Region: California
Message: Help! My black western hat that I bought for winter use bleeds terribly everytime it rains.

Bleeding dye is a sign of poor quality in hat manufacture. There are dyes available that will not bleed when they get wet, but for some reason the manufacturer of your hat chose not to use them. This is unfortunate, given how frequently a hat is required to protect you from the elements. A good quality western hat should be able to survive a bit of rain.

With most dyed articles of clothing, I would advise washing the item until no more dye leaches out, but obviously this is not an option in the case of your hat. There are various solutions to bleeding dye that are not suitable for your problem. For example, Retayne Dye Fixative cannot be used except by immersing the item in very hot water in which the fixative is diluted. If you try this with your hat, it will lose its shape, becoming useless unless you get a hat professional to re-block it. A spray-on product called "Felt Hat Rain & Stain Protector" will not work in your case, because this product is intended for use only on hats that are already colorfast.

The best solution, short of buying a new water-resistant hat, would be to carry a clear plastic hat protector to put on your hat if rain threatens. These "raincoats" for your hat are sold by many hat retailers for about five dollars.

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