My mom would not be able to wear a hat during the summer obviously heat would stay in and she would get too hot. She needs a wig, but that wig should, for lack of a better phrase, breathe.
So it doesn’t hold the heat in near the scalp.
Is there a wig that is like that? Or do all wigs effectively hold heat to the scalp?
Edit: I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear. That’s on me. I meant will a wig be more warm then normal hair?
My mom would not be able to wear a hat during the summer obviously heat would stay in and she would get too hot.
I think you’re starting from a faulty assumption here.
In general, it’s often wise to wear a hat in the summer and can help you feel cooler providing a little bit of portable shade, and helps keep the sun out of your eyes and off your face/neck/ears/shoulders.
It’s just about finding the right hat, something lightweight, breathable, and preferably lighter in color (to reflect the sun’s rays instead of absorbing them) and maybe with a wider brim.
Straw hats are a fairly traditional option, something like a panama hat (actually made from palms, also made in Ecuador and not panama BTW) is a classic option, but this is 2024 so there’s lots of moisture wicking synthetic material options out there as well. For other natural materials, linen is also a good choice, certain types and weaves of cotton can be pretty light and breathable, and honestly even some lighter weight wool hats aren’t too bad.
Take a look at people who work or spend a lot of time outdoors in warmer climates, you’ll see a lot of people wearing hats or cultures where people traditionally wore a lot of hats even if they’ve fallen out of style. Baseball caps, visors, cowboy hats, fedoras, pith helmets, beater hats, various types of headscarves, big floppy sun hats, bucket hats, asian conical hats, sombreros, etc.
I wear hats pretty much year-round. The hats I like in the summer are different from my winter hats, but it’s pretty rare that I go out without some kind of hat, and when I forget to grab one on my way out the door, I feel less comfortable for it.
I would +1 this. I’m completely bald, and almost never leave the house without a hat, even in summer. It’s also important protection against sunburn :).
For something comfortable in the summer, I personally often go for brimmed hiking hats. A few that I like:
I’m also bald, but even before I started shaving my head and had long hair I wore a lot of hats. Still helped keep the sun off me and I tend to run kind of hot so it helped keep sweaty hair out of my face.
I have a couple hats similar to those kicking around, they mostly get used when I’m camping, hiking, etc.
My main every day summer hats are a panama straw fedora, a linen flat cap, and very occasionally a trucker cap that I mostly use as my fishing hat.
I also have a straw cowboy hat that I only bust out occasionally, when I’m both feeling a little silly and I’m gonna be out in direct sun for a long time, like out in the middle of a lake on my kayak. It looks a little goofy, I’m certainly no cowboy, but it’s practically like walking around with a shade umbrella on my head.
I tend to run pretty hot and sweaty, so when the sun isn’t a concern, I often wear a bandana to keep sweat out of my face.
My wife has a very big, floppy hat she wears at the beach sometimes, looks like straw but is actually some sort of recycled plastic.
This is going to be a weird suggestion, but I used to do professional stage makeup including wigs and bald caps. Has your mom considered getting a partial wig? Maybe a Mohawk or side hawk? It would have to be glued by a professional hair stylist, but it would be an excellent way to have hair but without sweating under a wig. Best of luck to your mom! Losing hair sucks.
That’s a thought. I’ll look into it
Real hair does this, so unless you find a wig with built in AC, you just gotta deal with it like everyone else.
I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear. That’s on me. I meant will a wig be more warm then normal hair?
Yes. Wigs are sweltering hot, sweaty, and itchy. I’ve only worn synthetic though. I’ve heard human hair wigs are better but not by much.
You can get used to it or suffer through based on how sensitive you are.
Depending on the balding pattern she may tolerate toppers and other hair pieces rather than a full wig, which may be more comfortable.
I’m not certain - but I’d mention that because wigs lie directly against the scalp they tend to have less airflow. Hats that are designed for hot weather usually try and minimize how much material is actually touching your skin.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there were something about different types of wigs that make them hotter than just having natural hair. That said, I’m not sure we have people with subject matter experience in the thread here.
Like this thread over at the wigs subreddit is already talking about terms I’m not familiar with, so that seems like a promising place to start.
I’m on lemmy because I disagree with the ownership direction at Reddit but they have an enviable user base in terms of size and diversity.
I’m bald and have shaved my head clean and been like that for a while. After shaving for first time, the first issue was the sun heating up my head like an egg , so I started wearing normal caps. Then the second issue started, I sweat a lot , so the normal caps trap all that humidity and my head feels like a sauna and the cap starts smelling bad very fast.
So I switched to caps made of breathable fabric. It was a game changer for me, its the best of both worlds. Covers the head as well as allows moisture to be evaporated. You could give it a try.
Any covering on the head is going to hold heat to one degree or another. If she wants to minimize that, then something like a shemagh or a keffiyeh is likely her best bet (although a keffiyeh is considered menswear). They’re both fairly light weaves, almost gauzy, and should allow air to circulate.
Hair in general is just hot, and the more you have, the hotter it is. If you’ve every gotten a crew cut or shaved your head in the summer, you’ll know that the difference is stark.
Why does she need a wig or hat though? Is this a religious issue, where she’s not allowed to show her own hair?
I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear. That’s on me. I meant will a wig be more warm then normal hair?
She is going bald so she is looking at wigs
Ah! Got it.
I can’t say for certain that it will be hotter than regular hair, but it seems likely, because there’s a ‘cap’ built into them that the hair is tied to. Many wigs are also made with synthetic materials that can absorb and retain more heat than human hair. He best bet is likely going to be finding someone that specializes in wigs made of human hair, and talking to them about it. Be warned that wigs made from human hair costs quite a bit more than fashion items; they can easily be several hundred dollars each.
I have a lot more freedom in this area because of my gender; it’s socially acceptable for me to simply shave my head. If you mom doesn’t like the appearance of patchy or thinning hair, would she consider that option?
Thanks for the feedback.
I asked her and the answer to going bald was no. I’ll see if we can find a wig maker to ask these questions
As a person with just long hair, there ain’t crap you can do. Hair is effing hot. The thicker the hair the hotter it gets.
