How to Put Your Hair in a Silk Bonnet, for Every Hair Type
Quick answer: Get your hair mostly dry, arrange it for your hair type, then ease the bonnet on from your front hairline back. Twist straight hair loosely, pineapple curls, set coils in twists or tuck them in as they are, and gather braids or locs loosely. Leave room so nothing folds hard, and adjust the opening until it's snug without leaving a line.
You wear a bonnet so you can wake up with the hair you went to bed with. Then one morning you take it off and find a hard bend across your ponytail, as if someone had folded your hair and shut it in a drawer.
That bend came from how the hair went in. The fix takes a minute or two at the bathroom mirror, and it changes with your hair: what suits a fine blowout would be wrong for a wash-and-go, and neither applies to a fresh set of knotless braids.
Bonnets have been an everyday part of Black hair care in the US for generations, and plenty of readers learned all of this from a mother or an aunt. This is for anyone still working it out, whatever their hair, in silk or satin. If you're still deciding whether you want a bonnet at all, start with our silk bonnet guide.
How do you put on a silk bonnet?
Arrange your hair first, then hold the bonnet open with both hands and work from your front hairline back to your nape. The order is the same for every hair type:
- Get your hair mostly dry, and put on any leave-in or oil about ten minutes ahead, so less of it ends up on a lining you'll be washing about once a week.
- Arrange the length, using the section for your hair below.
- Tip your head forward a little and set the front edge of the open bonnet at your hairline.
- Draw it back over your crown and down to your nape, guiding stray hair in with your fingers.
- Adjust the opening and tuck in anything left out.
How do you put straight or fine hair in a bonnet?
Comb it, twist it loosely and coil it on top of your head. Start the wide-tooth comb at the ends and work up, so you aren't dragging knots down from the roots. One or two loose twists and a soft coil at the crown keep the length from sliding around and tangling as you turn over. If the coil won't hold, add a silk scrunchie on one loose turn. Hair at your shoulders or shorter can go straight in. Smooth bangs flat to one side under the front edge, so the band doesn't press a kink across them.
How do you put wavy hair in a bonnet?
Leave the brush out and gather your waves loosely, high on your head. Brushing dry waves pulls them apart, so finger-comb any knots instead. A loose pineapple (described below) keeps longer hair from being flattened under you, and shorter waves can ease in as they fall. In the morning, a light mist of water usually brings back what the night pressed flat. Our guide to 2B hair has more on waves.
How do you put curly hair in a bonnet?
Use the pineapple: gather your curls loosely at the very top of your head, so the length falls forward and isn't squashed underneath you. Flip your head forward, gather the hair at the front of your crown and hold it with one loose turn of a soft scrunchie. Flip back up and the curls should fan out around the tie like the top of a pineapple, which is where the name comes from. The bonnet goes over all of it.
Curls too short to gather can go into several small pineapples, or straight into the bonnet. Don't brush them dry first: it breaks up the clumps. In the morning, take out the tie, shake at the roots and refresh with a little water. For whether all this is worth doing, see do silk bonnets work for curly hair.
How do you put coily hair in a bonnet?
Decide what you want in the morning, then set your hair for it: two-strand twists, chunky braids or Bantu knots, or a wash-and-go tucked in as it is. Twists and braids hold coils stretched and separated overnight, then unravel into a twist-out or braid-out the next day. A wash-and-go you want to keep can go into a pineapple or several small ones, under a roomy bonnet so the shape isn't pressed flat.
Moisturize first if that's your routine, in whatever order your hair likes. Save detangling for wash day, on damp hair with conditioner in it, using your fingers or a wide-tooth comb from the ends up. Relaxed hair or a silk press gets different treatment: the classic move is to comb it in one direction around your head, pin it flat and let a scarf or the bonnet hold the wrap in place.
How do you fit long hair in a bonnet?
Coil it so it curves instead of folding. Braid or twist it loosely, wind it around itself on top of your head and tuck the ends in. Before you lie down, press the top of the bonnet gently with your palm. If it feels packed, the hair will bend hard somewhere by morning, and you need more room. That's the job of the Extra Large bonnet, which has the same opening as the Large with extra depth through the crown.
How do you wear a bonnet with braids or locs?
Gather them loosely and use a bonnet big enough to hold all of them. Box braids, knotless braids and twists can be piled softly on top of your head, or split in two with each side folded in. Skip the tight bun, which pulls at the roots, especially in the first days after an install, when your hairline is already under tension. Cornrows and other flat styles need no arranging.
Locs go in the same way, with one extra rule: dry them completely first. Locs and long braids hold water at their centers for hours, and damp hair shut under a cover can start to smell of mildew. Many loc wearers cover up at night to keep lint from cotton bedding out of their locs, where it's hard to pick out later. Very long or thick locs and braids usually need the Extra Large.
How tight should a bonnet be, and how do you keep it on all night?
It should be snug enough to still be on at 3 a.m., and loose enough to leave no line on your forehead. If you wake with a dent at your hairline, let the opening out. The American Academy of Dermatology warns that the constant rubbing of a hair covering can lead to traction alopecia, a form of hair loss, especially over hair pulled back tightly, and that the hairline is one of the first places it shows. If yours is sore or thinning, see a board-certified dermatologist.
If the bonnet keeps coming off, look at volume before you tighten anything. A bonnet packed full gets pushed off as you turn over, and the answer is more room. If it's loose, check it against your head size, using a soft tape run along your hairline and above your ears.
| Bonnet | Head measurement | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | About 19.5 to 23.5 in (50 to 60 cm) | Your head is in this range and your hair goes in without packing |
| Large | About 21.5 to 25.5 in (55 to 65 cm) | Your head is at the larger end, or the Medium feels full |
| Extra Large | Same opening as the Large, deeper through the crown | Your hair is long, very thick or curly, or worn up inside |
Find your size in LS Silk bonnets →
A sweater can sit folded in a drawer for months and shake out fine. Hair is less forgiving. Give it a minute and a little room at bedtime, and what comes out of the bonnet in the morning should look a lot like what went in.
Frequently asked questions
Should you brush your hair before putting on a bonnet?
Comb straight or fine hair gently with a wide-tooth comb, starting at the ends. Leave curly and coily hair unbrushed at bedtime, since dry brushing breaks up curl clumps and can leave frizz. If your coils need detangling, save it for wash day, when the hair is damp and has conditioner in it.
What is the pineapple method for sleeping?
It means gathering curls loosely at the very top of your head with a soft scrunchie, so the length falls forward and doesn't get flattened under you. A bonnet goes over it for the night. Shorter curls can use several small pineapples, or go straight into the bonnet.
Can you sleep in a bonnet with wet hair?
Damp hair is fine, but dripping hair is a bad idea. It dries slowly under a covering, can set in a squashed shape and may smell musty by morning. Locs and long braids should be fully dry, because they can hold water at the center for hours.
Why does my bonnet keep falling off at night?
Most often it's packed too full, or the opening is too loose. Hair that fills the bonnet pushes it off as you turn over, so try a looser arrangement or a larger size before you tighten anything. If the fit is right and it still slips, a soft scarf tied over the top can help hold it.
What size bonnet do I need for long hair or braids?
Long, very thick or curly hair, and hair worn up inside, usually needs the LS Silk Extra Large. It has the same opening as the Large with extra depth through the crown, so you choose it by length and volume. For shorter hair, the Medium fits heads of about 19.5 to 23.5 inches (50 to 60 cm) and the Large about 21.5 to 25.5 inches (55 to 65 cm).
Related reading: Do Silk Bonnets Really Work? · Silk Bonnet vs Silk Pillowcase · Are Silk Scrunchies Better for Your Hair?