Winter Hats

Baby It's Cold Outside

When the winds howl and the temperature dips below freezing it can be very hard to stay warm if you have to venture outside. One of the reasons for this is that we as human beings lose up to 80% of our body heat from our heads. One of the best ways to solve this problem is to make sure that whenever you have to go out in the cold you keep your head covered with one of the many different styles of winter hats available.

Winter brings with it many different fashions and the winter hat is no different, even those who do not normally wear a hat will cover their head with one once the cold winds blow. There is no better way to keep the chill at bay than wearing a good thick coat and a warm, comfortable winter hat. Add in a pair of gloves or mittens and a long scarf that you can wrap around your neck and you are ready to face whatever old man winter has to offer.

The Original Winter Hat

As man learned to hunt and kill animals, he also learned how to use the skins to make fur hats to keep out the winters cold. Over the centuries a fur hat has always been considered one of the warmest winter hats you could possibly wear in the winter. Both women's and mens winter hats have been made from various types of fur.

Fur is naturally waterproof and the skin to which it is attached is supple and wind proof, making it the perfect material for any kind of winter clothing including hats, coats and gloves. As much as fur is considered to be the warmest possible choice for a winter hat it has also been used for many other types of hats including the most famous of all fur hats the top hat. The top hat was traditionally made from beaver fur until the popularity all but made the beaver extinct by the early 20th century.

Popular Modern Winter Hats

Even today's winter hats are often still made with fur and for those that live in areas where extreme cold and long winters are common the hats most favoured are the Russian winter hats. While the Russians with their long frigid winters have contributed more than one style of winter hat to the world, it is the Ushanka that most of the world identifies with Russia.

This is the hat with the fur lined flaps that can be folded down to cover your ears, essentially encasing your head in a fur lined helmet that keeps out the cold and the wind. This design came into being during the Russian civil war as a way to protect the troops from the bitter cold of a Siberian winter. With a few modifications it was worn by the Soviet troops in World War II and following the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991 was adopted by many other countries for both civilian and military wear.

You can of course go with something simpler like a ski hat or a beanie hat, but when the thermometer drops below freezing a good fur hat will keep you much warmer. If real fur does not appeal to you, there are a number of synthetic furs that are almost as good; the main thing to remember is to pick the kind of winter hat that is going to give you the most protection for winter's bite.