better fit because size can be matched to the head's circumference. This one gave us the worst hat hair. Bailey hat, $44: Cotton sweatband conforms to head and absorbs perspiration. This one gave us some hat hair. Orvis, $40: Features elastic sweatband with fibers that wick away perspiration, coming out in July. It gave us the least hat hair.