Silk Bonnets

What a silk bonnet is

A silk bonnet is a soft, roomy cap you wear to bed. It holds your hair inside a layer of silk, so your hair rests on smooth fabric all night instead of rubbing against a cotton pillowcase as you turn. A band at the edge keeps it on.

Silk is a natural protein fiber spun by silkworms. Mulberry silk, the usual kind for bedding and bonnets, comes from silkworms that feed on mulberry leaves; researchers who study silk note that the worms obtain their nutrients from those leaves.

This page keeps only bonnets whose stated fiber is mulberry silk. Satin bonnets and all bonnets together are on their own pages, along with sleep caps. The parent page, hair bonnets, covers every kind.

Silk vs satin bonnets

Most bonnets sold as "silk" are satin. That isn't a scandal; it's a naming habit. But it's the first thing to know.

Silk is a fiber. Satin is a weave. Satin is a way of weaving that makes a glossy surface. It can be woven from silk, but satin bonnets are usually polyester. Some bonnets are a knit or modal outer with a satin lining.

The label settles it. The FTC requires US textile labels to give fiber content by generic name and percentage by weight. A silk bonnet says silk on that line. A satin bonnet has to name its actual fiber, usually polyester, because satin isn't a fiber name. Titles aren't held to the same standard, which is why "silk bonnet" in a title so often turns out to be satin on the label.

How they compare at night:

• Surface. Both smooth. Silk is lighter; polyester satin is slicker.
• Care. Silk usually wants cool water and air drying. Satin usually tolerates a regular wash.
• Measure. Silk by momme. Satin has no momme.
• Claims. Both get the same hair wording in listings, and it's the maker's either way.

My opinion for this page: buy the band first and the fiber second. The reason is in the table. A bonnet that's on the pillow by 2 a.m. does nothing for your hair, whatever it's made of, and the band field tells you how it stays on.

How to read the silk bonnet table

Every field shows only when the maker or the Amazon listing states it. A dash means it isn't in writing.

Fabric: mulberry silk only as stated

The gatekeeper field. A bonnet is here only when the stated fabric is mulberry silk. "Silk" in the title with satin or polyester in the fabric row doesn't count.

Lining and layers

Some silk bonnets are a single layer of silk. Some are double layer, silk inside and out, and some are reversible. A few are silk lined with a different outer fabric. The lining field shows what the maker states. If the outside isn't silk, that's fine, as long as the side touching your hair is.

Band and fit

• Elastic band. Simple and quick. Can feel tight if the elastic is narrow.
• Wide elastic band. Spreads the pressure across your forehead.
• Adjustable tie or drawstring. You set the fit, and you can loosen it later.
• Buckle. Adjustable like a tie, with hardware.
• Stretch knit. A soft band that holds without elastic.

The band is where most fit complaints start, so it's worth more attention than the color.

Size

Bonnets come as one size, large, extra large or jumbo for long hair, braids and locs. The size field shows the maker's own size name. If the maker gives a measurement, it's in the listing details. Go up a size if your hair is long or thick, or if you're between sizes.

Silk weight (momme) and grade

Momme is a weight measure for silk. A higher number means denser fabric. It's the number to compare between two silk bonnets, and many listings don't give one. A grade like 6A is the maker's description of fiber quality, not a standard certification; we show it only as stated.

Hair-type wording

Some makers say who the bonnet is designed for: curly hair, braids, locs, natural hair. We show that wording as stated. The silk bonnets for curly hair page keeps only bonnets whose makers say so.

Care, OEKO-TEX and pack count

• Care. Hand wash, gentle machine wash in a bag, as stated.
• OEKO-TEX. Shown only when the maker states it. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 means the textile was tested for harmful substances; certificate numbers can be checked on the OEKO-TEX Label Check.
• Pieces in pack. Some listings add a second bonnet, a scrunchie or a pouch.

Bonnets, sleep caps and wraps

All three keep your hair covered overnight. The shape is what differs.

• Bonnet. Loose and roomy, with a band at the edge. Holds a lot of hair without crushing it.
• Sleep cap. Snugger, often a beanie shape with a smooth lining. Good for shorter hair or anyone who finds a bonnet too loose.
• Hair wrap. A long piece of fabric you tie yourself. Fits any amount of hair, takes practice.
• Silk scrunchie. Not a cover, but part of the same routine for tying hair up before bed.

If you've never worn any of them, a bonnet with an adjustable tie is the most forgiving start.

Choose a silk bonnet by hair and sleep

Your hair decides the size. Your sleep decides the band.

• Long or thick hair, braids, locs. Extra large or jumbo, double layer, roomy crown.
• Curly or coily hair. Room to keep the shape you went to bed with. See the curly hair page.
• Short hair. A smaller bonnet or a sleep cap stays on better.
• Restless sleepers. An adjustable tie or a wide band. A narrow elastic band is the one that wanders.
• Side sleepers. A softer band, since one side presses into the pillow all night.
• Back sleepers. Any band works; size matters more.

Night-shift note: Jules once asked whether my bonnet was "for the cold or for the hair". In January in St. Paul, the honest answer is yes.

Care: keep the silk smooth

Read the care tag before the first wash. Silk bonnets are small, so following it takes a few minutes.

• Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent, if the tag says so.
• Gentle machine wash in a mesh bag only if the tag allows it.
• No wringing. Press water out with a towel.
• Air dry away from direct sun and heat.
• Wash it often. A bonnet holds hair products and oils, and it's on your head all night.

Keep two if you wear one every night, so one can dry while you wear the other. The silk pillowcase washing guide covers the same care steps in more detail.

Store it flat or loosely folded, out of reach of beagles. Biscuit once carried a bonnet from the dresser to his bed and refused to discuss it.

How to put on a bonnet so it stays on

A bonnet that slips off at night is usually a fit problem, not a fabric problem. A few habits help, whatever the band.

1. Gather your hair first. Loosely, with a scrunchie or a soft tie if you use one. A loose pile fits better than hair spread out.
2. Start at the back. Set the band at the nape of your neck, then pull the bonnet up and over toward your forehead.
3. Tuck the edges. Hair left outside the band pulls the bonnet back as you move.
4. Sit the band on your hairline, not halfway up your head, where it rides off.
5. Adjust the tie, if it has one, snug but not tight. You should be able to slide a finger under it.
6. Lie down and check. A bonnet that feels fine standing up can shift once your head is on the pillow.

If it still ends up on the floor, try a size down, a wide band or a tie, or keep a silk pillowcase underneath as a backup.

Silk bonnets for travel

A bonnet weighs almost nothing and folds into a corner of a bag, which makes it one of the easiest sleep accessories to pack. You can't count on a hotel pillowcase being silk, so a bonnet is the way to bring the silk with you. Pack it in its own pouch or a zip bag, away from anything with hooks or zippers that can snag silk. If you won't be able to wash it on the trip, bring two.

Silk bonnets as gifts

Silk bonnets turn up on gift lists in winter, and they're a thoughtful gift for someone who already wears one. For someone who doesn't, it's a guess about their hair and their habits. If you're buying for someone else, choose an adjustable tie, a larger size rather than a smaller one, and a stated silk fabric if silk is the point. The sleep gifts page has more ideas.

What a silk bonnet can and can't promise

Bonnet listings talk about frizz, breakage, moisture and keeping a style overnight. That's the maker's wording, and we show it as the maker's. We don't have a public source behind any hair claim for a bonnet, so we don't make one.

The plain part we can say: a bonnet keeps your hair covered and resting on smooth fabric instead of rubbing on cotton. If that's what you're after, it does it on any pillowcase, in any position, in any hotel.

Who should skip a silk bonnet

• You already sleep on a silk pillowcase and your hair is happy. A bonnet would be a backup, not a need.
• You won't hand wash. A satin bonnet does the same job with easier care.
• You don't use animal fibers. Satin, modal or other linings are the alternative.
• Anything on your head keeps you awake. A pillowcase is the hands-off option.

Related pages

• Hair bonnets, the parent page with every kind
• Satin bonnets, sleep caps and silk scrunchies
• Silk bonnets for curly hair
• Silk pillowcases and the satin pillowcase hair guide
• Sleep accessories, the section page