This method achieves the best results on beanies that are 100% wool. Wash the beanie by itself to stop other garments from agitating the delicate fibres of the hat and causing it to get too fluffy.
Unless your hat is white, avoid using bleaching or brightening laundry detergent, as this can damage the colours in your hat. Avoid using regular laundry detergent as this can dry out the fibres in the hat.
If you don’t have a dryer, consider going to a laundry centre, as air-drying your hat can cause it to return to its original size.
Keep repeating this washing and drying process until you are happy that your hat fits you comfortably. Continue to dry the hat on a cool heat.
Most woollen hats will have an inside band; however, if your hat doesn’t have one, simply skip this step. This method works for hats such as fedoras, newsboy caps, tweed hats, and floppy hats.
If your hat doesn’t have a band, simply stick the hat filler to the inside rim of the hat. Hat fillers can be purchased inexpensively from home stores, hat stores, and online.
If the hat feels loose or wobbly, this indicates that it is still too big.
Use a hat filler that is the same size as the one that you used in the back of the hat.
Try to spray the hat evenly, as this helps the hat to maintain its shape when it dries. This method works for woollen brimmed hats, such as fedoras, newsboy caps, tweed hats, and floppy hats.
If you live in a sunny area, park your car in a sunny spot, close all the windows and place your hat on the dashboard. This will achieve similar results to putting your hat in the dryer. [15] X Research source
Continue to repeat this spraying and drying process to shrink your hat further.
