Keep curls fresh while you sleep with these top-rated silk hair caps.
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If you're looking to protect your natural hairstyle, hair bonnets for sleeping are essential. These caps reduce friction between your hair and pillow, keeping curly hair defined and hydrated, preventing split ends and minimizing frizz. Celebrity hairstylist Kiyah Wright notes that hair bonnets are especially beneficial for women with extremely dry hair as they help lock in moisture.
Many hair bonnets are made from real silk and synthetic satin, touted for smoothness and moisture-wicking benefits, durability, comfort level and more. While silk pillowcases can offer some protection, silk hair caps go the extra mile by fully encasing your hair and minimizing friction. Plus, bonnets ensure that any products you apply before bed absorb into your hair, not your pillowcase.
Here, we've rounded up some of the best silk and satin hair bonnets for sleeping, beloved by online reviewers, including Black-owned brands celebrated for their natural haircare expertise.
A popular brand for affordable silk sheets, pillowcases and bonnets, LilySilk impressed Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab pros in our Bedding Awards. Our consumer testers appreciated how smooth the brand's silk felt. Amazon shoppers agree, with one writing: "I could not be more surprised by how much I love this sleep cap! I recently dreadlocked my hair for the first time. Big decision! And was between a sleep cap or silk pillow. I LOVE sleeping with this — so comfortable and my hair looks great in the morning." Others only noted it was difficult to tie themselves.
Nothing is more annoying than securing your strands at night, only to wake up to your sleep cap on one side of the bed and a tousled head of hair. However, this sleep cap has a wide edge that lays flat against your head all night so it won't slip and slide. "This is the only bonnet I repurchase over and over again," says former GH Institute Analyst Jodhaira Rodriguez. "It stays on through the night even when I move around a lot while I sleep, but isn't uncomfortably tight and actually holds all my hair."
Great for frizzy hair types, this lavish Slip bonnet is made of pure silk. "I have fine, wavy and frizzy hair that's always been a mess when I wake up. I started using this silk turban and haven't looked back!" says GH Analyst Amanda Constantine, pictured. "I wake up with shinier, softer, smoother hair that's easier to brush through. [Its] elastic backing keeps it [secure] throughout the night." When the GH Institute Textiles Lab tested the best silk pillowcases, Slip had the highest smoothness rating but was prone to wrinkling and more delicate than other fabrics.
Winning a GH Bedding Award this year, Clementine Sleepwear's mulberry silk bonnet has a substantial 22-momme weight, meaning it's smooth and lightweight. Our testers enjoyed it more than other bonnets they'd tried (which felt too tight). "I rarely wear bonnets or any type of head scarf to bed, so I am surprised by how much I like this product," says GH Director Monique Valeris, pictured. "It never came off during the night, and my hair didn't feel frizzy or sweaty at all in the morning. I'm happy with the fit as well."
For the price (less than $5!), it's hard to beat this eye-catching Evolve bonnet. "I absolutely love this bonnet," one reviewer said. "It fits well, not too tight and doesn't come off at night. I love the quality and design. Also, there's no dye transfer to my linens like I experienced with other bonnets." Shoppers were split on the fit — some appreciated that its snugness prevented it from slipping off, while others found it too small.
Boasting a 4.3 out of 5-star rating, this satin hair bonnet is designed with two layers of satin fabric to provide extra comfort while you get your zzz's. "Silk and satin are slick, smooth materials that help hair retain moisture and limit frictional forces on hair, which can twist and damage hair shafts," says board-certified dermatologist Brendan Camp, M.D. The double-layered satin sleep bonnet has a wide elastic band for a more comfortable fit. If you find it slipping, consider this tip: "I tell all my clients to keep a satin scarf over your ears while you sleep," Wright suggests.
Founder Ranay Daye created a hair bonnet line to give Black women high-quality, well-designed bonnets for protecting hair. Dozens of online shoppers appreciated its adjustable hairband, meaning it fits everything from long braids to rollers. An Amazon reviewer who has worn the bonnet for six years wrote: "They are still in high rotation. The best bonnets ever for thick and long natural hair! I love these because they’re adjustable depending on your style (flexi rods/rollers, wash-and-go, etc.)."
All bonnets by Cee Cee's Closet, a brand founded by sisters Chioma and Uchenna Ngwudo in New York City, are handmade in Nigeria. Its prints, like this one, pay homage to West African culture. Reviewers love how the fabrics on these wraps feel. "This head wrap made me feel like a goddess," one said about another of the brand's styles. It appears, however, that the hair bonnet offers an elastic stretch rather than adjustable ties.
Whether you've got waist-grazing locks or a head-full of box braids, this extra-large sleeping cap will protect your style while you snooze. This long sleep cap is a go-to for one of GH's beauty pros. "When I have to sleep with my hair wet, it allows my hair to partially dry while I sleep, and I don't have to worry about wet hair hitting me in the face or staining my pillow," she says. The only notable qualm shoppers noted is that the print fades fairly quickly.
EboniCurls is a beloved bonnet brand for many reasons — it's lightweight (made with a single layer of satin), has a drawstring for adjusting to preferences and comes in seven colors. "This is the best hair bonnet I've ever purchased: I could tell the minute I felt the fabric that this was 10 times better quality than the fabric my old hair bonnet was made with," a reviewer wrote. "I also love the size of this hair bonnet — it's twice as big as the hair bonnets you can buy at the drugstore." Since these are crafted by hand, orders may take up to 30 business days before shipping.
Katie Berohn is the Beauty Assistant at Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day and Prevention magazines, all part of the Hearst Lifestyle Group. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a major in journalism and minor in technology, arts, and media, and earned her Master’s Degree at NYU’s Graduate Program of Magazine Journalism. In addition, Katie has held editorial internships at Denver Life Magazine, Yoga Journal, and Cosmopolitan, a digital editorial internship at New York Magazine’s The Cut, a social good fellowship at Mashable, and has freelanced for HelloGiggles. When she’s not obsessing over the latest skincare launch or continuing her endless search for the perfect shade of red nail polish, Katie can be found in a hot yoga class, trying everything on the menu at New York’s newest restaurant, or hanging out at a trendy wine bar with her friends.
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