How Can You Create Distressed Hats?

It's always fun to buy something new. New clothes look good, feel great, and can make you happy. However, replacing an item that's gotten worn out with a newer version can be a never-ending cycle. Sometimes, just as it gets comfy, it starts to fall apart and look terrible. For example, after wearing it for years, your favorite baseball cap might cross over to a being an overly distressed hat.

Some people love the rugged look of vintage clothing more than the newest version of it. After years of washing, clothing made of cotton or denim will become soft and comfy and get a “lived in” look. Plus, wearing a twenty-year-old concert t-shirt makes you stand out from the crowd. Distressed hats can look great, too, but not if they're dirty, sweaty, and falling apart.

Give Your Hat a Vintage Look

There's a way to give your hat a vintage, rugged, and distressed look without it looking terrible. Even if you've just purchased a brand-new hat, it doesn't have to look like it. Follow the steps below and you can speed up the process to transform your hat into one that looks vintage.

Be Careful

Before you get started, first a word of warning. Be careful not to take things too far, too fast. You want your hat to look vintage but go slowly. It's easier to do a little bit more, than to wish you hadn't done so much.

Wash Your Baseball Cap

Do not try to distress your leather baseball cap. It's best to stick with cotton blends, wool, or polyester. The first step to make your baseball cap look more vintage is to wash it 2 or 3 times in cool or cold water in the washing machine. This will fade the color and make the hat look older. In order to dry your cap without it shrinking, you can wear it or roll up a towel and stuff it inside the cap until it's dry. Never put your cap in the dryer, use a blow dryer on it, or set it on a radiator.

Sandpaper, Scissors, and Cheese Graters

After you've washed the cap a few times, here is the next way to help your hat look even more distressed. It sounds crazy, but you'll need a piece of sandpaper, some scissors, or a cheese grater. When you look at an old hat, you'll notice that all the spots where you always touch it – along and under the brim and at the edges – are not in the best condition. Those areas may be torn, frayed, and faded.

Start by using sandpaper and rub it along the edges, using a circular motion. When you achieve the look you want, stop. If you want more, you can use a scissors to make small snips or a cheese grater to roughen it up. When you finish, you'll have a new hat that looks vintage. Then, in time, the hat will get even more worn and better looking.

Don't DIY, Get One From Hat Heaven

Of course, the best – and easiest – way to have a distressed hat is to buy one from Hat Heaven. Pinpoint distressing gives their hats a vintage flair in the dad hat style. Find these hats in a variety of colors and with different symbols on the front. There are sports team logos, cartoon characters, and more. Shop Hat Heaven today!