It never fails. You find the hat of your dreams that matches your ensemble perfectly. So you throw it on and head out the door. However, when it comes time to take the hat off, you now have to deal with that dreaded “hat hair”: plastered to your scalp, it appears as more of a helmet than your naturally lush and voluminous tresses. But fear not! There are some creative ways to get hat hair that you’ll actually be looking forward to showing off.

To find the right hairstyle to go with your hat, it’s important to factor in the style of the hat you plan on wearing. If you love wearing your hair down, then you’ll want to choose either a bowler or big, floppy style hat. Because of the size of the hat, this gives you flexibility to pump up the volume by wearing your hair down and in long, loose waves. When it’s time to take the hat off, simply run your fingers through your tresses and scrunch in a little volume topside. Or, depending on your hair type, bend over and give your hair a good shake, while gently combing through it with your fingers. You’ll definitely achieve a bohemian chic style that’ll last the rest of the day, with or without the hat on.

For all other styles of hats, the following hairstyles are the perfect match. Experiment and see which ones you like best. Remember, making good hat hair work means choosing a style that not only complements the style of hat you’ve chosen, but your face shape and outfit.

Side Braid: While the traditional braid going down the nape of the neck does just fine, the latest trends show the side braid to be the most popular with celebs and everyday women alike. Sweeping the hair to the side in this manner adds more dynamic.

Using a quality smoothing serum to combat frizz and flyaways, smooth the hair down from roots to tips and sweep all of the hair to one side. Begin braiding at the nape of the neck and secure the end with an elastic hair tie (no rubber bands!). Women with long layers can also pull off the side braid in a messy way, with a few strands hanging loosely for a more casual look.

Low Side Bun: Like the side braid, this new twist to a classic hairstyle is perfect for keeping your hair out of your face but still shows you took time to craft your coif. Achieving the low side bun is easy and only takes a few minutes to put together, which is ideal for women that don’t like to spend too much time fussing over their tresses. Make sure it’s low enough so that it isn’t bunched up underneath your hat.

Smooth your roots using a lightweight serum and brush all of your hair to the side and forward. Create a ponytail right underneath your ear and secure with an elastic hair tie. Now take the hair in the ponytail and wrap it around the elastic tie loosely. Use bobby pins to anchor the ends of your hair in place and allow loose ones to hang randomly to complete the style.

Low ponytail: When in doubt or when you don’t have the time to care about how your tresses look with your hat, there’s always the low ponytail to make things easy. Simply gather the hair together at the nape of the neck and secure with an elastic tie and you’ll be good to go.

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