Key Takeaways:
- Shape Matters Most: Open tops, rear ponytail openings and roomy crowns give volume, twists and puffs somewhere to go instead of pressing them flat.
- Size For Your Hair, Not Just Your Head: Measure with your hair styled the way you'll wear it under the hat.
- A Smooth Lining Helps: Silk where the hat touches your hair is designed to help reduce friction and frizz and to be gentle on your hair's natural moisture.
- Match The Hat To The Style: High puffs suit open tops, low puffs and ponytails suit rear openings, and twist-outs suit a roomy, lined crown.
Shop hats that make room for natural hair
See hats for protective styles
Finding a hat for natural hair can be frustrating. Standard hats are often cut for flatter styles, so a big puff, a twist-out or a head full of two-strand twists either won't fit or gets squashed the moment the hat goes on. The answer usually isn't to force your hair into a hat. It's to pick a hat built to make room for it.
In this guide, we'll walk through the hat shapes that work best with natural hair, which styles suit which hairdos, how to get the sizing right, and a few tips for keeping your definition intact while you wear one.
What Makes A Hat Work For Natural Hair?
When you're shopping for a hat for natural hair, four details make the biggest difference:
- Room: Your hair needs space, either inside a generous crown or outside the hat through an opening.
- An exit for hair worn up: Open tops and rear openings let puffs, buns and ponytails sit through the hat rather than under it.
- A smooth surface: Coily and kinky textures have lots of bends that can catch on rough fabric. A smooth lining lets the hat sit against your hair with less friction.
- An adjustable or well-chosen fit: Your hair's volume changes from style to style and from wash day to day five. Adjustable hats flex with it. Sized hats should be measured with your hair as you'll wear it.
Every Damazo hat is lined in 100% 22-momme, OEKO-TEX® certified mulberry silk where it meets your hair. Our open-top Eclipse and Eos put the silk on the band, which is the part that touches your hairline.
The Best Hat Styles For Natural Hair
Open-Top Sun Hats And Visors: For High Puffs And Buns
If you love a high puff or a top bun, an open-top hat is the simplest solution, because there's no crown to press on your hair. The Eclipse ($65) is an open-top sun hat with a wide brim and a silk-lined band. The Eos ($55) is a lighter, sportier visor for walks, errands and workouts. Both come in one adjustable size, made for most head sizes plus buns, braids and volume. Browse more open-top hats and visors.
Ponytail Caps And Sun Hats: For Low Puffs, Ponytails And Braids
A puff or bun at the back of your head is where most caps fail, because the gap at the back is too small. The Veloura Flow ($75) is a baseball cap with an oversized rear opening for ponytails, buns, braids and volume, plus a fully silk-lined interior. It's one adjustable size. For sunnier days, the Flow ponytail sun hat ($75) brings the same idea to a straw wide-brim sun hat, with a rear opening for buns, puffs and high ponytails over a silk-lined crown. It comes in Medium and Large.
Bucket Hats: For Twist-Outs, Braid-Outs And Hair Worn Down
When your hair is out, a bucket hat with a deeper crown lets it sit inside the hat instead of being flattened. The Sasha ($75) has a 100% cotton exterior, a fully silk-lined interior and a crown with enough depth for your hair to sit in. It comes in Medium and Large, and it's an easy year-round pick.
Wide-Brim Sun Hats With A Lined Crown
For shorter natural styles or hair worn low, a classic wide-brim hat still works well. The Soleil Classic ($85) has a 5 in (12.7 cm) crown and a 19.5 in (49.5 cm) brim, lined in silk where the hat meets your hair. If your hair has a lot of volume up top, the open-top Eclipse or the Flow ponytail sun hat may be the more comfortable choice.
Which Hat Suits Your Hairstyle?
| Your style | What to look for | Try |
|---|---|---|
| High puff, pineapple or top bun | An open top, so nothing presses on your hair | Eclipse, Eos |
| Low puff, ponytail or low bun | A rear opening your hair can sit through | Veloura Flow, Flow sun hat |
| Twist-out, braid-out or wash-and-go worn down | A roomy, silk-lined crown that sits lightly | Sasha |
| Two-strand twists, locs or box braids | Room for length and bulk, or an open top | See our protective styles edit |
| TWA or short natural hair | A comfortable fit and a smooth lining | Soleil Classic, Veloura caps |
Wearing locs or braids? We've written dedicated guides on hats for locs and hats for box braids.
How To Size A Hat For Natural Hair
The most common mistake is measuring your bare head and then trying to wear the hat over a full twist-out. Instead:
- Style your hair the way you'll usually wear it under the hat.
- Wrap a soft tape measure around your head where the hat will sit, about a finger's width above your ears and across your forehead.
- Compare that measurement with the size chart. For Damazo sized hats, Medium fits 56.5–58 cm (22.2–22.8 in) and Large fits 58.5–60 cm (23.0–23.6 in).
- If you're between sizes, or your volume varies a lot from style to style, take the Large.
The Eclipse, Eos and Veloura caps are one adjustable size, so you can loosen or tighten them as your hair changes. Our Fit Quiz and guide on how to measure your head for a hat walk you through it. Size exchanges on sized hats are free, and U.S. shipping is free.
Tips For Wearing A Hat With Natural Hair
Style Before The Hat Goes On
Let your hair dry fully first. Damp twist-outs and wash-and-gos tend to set in the shape of the hat, so a style that has already dried holds up much better. Many people with natural hair like to moisturize and seal their ends before a long day out, since hats, sun and wind can all leave hair feeling drier.
Be Kind To Your Hairline
A band that grips tightly or rubs in the same spot all day isn't comfortable. Choose a fit that sits securely without digging in, and avoid pulling your edges back tightly just to make a hat fit. An adjustable strap or the next size up is usually the better fix.
Position The Hat Thoughtfully
Setting a hat slightly back from your hairline keeps it from pressing your front section flat. With an open-top or ponytail hat, place your puff or bun first, then settle the hat around it.
Refresh When The Hat Comes Off
Fluff your roots with your fingertips or a pick, and use a light mist of water or leave-in on any sections that look flattened. Twists and braid-outs often just need a gentle separate and fluff.
Final Thoughts
The best hat for natural hair is one that makes room for it. Open tops suit high puffs, rear openings suit low puffs and ponytails, and a roomy, silk-lined crown suits hair worn out. Get the sizing right for your hair as you actually wear it, and you'll spend less time fixing your style and more time enjoying it. Explore more options in our silk-lined hats for curly and coily hair.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hats For Natural Hair
What hats are good for big natural hair?
Open-top sun hats and visors, caps and sun hats with a rear ponytail opening, and bucket hats with a roomy crown all give volume somewhere to go. A smooth lining helps where the hat touches your hair.
Can I wear a hat with a puff?
Yes. A high puff fits through an open-top hat like the Eclipse or Eos. A low puff can sit through the rear opening of the Veloura Flow cap or the Flow ponytail sun hat.
What size hat should I get for natural hair?
Measure around your head with your hair styled the way you'll wear it. If you're between sizes, or your volume varies a lot, go for the larger size or an adjustable style.
Are silk-lined hats good for natural hair?
Silk has a smooth surface that creates less friction than cotton. Silk-lined hats are designed to help reduce friction and frizz where the hat meets your hair and to be gentle on your hair's natural moisture.
Can I wear a hat over twists or braids?
Yes. Look for extra room or an open top, and avoid anything that pulls tightly at your hairline. Our guides to hats for locs and hats for box braids go into more detail.
