Is there a wig that doesn't heat your head?

Fondots , 1 hour ago

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.

LesserAbe , 1 hour ago

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.

HelixDab2 , 4 hours ago

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?

andrewta OP , 1 hour ago

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

RightHandOfIkaros , 4 hours ago

Real hair does this, so unless you find a wig with built in AC, you just gotta deal with it like everyone else.

andrewta OP , 1 hour ago

I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear. That’s on me. I meant will a wig be more warm then normal hair?

kobra , 5 hours ago

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.

xmunk , 5 hours ago

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.