How to Stretch Your Straw Hat Easily | Six Best Methods

Stretch Your Straw Hat Using a Hat Stretcher

Here is the best and most effective method to stretch your Panama hat. All you have to do is, pop the hat stretcher into the crown of your cap, twist the center panel, sit back and look at how it works wonders. The only thing to remember is, DO NOT OVERSTRETCH the crown more than ¼ ” at once. 

Works best for Panama hats, floppy straw hats, derby straw hats

Materials Needed:

• Hat stretcher
• Cooking pot
• Hot water

Instructions:

Step 1: Fix the Hat Stretcher Into the Inner Crown

Firstly, pop the hat stretcher into the inner crown of the hat. Make sure it’s not slanting, and the center panel is in between the crown. Twist the center handle to the approximate size of the hat.

Step 2: Show Your Hat in the Path of  Steam

Start boiling water in a cooking pot. Another easier alternative for a cooking pot is a tea kettle. Maintain a steady temperature throughout the process and slowly expose your hat to the steam. MAKE SURE your hat is at least 4-5 inches away from the steam. Don’t oversteam your hat.

Step 3: Twist the Center Handle to Stretch

After steaming, stretch the hat’s crown by twisting the center handle of the hat. The heat and moisture of the steam will loosen the straw fibers, which allows stretching easier. MAKE SURE you didn’t stretch more than ¼”.

Step 4: Let it Sit for Hours.

Finally, after stretching your hat, let the hat rest with the hat stretcher to enable adjusting to its new shape. Let it sit for hours for effective results. The hat’s brim should be facing down to the surface while resting.

Make Your Straw Hat Bigger By Soaking

Soaking is another method to make your hat bigger in size. During soaking, the water helps to soften the fibers, which allows reshaping and stretching. You can also shape the brim the way you like at the end of the process.

Materials Needed:

• Warm water
• Tub
• Hat form

Instructions:

Step 1: Submerge The Hat in Warm Water

Firstly, fill the tub with lukewarm water and not hot water. Submerge your hat in the warm water. Choose a tub for your hat’s size. DON’T soak more than 30-60 seconds.

Step 2: Place The Hat Over a Hat form

Select a round object that mimics the size of your head. It can be a ball or a bowl. Ensure it is snug enough to stretch your hat. You can also use a bag full of papers and stuff inside the crown.

Step 3: Let it Dry

Let the hat dry completely on a hat form. Let it stay for hours for effective results.

Stretch Your Straw Hat By Steaming

Steaming is a perfect, professional method to stretch straw hats. The heat and moisture from the steam enable the fibers to loosen and stretch according to your head shape.

Materials Needed:

• Tea kettle
• Microfiber cloth
• Kitchen tongs

Instructions:

Step 1: Boil Water in the Tea Kettle

Firstly, start boiling water in the tea kettle. Maintain a steady temperature throughout the process. You can also use a cooking pot to steam your hat.

Step 2: Expose Your Hat to The Steam

Secondly, hold your cap by using your kitchen tongs and expose your hat to the steam. MAKE SURE your hat is at least 5-6 inches away, and DO NOT  overwet your cap.  Overwetting can make stretching and reshaping difficult.

Also DO NOT, let the moisture collect in the sweatband. Wipe the moisture in the sweatband frequently with a microfiber cloth to avoid damage.

Step 3: Let the Hat Cool and Dry

After steaming, let the hat cool on a hat form. Repeat the process for effective results.

Stretch Your Straw Hat By Spraying and Blow Drying

During the spraying and blow-drying process, the fibers of the hat bring some changes within themselves by loosening. When you wear your hat, this enables the fibers to adjust to the size of your head.

Materials Needed:

• Spray bottle
• Warm water
• Hairdryer

Instructions:

Step 1: Spray the Hat with Water Evenly

First, spray the hat with lukewarm water on all sides of the hat except the brim. Pay more attention to the inner crown, band, and outer crown.

Step 2: Dry the Hat Using a Blow Dryer

Turn on the hair dryer to the highest setting and move the dryer around the hat to dry.

Step 3: Try and Dry the Hat

While your hat is slightly damp, put on your hat and let it dry. If you feel so uncomfortable, wear a plastic bag on your head and put on your hat. This allows the straw fibers to adjust to the size of your head. Repeat the process if your hat needs to be stretched a bit.

Make Your Hat Larger By Removing the Sweatband

At last, this is a simple, quick DIY to stretch your straw hat and make it a larger fit than you think. If you don’t mind modifying your sweatband, go for this method.

Materials Needed:

• Scissors or blade

Instructions:

Step 1: Remove the Seam of The Sweatband

Today’s hats are designed with elastic sweatbands, which play a huge role in determining the fit. When a sweatband is removed, it probably stretches about 1-2 cm and provides a larger fit. All you have to do is, use a seam ripper or a blade to cut the threads of the sweatband.  

If you don’t want to remove the whole sweatband, you can also use a blade to do shallow cuts between the sweatband, especially on the back of the hat. MAKE SURE you don’t cut deep into the hat while cutting the sweatband.

Stretch Your Panama Hat By Traditional Knee Method

This is a zero equipment method that only works for Panama hats. Do not try this method if your hat is found with any tears, cracks, or any form of damage.

Instructions:

Step 1: Hold the Hat Firmly in Your Hand

Hold the hat firmly in your hand by the brim. Bring it near to your knee.

Step 2: Pull the Hat Over Your Knee

Using your hands, pull the hat over your knee. Make sure to apply the same pressure on all the sides of the hat. Do not overstretch it, since it can cause damage. Check whether your hat is evenly stretched on all sides.