# Can I shrink this fedora? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 6, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-shrink-this-fedora/798146 "2017-10-06T22:46:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rocky89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Rocky89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocky89)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-shrink-this-fedora/798146/1 "2017-10-06T22:46:59Z")
So, I bought this fedora off this website a couple of months ago because it looks very much like the one I had for years-- then ruined. 😕 I bought an XL, but it’s a tad too big for my head, so I’m asking, is there a way to shrink it a little? Can I do it myself, take it to a store? Thanks. [https://www.borntoloveclothing.com/collections/fedora-hats/products/black-fedora-with-black-and-white-band](https://www.borntoloveclothing.com/collections/fedora-hats/products/black-fedora-with-black-and-white-band) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-shrink-this-fedora/798146/2 "2017-10-06T22:52:45Z")
Don’t try to shrink it. Put some padding inside the hatband. [Adhesive-backed foam](https://www.amazon.com/Sizing-Sticky-Sweatband-Foam-Reducing/dp/B00CAYU95K) is what my hat store uses. Alternatively, [felt strips](https://www.davidmorgan.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=69) are also available. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2017, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-shrink-this-fedora/798146/3 "2017-10-07T00:46:20Z")
Consider putting whatever padding between the hatband and the hat. That way the part that touches your head is the original headband, not your makeshift spacer. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2017, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-shrink-this-fedora/798146/4 "2017-10-07T03:56:16Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Consider putting whatever padding between the hatband and the hat. That way the part that touches your head is the original headband, not your makeshift spacer. Correct. I may have confused the issue by using the wrong term – the hatband is the trim piece outside the hat. I meant to say inside the sweatband, and as you say the padding goes between the sweatband and the body of the hat. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2017, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-shrink-this-fedora/798146/5 "2017-10-07T12:42:29Z")
Good catch. I used the same bad terminology. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2017, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-shrink-this-fedora/798146/6 "2017-10-07T13:48:21Z")
The quick fix is to just stuff a bit of tissue paper inside the sweatband. Hats generally shrink over time from perspiration, so you eventually may not need any stuffing. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2017, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-shrink-this-fedora/798146/7 "2017-10-07T15:07:13Z")
In the opposite direction, I’ve had fantastic results stretching a too-small hat using [a tool like this.](https://www.rods.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/0/7/075HJ.jpg)