For women with smaller heads, finding the perfect cowboy hat can be a challenge. Standard sizes often leave them feeling like a kid playing dress-up in their parent's oversized hat. But fear not, petite cowgirls! There are solutions to ensure you can rock that Western style with confidence.

Women's Cowboy Hats for Small Heads

Many hat retailers offer petite or small size cowboy hats specifically designed to fit smaller head sizes. These typically have a smaller crown circumference and shorter brim lengths compared to standard sizes. Popular small head cowboy hat styles for women include classic wide brim fedoras, rancher/safari styles, asymmetrical brims, cloches, and baseball caps. Materials range from straw, felt, cotton, and other fabrics.

Brands That Cater to Smaller Sizes: Your New Best Friends

Several brands have recognized the need for smaller cowboy hats and have stepped up to the plate. Companies like Stetson, Ariat, and Justin Boots offer a range of sizes, including petite options. These brands understand that one size doesn't fit all, and they're here to make sure every cowgirl can find her perfect match.

Stetson has several styles recommended for smaller heads, including the Open Road, Drifter, and Seneca models. These tend to have lower crowns and trimmer brim widths of 3-3.5 inches that look proportional on petite frames. Other western brands like Resistol, Bailey, and Akubra may offer youth or even child sizes of their classic cowboy hat styles, which can work well for some smaller adult women when properly fitted.

Custom Hatters and Specialty Retailers: When Off-the-Rack Just Won't Cut It

For those with particularly petite heads or unique styling preferences, custom hatters are the way to go. These skilled artisans, like Rand's Custom Hats in Billings, Montana, can create a cowboy hat tailored specifically to your measurements and design preferences. They take your exact head measurements and shape preferences to create a hat tailored just for you, using the same painstaking labor as hatmakers 150 years ago to ensure a perfect fit and style for smaller head sizes.

Specialty hat retailers are another great option. Gone Country Hats offers around 100 styles of cowboy hats for women and men that are sized for smaller heads. They recommend sending a photo to get personalized fit recommendations. Setar Trading has an entire collection dedicated to "petite size" western and cowboy hats, featuring smaller crowns, shorter brims around 3-3.5 inches, and adjustable inner bands for a precise fit on smaller heads.

The Rise of Online Shopping: A Small-Headed Cowgirl's Best Kept Secret

With the advent of online shopping, finding women's cowboy hats for small heads has become much easier. Online retailers often offer a wider range of sizes and styles than brick-and-mortar stores. Plus, you can try on hats in the comfort of your own home, without the pressure of a sales associate or the judgment of fellow shoppers.

Online stores like Gone Country Hats and Setar Trading specialize in offering cowboy hats designed specifically for smaller head sizes. They often feature modified crowns and brim widths of 3-4 inches to achieve a proportional look on petite frames. Some online hat retailers even encourage customers to send in photos and measurements so they can recommend the right small head size cowboy hat style and make custom adjustments before shipping for the ideal fit.

Styling Tips for Petite Cowgirls: Embrace Your Unique Look

When it comes to styling your small-sized cowboy hat, remember that confidence is key. Embrace your unique look and wear your hat with pride. Pair it with a fitted Western shirt, some bootcut jeans, and your favorite cowboy boots for a classic look. Or, mix it up with a sundress and some turquoise jewelry for a more feminine twist.

Adjustable inner bands, drawstrings, or elastics help provide a customized fit on smaller heads. Some hats have shapeable brims that can be sized down. Recommended small head circumference sizes are typically up to 21-22 inches. Brim widths around 2.5-3.5 inches tend to be well-proportioned for petite cowboy hats.

The Psychological Benefits of Finding the Perfect Fit

Finding a cowboy hat that fits well can do wonders for your self-esteem. No longer will you feel like a child playing dress-up. Instead, you'll feel like the confident, stylish cowgirl you were always meant to be. So go ahead, strut your stuff, and show the world that good things really do come in small packages!

The Future of Women's Cowboy Hats for Small Heads

As more brands recognize the demand for petite sizes, the options for women's cowboy hats for small heads are only going to grow. Who knows, maybe one day we'll see a petite-exclusive cowboy hat store! But for now, rest assured that with a little bit of searching and some help from custom hatters, specialty retailers, and online stores, every small-headed cowgirl can find her perfect match.

What Petite Cowgirls Are Saying: Reviews and Feedback

Don't just take our word for it – here's what petite cowgirls are saying about their experiences with small-sized cowboy hats:

Gone Country Hats states they have around 100 cowboy hat styles for women and men tailored to fit smaller heads. Reviews mention the hats have modified crowns and brim widths of 3-4 inches to achieve a proper fit on petite frames.

In a Reddit discussion, multiple users recommend the Stetson Open Road, Drifter, and Seneca styles as having smaller brim widths around 3-3.5 inches that can work well for smaller individuals. One user mentions having a Stetson Drifter with a 3.5 inch brim that fits them nicely at around 5'9" height.

Product listings on Amazon and Setar Trading describe many hats as "petite size", "small head sizes", or having measurements like 3-3.5 inch brim widths suitable for smaller heads. Details are provided on circumference ranges, adjustable inner bands, and shapeable brims to customize the fit.

So, petite cowgirls, take heart! With the right resources and a little bit of know-how, you too can find the perfect cowboy hat to fit your unique style and head size. Happy hat hunting!

Richard Sutherland

RichardSutherland@bitsnspurs.org

Richard is a western lifestyle author for Bits N' Spurs, the weekly newsletter that keeps pace with today's rodeo. His articles are featured on dozens of rodeo and Western related websites and provide a window to the world of cowboy culture.