how to take Care of a panama hat

The materials and construction of your Panama Hat make it a very versatile and resistant accessory. The only real threatening condition that could damage it is exposure to water. Contact with water can cause wrinkles and misshaping of the hat, which is why it’s important to avoid.

However, if your hat became misshapen due to contact with water, because someone sat on it or because it was stored incorrectly, there are still fast and easy ways to restore it.

Brim

To restore a wrinkled or bent brim, iron it on low heat with a clean, dry cloth between the iron and the product. Repeat this process until the imperfection disappears, always being careful that the straw does not overheat and burn. Do not use the steam function in this process.

Crown

For the crown, use your hand and a clean, dry cloth to hold the crown from inside and press the imperfection out. Then with your other hand and another cloth iron the crown from the outside. Repeat this process as necessary, always being careful that the straw does not overheat and burn.

Headband

The headband is usually the most delicate element in hats and the most prone to wrinkle. To fix this there are two options:

  1. You can remove the three simple stitches that attach the band to the hat and iron it on a flat surface before reattaching.

  2. You can leave the band on and gently and carefully iron it against the hat. A small amount of water (not enough to saturate the band and/or seep into the straw of the hat itself) can help this process if the band is severely wrinkled.

If you have any questions about the care of your hat please contact us at hats@eleganciatropical.com.