Donna Trussell

I lost my hair during chemotherapy in 2001. But I hated my wig, so I decided I would stick to hats and caps. But I was addled and sad and scared when I went hat shopping, and I made some poor choices.

Learn from my mistakes. A few tips:

1) Your hair goes with whatever you wear. Hats do not. While the colorful prints are tempting (and it’s fun to have a few) keep in mind that most will clash with your clothes unless you stick to very neutral colors. I have brown hair, so I enjoyed my leopard-print beret. But most of the others collected dust.

2) There are lots of synthetic hats for sale, but most don’t breathe, and you can get too warm. Cotton knit is almost always the best choice of fabric.

3) Buy more than one hat. You know how your clothes have to be washed after wearing? Same is true for hats. So unless you’re planning to wash your hat in the sink every night (or get a few scarf pads, pictured below) buy a week’s worth. Fortunately, berets cost as little as $15.

4) Buy some sleep caps too, to keep you warm at night.

5) Your current point of reference for hats is something you wear outdoors in cold weather. You’ll be tempted to get one of those. But, unlike the olden days, once you’re inside, you probably won’t be removing your cap, and you’ll start to get hot. So those cozy-looking hats look tempting, but you’re better off with an indoors beret. For walks, buy a fleece cap. Warm, lightweight, easy to wash.

[Ed. note: I get no compensation from these companies. For lots more choices, google "chemo cap." A flattering cotton-knit beret in black, taupe, yellow or pink can be purchased from chemocareheadwear.com. The bead cap above comes in six colors. For more info on any of the, click on the image. ]

Comes in green or pink at HatsForCancer at etsy.com.

Tie Back, 12 colors, softhats.com

These “no hair day” caps below are made from Head Huggers patterns. I’m not handy with a crochet needle, but I’m sure there’s a way to hire someone if you contact the company.

So much for granny wigs, eh?

Below is a scarf pad from Headcovers Unlimited. I didn’t know there was such a thing back when I was bald. I imagine they could save you money, if it means buying fewer hats.