How properly to recalculate my hat size due to new presence of hair?

[Genuine Classic Gangster]

Usually, I would shave my head completely bald, because I think that looks best for me.

Therefore, I would calculate my hat size based on the premise that I have no hair.

When I have no hair, and when I try to measure my head's circumference with a cloth tape measure, the measurement appeared to be 57.8 cm.

When I contacted a custom hat maker with that information, they told me that going with 59 cm for my hat size would probably be best, in order to allow for some leeway.

So I ordered a 59 cm hat from them (and also they determined from photos of my head that my head shape is EXLO, so they made the hat into that shape too), and it fit me properly, albeit with a couple of gaps between the sweatband and my head in a couple of places at the sides.

That was many years ago.

Since that time, I have ordered many additional hats in the same way, meaning 59 cm and in EXLO shape, from various different custom hat makers, and they have also fit me in the same way.

But now, I have a new problem.

That is, I have a woman who thinks that I look better with some hair than without any hair.

So for that reason, I am allowing my hair to grow.

But obviously, this new factor, of having hair now, when I didn't use to have any, screws up my hat sizes.

When I use a cloth tape measure to measure the circumference of my head, now the measurement seems to be 59.8 cm (as opposed to the 57.8 cm that it used to be, when I had no hair).

So, all of this leaves me with questions like:

1) If I am going to continue to have hair, then should I add another 1.2 cm to that total of 59.8 cm, when I order new custom hats (just like I did when my head circumference with no hair was 57.8 cm, but then I still added 1.2 cm of leeway and thus ordered 59 cm hats)?

In other words, should I start ordering 61 cm size hats (even though I used to order 59 cm size hats when I had no hair)?

2) What should I do with my current hats when I need to have them cleaned & reblocked & the sweatbands replaced? Should I ask the hatters who will be doing all of that to increase the size to 61 cm, or to any other size?

And if I do ask them to increase the size, then might that damage my current hats, because it would be stretching them too much (from their 59 cm original size, to the 61 cm new size)?

3) How do I know whether or not my current hair will remain consistent, in terms of the size that it requires me to account for when I am ordering hats and/or having hats reblocked?

For example, how do I know that in three months from now, my hair won't have grown more, and thus add another cm, or two, or three, to the total size that I need to account for when calculating my correct hat size?

Please give me your best advice about these sizing matters. Thank you.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Usually, I would shave my head completely bald, because I think that looks best for me.

Therefore, I would calculate my hat size based on the premise that I have no hair.

When I have no hair, and when I try to measure my head's circumference with a cloth tape measure, the measurement appeared to be 57.8 cm.

When I contacted a custom hat maker with that information, they told me that going with 59 cm for my hat size would probably be best, in order to allow for some leeway.

So I ordered a 59 cm hat from them (and also they determined from photos of my head that my head shape is EXLO, so they made the hat into that shape too), and it fit me properly, albeit with a couple of gaps between the sweatband and my head in a couple of places at the sides.

That was many years ago.

Since that time, I have ordered many additional hats in the same way, meaning 59 cm and in EXLO shape, from various different custom hat makers, and they have also fit me in the same way.

But now, I have a new problem.

That is, I have a woman who thinks that I look better with some hair than without any hair.

So for that reason, I am allowing my hair to grow.

But obviously, this new factor, of having hair now, when I didn't use to have any, screws up my hat sizes.

When I use a cloth tape measure to measure the circumference of my head, now the measurement seems to be 59.8 cm (as opposed to the 57.8 cm that it used to be, when I had no hair).

So, all of this leaves me with questions like:

1) If I am going to continue to have hair, then should I add another 1.2 cm to that total of 59.8 cm, when I order new custom hats (just like I did when my head circumference with no hair was 57.8 cm, but then I still added 1.2 cm of leeway and thus ordered 59 cm hats)?

In other words, should I start ordering 61 cm size hats (even though I used to order 59 cm size hats when I had no hair)?

2) What should I do with my current hats when I need to have them cleaned & reblocked & the sweatbands replaced? Should I ask the hatters who will be doing all of that to increase the size to 61 cm, or to any other size?

And if I do ask them to increase the size, then might that damage my current hats, because it would be stretching them too much (from their 59 cm original size, to the 61 cm new size)?

3) How do I know whether or not my current hair will remain consistent, in terms of the size that it requires me to account for when I am ordering hats and/or having hats reblocked?

For example, how do I know that in three months from now, my hair won't have grown more, and thus add another cm, or two, or three, to the total size that I need to account for when calculating my correct hat size?

Please give me your best advice about these sizing matters. Thank you.

I believe there are too many factors for anyone to give you definite answers. In my experience, once the hair reaches a certain length, adding more length doesn't increase the bulk. I have no idea if you have reached that stage in hair growth. As for the future of your hair bulk, one important question that no one can answer seems to be how much are you going to thin out in the future? Another factor to consider is this: if you and your lady part ways in the future (I hope you have a long and healthy relationship!), will you cut your hair off again?

Your hair will certainly grow if you don't cut it (and if you do cut it, it will grow faster); however you have the power to determine how much bulk you have simply by maintaining the hair at a certain length. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has made hair styling decisions based on how my favorite hats will fit me. I do keep a number of hats in a bigger size in case I decide one day to grow my hair out long again, but for now I love my hair cut close because it gives me access to cheaper hats (I can fit into 6-7/8 with my hair cut close, whereas when it was long I wore 7-1/8. 6-7/8 hats are cheaper and there is less competition for them).

Not sure if these answers are helpful but I do think you should realize that a lot of this is within your power to control. It's possible that you just need to make a decision about how you want your hair to be for the foreseeable future.

 

[Genuine Classic Gangster]

Your hair will certainly grow if you don't cut it (and if you do cut it, it will grow faster); however you have the power to determine how much bulk you have simply by maintaining the hair at a certain length.

Thanks for the feedback, The Lost Cowboy.

In response to that quotation, these questions come to mind:

1) how, exactly, would I "maintain the hair at a certain length?" If I am simply using my eyes to guess how bulky my hair has become at any given moment, that doesn't seem very scientific?

But if there is a scientific way to do it, then I don't understand what that would be?

2) Even after I determine at what length I wish to maintain my hair, then how am I to test what my current hat size should be?

I can't accurately test it with the hats I have on hand, because I've used all of them, and therefore the leather sweatbands in them have shrunk somewhat, and thus caused them now to fit tighter on my head than they did at the time when I first bought them, and when the sweatbands were therefore brand new.

So, if I were to try to gauge my possible current hat size, while I have hair, using the hats that I already have, then I would run into the problem of, I don't know how to determine:

a) to what degree is that hat too tight because the sweatband has shrunk?

versus

b) to what degree is that hat too tight because I have more hair now?

How might I figure out the solution to that dilemma?

Going into a hat store and trying on OTR hats wouldn't work, because OTR hats are never EXLO, so to compensate for that, I have to take a larger size in an OTR hat as compared versus the more accurate, smaller size I would take from a custom hatter who makes hats according to my EXLO head shape.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Thanks for the feedback, The Lost Cowboy.

In response to that quotation, these questions come to mind:

1) how, exactly, would I "maintain the hair at a certain length?" If I am simply using my eyes to guess how bulky my hair has become at any given moment, that doesn't seem very scientific?

But if there is a scientific way to do it, then I don't understand what that would be?

2) Even after I determine at what length I wish to maintain my hair, then how am I to test what my current hat size should be?

I can't accurately test it with the hats I have on hand, because I've used all of them, and therefore the leather sweatbands in them have shrunk somewhat, and thus caused them now to fit tighter on my head than they did at the time when I first bought them, and when the sweatbands were therefore brand new.

So, if I were to try to gauge my possible current hat size, while I have hair, using the hats that I already have, then I would run into the problem of, I don't know how to determine:

a) to what degree is that hat too tight because the sweatband has shrunk?

versus

b) to what degree is that hat too tight because I have more hair now?

How might I figure out the solution to that dilemma?

Going into a hat store and trying on OTR hats wouldn't work, because OTR hats are never EXLO, so to compensate for that, I have to take a larger size in an OTR hat as compared versus the more accurate, smaller size I would take from a custom hatter who makes hats according to my EXLO head shape.

How do you figure out your head size? Measure it with a tape measure. I’m not sure I understand where your confusion is. There is no science that will tell you how much bulk your hair will add when it grows longer - you just have to measure it again.