A Small Hat Guide for Cancer and/or Chemo patients or Anyone who Likes Hats

I have RBF. Resting Bitch Face. I hate when people tell me to smile. 

On September 29th, 2015, a good friend of mine shaved my head. It was hard work - taking almost 3 hours.! First she had to trim down the hair I had left. I have an unfortunate mole on my head. The mole is large and looks like brains. I have had it for quite a while, since childhood, so it is nothing new. It is something I would always warn hairdressers about. My friend was very careful around the mole, adding to the time it took to cut and shave my head.

Let's back up a little. I started chemotherapy in November, 2014, and it took a while, but my hair finally began to thin. As my hair thinned the mole was easily seen. Add to that the issues of my loose hair being EVERYWHERE. Yuck. I never had total hair lost, and currently my hair is slowly growing back. But because of the mole and the thinning I finally decided to have it shaved.

And I miss it. Like I know you probably do too, if you are going through something similar. (Not missing my hair, but your own). I felt like I was lacking in personality because I was lacking in hair. I felt like something more than just hair was missing.

However, I love wearing hats. All my life I've worn hats. Yet, when my head was shaved I suddenly had no clue where to find cute hats that didn't break the budget. People asked if they could make or buy me hats, but I had no idea what I liked, other than my trusty Yankee baseball cap. And I liked comfortable.

And I'm even picky about baseball caps. They have to be well worn in. These are harder to find. Normal store bought caps are usually stiff as a board. I'm not sure what process they use to make worn in baseball hats, but teams do sell them at stadiums and online team stores, and I love them.

Insert sudden daydream about Derek Jeter.

I bought both hats at the stadium the team plays in. If this is your style try the team's website - there will be all sorts of choices! I don't follow the Braves but I once had a goal to visit all the baseball stadiums. I can cross off Turner Field, both old and new Yankee stadiums, and Jacob's field in Cleveland.
I think this summer/spring I should try and get to all the other stadiums. What a great bucket list item.

So, baseball caps are my number one go-to. Enough about me. Back to my hat guide. If you notice in the second picture I am wearing a hat under the Yankee hat. This is called a chemo cap:

I found these lovely chemo caps, made of cotton and spandex, on an Etsy Shop called GreenFrills. I have the convenient gray, black and navy blue - colors that go with anything. But the shop has at least 15-20 colors to choose from, and some cute prints. They are 3 caps for $25. I love the way mine fit.

Then there are hats that fall under the categories of military style and/or newsboy. To me, these hats are great if you are going someplace a little more fancier, and you know a baseball cap is not quite appropriate. This is the area I really needed help in. 

Luckily, I already had a cute brown newsboy cap. I think I bought this at Target, years and years ago. 

There are some great newsboy caps here. I do not have personal experience with this site. 

My friend bought me this hat for Christmas, and I might declare it my all time favorite:

She said she purchased it at Bass Pro Shop, of all places, but I did not see it online. But if you like this hat as much as I do, and you have a Bass Pro in your area, you might want to check it out.

And then there is hats.com. They are a little pricey on some hats (not all) but I love that you can first  choose the style you are looking for on this page. Fun and enlightening! A friend gifted me these two hats a few months ago, from that website:

However they were not listed as military style or newsboy caps, but instead "fashion caps." I am thinking that a google of "fashion caps" is in my future! And here is a fun Pinterest board (not my own) full of fashionable hats in all categories.

I knew when the weather turned cold (which it hardly has) I would need a trusty winter hat, or "toboggan". I invested in this:

It is wool on the outside, and soft, cozy faux fur on the inside. I bought it at Dick's Sporting Goods.
All it is missing is a pom pom on top.

I know I have more winter hats than this. I lived in Alaska once. Yet I will probably stick with the new one from Dick's.

Another excellent choice to add to your ever growing hat collection are knitted or crocheted hats. These three were made by three different and talented people:

Here is one way I keep hats, although most can be found on my rocking chair, back of the sofa, in my car, in my chemo bag, on my head, under my pillows, or in some other nook of my tiny house. To be honest, the ones hanging here are the ones who get less wear time:

And a hat from Ikea,  if you're just being silly:

This is a kid's size hat, and it is squeezing my head hard!

My collection is now at 30 hats plus - knowing I have more winter hats somewhere. If I could only have 5 I would pick:

1. my beloved, well-worn Yankees baseball cap
2. A black chemo cap
3.  The black and white with bow fashion cap (the 9th picture) because I wear a lot of black
4. My new newsboy cap (or is it also a fashion cap?) from pictures 6-7 because it goes with anything
5. The winter hat from Dick's for cold days and nights.

But then I would cry over my long time love, the brown newsboy cap!

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This post took 3 days to write, as I have been exhausted and would fall asleep often. Maybe I should stop blogging from bed. When I woke up I realized half of what I typed made zero sense. This post has nothing to do with ringing in the New Year in less than 2 hours. This post has nothing to do with reviewing 2015. I will save that for tomorrow - if I decide to do it at all. The end of 2015 snuck up on me quick, just like Christmas did. I currently hear pre-fireworks going off all over the town. My eye lids are starting to droop . . . Happy New Years All . . .

And you will never see another post by me with so many selfless!