Discussion: Wearing a hat to hide your hairloss

[Al - Moderator]

This weeks topic: Hats. Should you wear them or not

 

Last weeks topic about shaving your head led me to think about hats. It was mentioned that some people try to hide their baldness under a bad combover and I thought about hats. A lot of guys wear hats to hide their thinning and balding. So... what about it? Should we stop wearing hats or should we wear them with style and try to match them to our outfits.

My own experience was that I never wore a hat to hide my balding head before I got a hair system, but that changed after I got rid of the hair system to get a hair transplant. Once I took off the hair system I was almost a NW 6, so I went from having full, thick hair with the hair system to NW 5 / NW 6 instantly. At 22 years old that was just too much for me, so I started wearing a hat all the time while going through the HTs. After the HTs I was left with donor scars all over and very little hair actually growing from the HTs, so I kept wearing hats trying to find some solution. Then one day I was heading out with friends and it happened to be a place where an old girlfriend was working and I said to myself I'm not going to wear a hat around her, so I didn't wear one that night. That was the first time I went out without a hat in years. Shortly after that I set up a date with a girl through an online dating site and again I said to myself, There's no point in hiding under a hat. If the date goes well then she'll have to see me without a hat eventually....then what? So I didn't wear a hat that day and we ended up dating for 7 months. I've never worn a hat to cover my scars and balding head ever since except when I go for a repair hair transplant because it's just a mess. But once the scabs start coming off in a week the hat is gone again.

I think most guys are better off not hiding under their hat because it just holds you back. You are always worried about what someone will think if you take off your hat. It's better to let them see what you really look like right up front.

What do you guys think?

 

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To see the previous discussion about shaving your head, go here:

 

 

 

[Fox243]

18 minutes ago, Al - formerly BeHappy said:

This weeks topic: Hats. Should you wear them or not

 

Last weeks topic about shaving your head led me to think about hats. It was mentioned that some people try to hide their baldness under a bad combover and I thought about hats. A lot of guys wear hats to hide their thinning and balding. So... what about it? Should we stop wearing hats or should we wear them with style and try to match them to our outfits.

My own experience was that I never wore a hat to hide my balding head before I got a hair system, but that changed after I got rid of the hair system to get a hair transplant. Once I took off the hair system I was almost a NW 6, so I went from having full, thick hair with the hair system to NW 5 / NW 6 instantly. At 22 years old that was just too much for me, so I started wearing a hat all the time while going through the HTs. After the HTs I was left with donor scars all over and very little hair actually growing from the HTs, so I kept wearing hats trying to find some solution. Then one day I was heading out with friends and it happened to be a place where an old girlfriend was working and I said to myself I'm not going to wear a hat around her, so I didn't wear one that night. That was the first time I went out without a hat in years. Shortly after that I set up a date with a girl through an online dating site and again I said to myself, There's no point in hiding under a hat. If the date goes well then she'll have to see me without a hat eventually....then what? So I didn't wear a hat that day and we ended up dating for 7 months. I've never worn a hat to cover my scars and balding head ever since except when I go for a repair hair transplant because it's just a mess. But once the scabs start coming off in a week the hat is gone again.

I think most guys are better off not hiding under their hat because it just holds you back. You are always worried about what someone will think if you take off your hat. It's better to let them see what you really look like right up front.

What do you guys think?

 

----

To see the previous discussion about shaving your head, go here:

 

 

 

I agree -- I wore a hat for a year at work as a NW5 22 year old and people eventually began questioning why I wore it. One day, I said enough is enough, and I decided to shave my head and although I got some comments about people not recognizing me, generally, those who knew I was severely bald were impressed, and never brought it up again.

[Shadman]

3 hours ago, Al - formerly BeHappy said:

This weeks topic: Hats. Should you wear them or not

 

Last weeks topic about shaving your head led me to think about hats. It was mentioned that some people try to hide their baldness under a bad combover and I thought about hats. A lot of guys wear hats to hide their thinning and balding. So... what about it? Should we stop wearing hats or should we wear them with style and try to match them to our outfits.

My own experience was that I never wore a hat to hide my balding head before I got a hair system, but that changed after I got rid of the hair system to get a hair transplant. Once I took off the hair system I was almost a NW 6, so I went from having full, thick hair with the hair system to NW 5 / NW 6 instantly. At 22 years old that was just too much for me, so I started wearing a hat all the time while going through the HTs. After the HTs I was left with donor scars all over and very little hair actually growing from the HTs, so I kept wearing hats trying to find some solution. Then one day I was heading out with friends and it happened to be a place where an old girlfriend was working and I said to myself I'm not going to wear a hat around her, so I didn't wear one that night. That was the first time I went out without a hat in years. Shortly after that I set up a date with a girl through an online dating site and again I said to myself, There's no point in hiding under a hat. If the date goes well then she'll have to see me without a hat eventually....then what? So I didn't wear a hat that day and we ended up dating for 7 months. I've never worn a hat to cover my scars and balding head ever since except when I go for a repair hair transplant because it's just a mess. But once the scabs start coming off in a week the hat is gone again.

I think most guys are better off not hiding under their hat because it just holds you back. You are always worried about what someone will think if you take off your hat. It's better to let them see what you really look like right up front.

What do you guys think?

 

----

To see the previous discussion about shaving your head, go here:

 

 

 

Exactly, I tried wearing hat for 8-10 months. After that, It made the situation even worse. I started to think what would people think, If they see me without hat 😕

[asterix0]

I used to wear a hat all the time, and would avoid indoor locations with bright lights. 

I would refuse to play sports without a hat because my hair looked terribly thin when sweaty.

I wouldn't want to be photographed without a hat because I was the only young guy with a see through, wispy terrible hairline, that was receding at the same time.

Truly was a dark, damaging time psychologically. 

[Berba11]

I think any attempts to conceal rather than embrace hairloss are always doomed to failure. You just create more problems for yourself in the long run. 
 

I’d put hats, combovers, SMP and (maybe controversially) hair systems in the same category to be honest. I’m not a fan of any of them. 
 

I’d add a caveat around people that have had a bad HT surgery and feel forced to cover it up until they can get it resolved, but that’s a different situation with different considerations. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Hats are like concealers, once you start, you’ll never stop. I wore a hat for 2 years. It was awful. I skipped events if I couldn’t wear a hat. Its no way to live. 

[Britanium]

22 minutes ago, Melvin- Admin said:

Hats are like concealers, once you start, you’ll never stop. I wore a hat for 2 years. It was awful. I skipped events if I couldn’t wear a hat. Its no way to live. 

Yes they are a crutch, I spent years with varying headwear before having my Hts. But have since gone back to them for various reasons. 

[Cooper48]

Yeah, I wore them everywhere.  Slowly getting rid of the habit. 

[HappyMan2021]

I think hats to cover baldness are totally fine as long as the hats are fashionable and fit your wardrobe

People will be less likely to question your reasoning for wearing a hat as long as your hat selection is coordinated with the rest of your outfit and whatever setting/environment you are in

I feel like most guys begin and end with the super basic 5 dollar  baseball hat, and don't take into consideration that hats are fashion choices just as much as a fancy suit or nice watch, etc. 

[Gatsby]

Six months roughly after my first surgery with Dr Sethi I found caps everywhere! In the car, around the house, etc. I had forgotten how often I would have to wear a cap to go outside. I kind of laughed at it but looking back it was a bit of a prison.

[mister_25]

I've been wearing hats for a little under or over 4 years now, and I did get some "are you balding, is something up" like comments from new acquaintances and such from then on.

Generally, the comments bothered me and were made semi-frequently. Until I wore concealer for one night out and then once they had "confirmation" that there is "hair under the hat" they stopped bothering me with it as much.

So my advice, is you need to vary with having hair out in its best possible conditions, whilst also having "hat time" if that makes sense.

[Otis james]

As a massive hat wearer, I’m all for them. As someone who’s always had long hair, they really helped me hide the hair I was loosing at the front! However, I wear hats because I like wearing hats. I’ll continue to do so. 
I wouldn’t wear a baseball cap but that’s just not my thing! 

[luckyg]

If money can buy any hair, then I don't know why the edge from U2 has his beanie surgically attached to his head. Seen them at the Sphere and there it was again. I've never seen him without it. Must get hot under there in concert.

Maybe money can't buy everything!

[Al - Moderator]

20 hours ago, Melvin- Admin said:

Hats are like concealers, once you start, you’ll never stop. I wore a hat for 2 years. It was awful. I skipped events if I couldn’t wear a hat. Its no way to live. 

Yes. That is part of the reason I'd rather not get started on using concealers. I'd just end up in the same place I was with hats where I'd be afraid of going out without it... and what happens when people you know just happen to come over to your house while you are there relaxing without anything in your hair. Nope. I don't want to be panicking all the time hoping nobody finds out.

 

[Al - Moderator]

On 3/3/2024 at 2:30 PM, asterix0 said:

I used to wear a hat all the time, and would avoid indoor locations with bright lights. 

I would refuse to play sports without a hat because my hair looked terribly thin when sweaty.

I wouldn't want to be photographed without a hat because I was the only young guy with a see through, wispy terrible hairline, that was receding at the same time.

Truly was a dark, damaging time psychologically. 

 

Right. Exactly. It actually holds you back from doing things and living your life. I used to panic on windy days worrying if my hat would fly off. I was not attending events such as weddings and funerals because I had to wear a suit. I am so glad I stopped wearing hats and hiding under them. I did a complete turn around and since then I've had a job where I wear a suit and tie every day. The hair loss still bothers me of course, but I no longer have that afraid feeling of someone seeing me... at least not as much. I still hate people seeing my ugly bald head 😔 but it's not as bad.

 

[Al - Moderator]

This:

17 hours ago, HappyMan2021 said:

I think hats to cover baldness are totally fine as long as the hats are fashionable and fit your wardrobe

People will be less likely to question your reasoning for wearing a hat as long as your hat selection is coordinated with the rest of your outfit and whatever setting/environment you are in

I feel like most guys begin and end with the super basic 5 dollar  baseball hat, and don't take into consideration that hats are fashion choices just as much as a fancy suit or nice watch, etc. 

 

and this

 

12 hours ago, Otis james said:

As a massive hat wearer, I’m all for them. As someone who’s always had long hair, they really helped me hide the hair I was loosing at the front! However, I wear hats because I like wearing hats. I’ll continue to do so. 
I wouldn’t wear a baseball cap but that’s just not my thing! 

 

Yeah if you can do it as a fashion statement or part of your outfit and coordinate different hats with what you are wearing then you can pull it off. If you are going to wear a hat then this is the way you need to go. I think most guys don't think this way about it, though. They just throw on a baseball cap and that's it.

I do think most people who see you regularly will get the idea that you are bald under those hats, but if you are trying to date I think women won't care as much if you seem stylish rather than just wearing baseball caps all the time.

 

[Apk0214]

I have been wearing hats for many years through my mid 20s when I was a NW 3/4 until my early 30s when I became a NW 5A.

Hats are a common thing in my area for guys my age so it didn’t look odd, but the problem comes when I have to go somewhere without a hat like a formal event, wedding, or a nice dinner and it would draw attention to my lack of hair because I was never seen without a hat. It’s gotten to the point where I almost want to turn down events where I can’t wear one because of the embarrassment.

In public if I didn’t wear a hat there would be comments from strangers and I was always hesitant to wear them on dates because of “hatfishing” but being bald in the dating world tends to make things more difficult.

[mr_peanutbutter]

its recommended for bald people to wear a hat outside to prevent sun damage and possible skin cancer though

[Cospine]

I've hid behind hats for almost 3 decades. The last 10 years definitely more so. I'm 5 months post HT and why I have good/fair progress on growth, it's still hard to not be in a hat in public. It's partially b/c I still need more growth but more so that's been a deep habit for a long time. And, truthfully, I always look better in hats even with hair. I still think I may wear hats often even if I if my hair growth turns out to be very good. Probably something I need to work on. 

It almost got to the point of a having two personas as I look fairly young for my age and that hat protected that image of myself (even with the front part of my head being pretty much bald I still looked 5-8 yrs younger than my 52 age without a hat). I definitely am more confident today without a hat but it hard to let that security blanket go . Lol. Baby steps of getting out in public without the hat is helping. I had a date last week and the girl couldn't believe my age....she couldn't get over that I looked like I was in my 30's ....be it with a thinning hairline.  Hah. And I've heard that a few times over the last few months.  Having some hair has really helped with formal situations or events that I avoided or didn't feel as comfortable at previously.

 

I always had a rule at least after age 30. Let dates, dating app pics, friends, new people you meet first see you without the hat. Even if you're meeting them for the first time with a hat on, I'd make sure to take it off and let everyone see the balding.  That way the fear is gone of being exposed and it helped with more authentic relationships as you're not hiding a big part of your appearance. The longer you wait to show your hair, the more shameful it is!

[mr_peanutbutter]

interesting sidenote: the famous football coach juergen klopp got an ht and still wear a hat everytime when he is outside, i suspect partly because his density isnt the best and it shows more under direct sunlight

[Al - Moderator]

On 3/5/2024 at 12:07 AM, mr_peanutbutter said:

its recommended for bald people to wear a hat outside to prevent sun damage and possible skin cancer though

 Yes. Good point. With all the comments about hat wearing, it should be noted that you should definitely wear a hat when appropriate. I wouldn't suggest anyone not wear some kind of head covering in below 0 weather either. Thanks.