When the temperatures start to drop, whether you’re bald from chemotherapy, suffering from patchy hair loss or thinning hair, or you even have a full head of hair, everyone starts wearing more headcovers, headbands, and scarves to keep out the cold. In fact, wintertime may be the one season that can help normalize walking around with headgear on – it can be harder to discern between a chemo patient and a healthy person when everyone’s heads are all covered.
Since everyone loses heat from the top of their heads, headcovers become even more essential in the winter. For cancer patients who are used to having head hair to protect against the cold, winter can seem more chilly than usual. Even if chemotherapy treatment has ended before winter and your hair has begun to grow back in, initially it’s going to be baby fine and will not offer much of a buffer. If you’re used to having longer hair, the back of your neck will likely also feel quite cold. You will want a few extra layers of defense. Start with a style of winter hat, cap, or other headcover that’s right for you. Consider pairing yours with a scarf, which can be just as easily worn around your neck or over your shoulders for extra warmth.
Confused by all the winter warmth fabric options? Let’s break them down for you and give you some examples to look at.
Fleece Headcovers
Just saying the word “fleece” should conjure up yummy feelings of snuggly warmth and comfort. “Fleece is a synthetic, non-woven fabric made of mainly polyester or a blend of other fabrics. It is a heat-trapping yet breathable, lightweight, comfortable, affordable fabric designed to feel fur-like, but with an unfinished texture.”1
What we love about fleece:
- Lightweight yet extra warm and cozy
- Affordable
- Comfortable and soft
Top Looks
Our Fleece Leah Hat, with a deep bucket shape so it comes down over the top of your ears, a petite brim, and an attractive side flower detail comes in Different solid colors to choose from. The similarly styled and fashionable Fleece Angelina Cloche comes with a side rosette and scattered leaf design in contrasting colors.
Looking for something a little simpler and more straightforward in your headcover? Check out the comfy no-itch Fleece Felicity Beanie Cap, our patented and popular Micro Fleece Slouchy Snood Cap, or our Microfleece 3-Seam Turban. All three of these “chemo caps” are winter-ready to help keep your head and ears covered and warm on those colder days.
For more head-plus-neck coverage, consider the tailed plush Fleece Head Wrap – which covers the base of the neck – or the playful Long Sock Cap (a.k.a. Elf Cap) which can be worn to bed or around town, cuffed or uncuffed. Throw the long end around your neck and tuck it into your jacket or shirt for some neck coverage as well!
Chenille Caps & Hats
Soft, fuzzy, warm chenille fabric is another popular light-weight yarn that looks great on the head.
What we love about chenille:
- Soft and plush
- Cozy and warm
- Durable
Top Looks
We carry several styles including cute beanies like the ribbed, stretchy, cuffed Addy Chenille Beanie and the ultrasoft Faryn Chenille Beanie.
We also have brimmed hats: the Teegan Chenille Bucket Hat, the 3” Big Brim Chenille Knit Fedora which features a vegan braided “leather’ band, and the texturized Fluffy Knit Chenille Fedora Hat, which comes with an inner drawstring to get the perfect fit. For added ear warmth and snug fit, pair a brimmed hat with a Bamboo Viscose Comfort Headband, any Slip-On Slinky Headwrap Pre-Tied Head Scarf, or even atop your favorite wig.
Cotton Knit & Cotton Blend Caps
Many women turn to cotton for its softness and breathability, and our cotton winter headcovers are no exception. Winter headcovers and hats can be made of 100% cotton or cotton blends. The knitted look associated with winter wear can be found on whole caps, on fixed and adjustable folded brims, made in knit styles ranging from chunky to cable to neatly tight stiches some of which are embellished with pom-pom toppers.
What we love about cotton:
- Breathable, natural material
- Soft and comfortable
- Easy to care for
- Seasonal versatility
Top Looks
Cotton can be found in our adorable Pure Cotton Ribbed Slouch Beanie, Distressed Rosette Beanie, and versatile 100% Cotton Knit Long Tail Headwrap.
Wool & Wool Blend Headwear
Wool is the fabric yarn most associated with cold weather, and Headcovers has a vast selection of wool headwear styles and colors options for you from pull-on caps to structured and fashion-forward hats.
Why we love wool:
- Natural material
- Tempurature regulating
- Durable
- Luxurious
Check out beanies like the holiday-party-perfect Celine Bejeweled Slouchy Beanie Hat, the 100% lambswool Agatha Two-Tone Rosette Beanie or the Animal Print Slouchy Knit Beanie. In solids, we have the ruched sides and cinched fabric of the pull-on Wool Alani Hat, which adds volume and looks great paired with a Classic Plaid Blanket Scarf Wrap, while the Knotted Heather Pull On Hat features a twisted knot that pairs well with casual and dressy attire alike.
Bell-shaped cloche hats come with brims in varying sizes. There’s the vintage-inspired Wool Whitney Cloche Hat, the fabric bow-adored wool-blend Octavia Cloche Hat, the multi-textured, chic Wool Johanna Cloche Hat, and others.
Some other fun styles of wool headcovers include berets (the Cherie Intarsia Knit Beret Hat, for instance), newsboy caps like the Aila Soft Wool Newsboy Cap, which features a deliciously warm ear-covering band around its base, and wool fedoras like the Boho Western Hat or the bold Stacy Leopard Print Buckle Fedora for those who have really embraced the adventure.
Cashmere is a wool made from the luxurious fiber of specific goats, primarily pashmina and cashmere goats. Known for its soft, silky, fine texture, items made from cashmere resist moisture and breathe naturally. Often used in sweaters and gloves, cashmere can also be found in scarves like our toasty and extravagant 35” square Solid Cashmere Head Scarf. This scarf can also be paired with a headcover and worn around the neck to keep extra warm against cold winter air.
Felt, Velvet/Velour, and Tweed
Rounding out the winter options, are toasty fabrics like felt, velvet, tweed, and cashmere. Felt is a non-woven textile made by compressing and heating fibers, be they natural like cotton or wool or synthetic like acrylic or rayon.
Felt can be turned into molded shapes or soft ones. If you like the finished, sturdier look of felt, check out the Gilded Age look of the Chevron Bow Rolled Felt Bowler Hat, the Old Hollywood movie star glamor look of the Lena Tortoiseshell Buckle Cloche Hat, the 60s style, asymmetrical Dakota Hat, or the très French Wool Felt Floral Beret.
Velvet is a type of densely woven fabric made by weaving two thicknesses of material on a loom at the same time and then connecting the two layers. Velour is a velvet-like woven fabric that is simpler and less costly to make. Both fabrics have a rich, warm look that immediately elevates casual attire. Our Velour Vanna Baseball Hat pairs perfectly with our patented and ear-warming Ponytail Headband for Hats. The Embellished Velour Turban with its sparkles, or the Velour Twist Turban both add panache to a wintertime look.
Tweed is a medium-to-heavy weight fabric, rough in surface texture, and produced in a great variety of color and weave effects.2 The weave creates patterns, some of which such as herringbone, checked, and plaid have been imitated in non-tweed fabric. Once mostly made of wool, tweed is now also made from other natural and synthetic materials. We offer a colorful, fun Tweed Kaleidoscope Hat, almost assured to lift anyone’s spirit who wears it, and a cotton tweed Gathered Newsboy Hat.
With so many fabrics and styles to choose from, you might wonder which is the best one for you this winter. ‘Tis the season, so why not try a few?!
Sources:
1. What Is Fleece & What Are Its Types - A Complete Guide 2024. https://fabricguide.net/what-is-fleece/
2. Tweed | Woolen, Scotland, Tweedmill | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/tweed