Silk bonnets / pillowcases

[mallorykay13]

Who has long term experiences sleeping on silk, satin, or a substitute? Did you notice a difference? If so what?

[Fiorentina]

I use silk bonnets every night and that for decades.
Well, I think it works great for me and the benefit is amazing.
On one hand it keeps my hair safely stored away and on the other hand it is not getting messed up and no damaging will take place.
Sometimes when I am cooking fish or fried something I am wearing a bonnet too, just for protecting my hair from strong smells.
So yes I can see very nice benefits.
Regards
Fiorentina

[angel-baby]

I have a satin pillowcase from Kitsch, and the satin sleeper from Moonstone Seven. I like both -the satin pillowcase is good for my skin, too, and it means if I'm ever too tired to put my hair up, I can just braid it and the satin pillowcase won't be too rough overnight.

I held off on buying the satin sleeper for a long time, because I didn't want to pay the $70 for what I thought was essentially another bonnet. Turns out I like it a lot better than a regular bonnet for holding/keeping the "pineapple" shape overnight.

[Messyhair]

I've used both but I don't find bonnets very comfy. It's the elastic on my forehead. If I pull the bonnet back further on my head, it just slips off. :shrug: I've been using satin pillowcases for about 20 years or more now and I don't like the feel of a "normal" pillowcase on my hair - I can almost feel the damage happening with the harsher texture on my delicate hairs. :D

[eyecandy]

Great question! I was wondering if satin pillowcase works, what's the point of adding a silk bonnet? A girl I follow on Youtube (Organically Anna) did a video about hair growth myths or something like that, she said she didn't notice a huge difference using cotton or silk pillowcase, I own a couple of satin/silk pillowcases but haven't bought those from Amazon yet but I haven't noticed a huge difference as well, or maybe I haven't paid attention...

[Messyhair]

Great question! I was wondering if satin pillowcase works, what's the point of adding a silk bonnet? A girl I follow on Youtube (Organically Anna) did a video about hair growth myths or something like that, she said she didn't notice a huge difference using cotton or silk pillowcase, I own a couple of satin/silk pillowcases but haven't bought those from Amazon yet but I haven't noticed a huge difference as well, or maybe I haven't paid attention...

I notice a difference when it comes to tangles, but not growth. Unless maybe lack of breakage counts as +growth?

[Rainbouu]

I like satin pillowcases because of how comfortable they are. They probably only make a small difference in hair health, but I think it does help.

[Vintagerapunzel]

I have been using satin bonnets and pillow case for that last 2 years and I definitely think my hair looks better and is way less tangled when I wake up. I have just a small improvement on the frizz front.

[Aredhel]

Many moons ago, I received a handmade silk pillowcase from a fellow LCHer during a Secret Santa swap and I still use it to this day. It has absolutely made my hair so much healthier and I wake up with frazzled/dry hair far less frequently than I used to. :) The cooling effect of the silk is a wonderful bonus, since I tend to overheat while I sleep.

[Nefcerka]

Personally I can´t see the point of using both a satin pillowcase and a satin bonnet.
I only use a satin bonnet and it makes a huge difference in reducing tangles and damage/breakage to my hair.
But it´s cold where I live for most of the year, so while it´s nice that a satin bonnet keeps my head warm, I can imagine that in a different, warm environment I would need a satin pillowcase instead, because wearing a hat during the night would be too suffocating.

[Vintagerapunzel]

When and if my bonnet falls off, as it does sometimes, it's nice to have a satin pillow case ready in that case. I am also acne prone and believe the satin pillow case has helped in that front. Also when I do need a nap, it's nice to have the option not to put my bonnet on. I could just use the pillow case but I like keeping hair contained during the night.

[Albact]

Lately I've been thinking about buying a silk bonnet or pillowcase. I've read that the silk bonnet makes hair less dry. I also like to separate my hair from my skin, since I have very sensitive skin that reacts badly to the products I use on my hair. But I'm worried that when it's hot the silk bonnet will make me sweat more and be suffocating. So I think I'll try the pillowcase first, although it won't keep my hair from getting in my face.

[TatsuOni]

I have satin pillowcases that I've made myself. And I also have a silk and a satin bonnet that I've made myself.

I use a bonnet since my hair is so long, that it will not stay on the pillow and me or my SO might end up laying on my braid. I still want the satin pillowcase because it's more comfortable and also kinder to my skin. My boyfriend who has no hair also wants the satin pillowcases, because they're comfortable.

My hair reacts the same to silk and nice syntetic satin. The only difference for me is that silk is less warm in the summer.

[Albact]

In the end I decided to buy a bonnet so that, apart from the benefits for my hair, I could separate the products I use for my hair from my skin. I also find it more convenient to use outside the home than the pillowcase. If I sleep outside I can always put on the bonnet but it is difficult to fit the pillowcase on any cushion or pillow. I don't rule out the pillowcase, I'd like to try both or use it when it's really hot for the bonnet.

Now comes my question (I don't know if it fits in the thread, sorry in advance): What kind of bonnet do you use?

I don't know anyone who uses it, I only see it on the internet and I always see different types of bonnets. Some have a bow to adjust and people complain that it is uncomfortable. Others have an elastic band that people complain does not fit well and covers too much of the face. I have seen some shower cap-type ones that are adjustable, but people also complain that they are uncomfortable. Then I have seen bonnets for long hair but I think the short one suits me better because what I want is to hold the curls up in a pineapple style.

If you could show me what you use and for what type of hair it would be very helpful. Or a link to where you bought the bonnet.
Thanks!🙏🏻

[TatsuOni]

In the end I decided to buy a bonnet so that, apart from the benefits for my hair, I could separate the products I use for my hair from my skin. I also find it more convenient to use outside the home than the pillowcase. If I sleep outside I can always put on the bonnet but it is difficult to fit the pillowcase on any cushion or pillow. I don't rule out the pillowcase, I'd like to try both or use it when it's really hot for the bonnet.

Now comes my question (I don't know if it fits in the thread, sorry in advance): What kind of bonnet do you use?

I don't know anyone who uses it, I only see it on the internet and I always see different types of bonnets. Some have a bow to adjust and people complain that it is uncomfortable. Others have an elastic band that people complain does not fit well and covers too much of the face. I have seen some shower cap-type ones that are adjustable, but people also complain that they are uncomfortable. Then I have seen bonnets for long hair but I think the short one suits me better because what I want is to hold the curls up in a pineapple style.

If you could show me what you use and for what type of hair it would be very helpful. Or a link to where you bought the bonnet.
Thanks!����

I've made my own bonnets, so the fit great. I used an elastic and I've actually put in a new one in both my bonnets, once they've been stretched out. They really aren't hard to make if you can sew.

[Albact]

I've made my own bonnets, so the fit great. I used an elastic and I've actually put in a new one in both my bonnets, once they've been stretched out. They really aren't hard to make if you can sew.

Ooh that's a very good alternative, thanks! I'm not very good at sewing but my family is. ;)
I will buy a satin bonnet from a local store and if it doesn't fit properly I will adjust it.

[TatsuOni]

It's awesome if you can find one in a local store. I don't think that I could find any in my country. The reason I made my own satin pillowcases, was because they were impossible to buy from anywhere.

[diamond_storm]

i have used a satin or silk (i have both) bonnet every night for the past 6 months or so, and it's made a HUGE difference in my hair. i used to have a halo of frizz that would stick out from the back of my head (i'm a back sleeper) that has virtually disappeared since using my bonnet.

here are the bonnets i use: https://www.amazon.com/Hair-Silk-Bonnet-Sleeping-Women/dp/B0CKS1P7C7?th=1
https://www.target.com/p/cantu-satin-tie-bonnet-1pc/-/A-80117569?sid=1756S&TCID=PDS-336241369&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAz6q-BhCfARIsAOezPxnelHdA9dyUJ1d-zDjZ-ZQ7_MfUkd_kqOhTBf0LY7i8IfaVjSq7f5YaAjb0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

i love the wonder family one the most; it is real silk and the most comfortable. the cantu one is good too, but i find my hair gets caught in the knot when i tie it, which leads to pulling. i'm very tender-headed, but i can adjust the ties on these both so that they don't bother me at all.

[Albact]

It's awesome if you can find one in a local store. I don't think that I could find any in my country. The reason I made my own satin pillowcases, was because they were impossible to buy from anywhere.

They say that the lack of something makes us creative!

While looking for hair salons that cut curly hair, I found this place, which is a hair salon but also a store that sells professional products for curly hair. There were many products that I recognized from the internet that I had never been able to find where I live. I was like a kid walking into a toy store. More and more black people or people with afro/curly hair live here and that means that there is more and more stuff for this type of hair.

It's not that the bonnet is only for curly/afro hair, but it's thanks to the black people or people with curly afro hair who come to live here that I've been able to get it in a local store. (I think people in my country don't even know what it is. At least those around me didn't know about its existence until I mentioned that I wanted to try it)

For example, this new hairdresser that I discovered today who cuts curly and afro hair is not from here either. The way she talked about curly hair gave me a lot of confidence.
Until relatively recently I didn't have any products for my hair type. I got my first curly products from a black hairdresser who would get them for me. Until then I had never met someone with my texture (3b/3c) or afro.


i have used a satin or silk (i have both) bonnet every night for the past 6 months or so, and it's made a HUGE difference in my hair. i used to have a halo of frizz that would stick out from the back of my head (i'm a back sleeper) that has virtually disappeared since using my bonnet.

here are the bonnets i use: https://www.amazon.com/Hair-Silk-Bonnet-Sleeping-Women/dp/B0CKS1P7C7?th=1
https://www.target.com/p/cantu-satin-tie-bonnet-1pc/-/A-80117569?sid=1756S&TCID=PDS-336241369&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAz6q-BhCfARIsAOezPxnelHdA9dyUJ1d-zDjZ-ZQ7_MfUkd_kqOhTBf0LY7i8IfaVjSq7f5YaAjb0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

i love the wonder family one the most; it is real silk and the most comfortable. the cantu one is good too, but i find my hair gets caught in the knot when i tie it, which leads to pulling. i'm very tender-headed, but i can adjust the ties on these both so that they don't bother me at all.

Thanks so much for the links! I'll see how it goes with the bonnet I bought at the local store, but I'm keeping the link to the silk bonnet from Amazon!

I want to try the bonnet, especially to keep my hair away from my skin. But if it stops my hair from drying out so much and makes my curls last longer, it will be my great discovery of the year!

[TatsuOni]

They say that the lack of something makes us creative!

While looking for hair salons that cut curly hair, I found this place, which is a hair salon but also a store that sells professional products for curly hair. There were many products that I recognized from the internet that I had never been able to find where I live. I was like a kid walking into a toy store. More and more black people or people with afro/curly hair live here and that means that there is more and more stuff for this type of hair.

It's not that the bonnet is only for curly/afro hair, but it's thanks to the black people or people with curly afro hair who come to live here that I've been able to get it in a local store. (I think people in my country don't even know what it is. At least those around me didn't know about its existence until I mentioned that I wanted to try it)

For example, this new hairdresser that I discovered today who cuts curly and afro hair is not from here either. The way she talked about curly hair gave me a lot of confidence.
Until relatively recently I didn't have any products for my hair type. I got my first curly products from a black hairdresser who would get them for me. Until then I had never met someone with my texture (3b/3c) or afro.



Thanks so much for the links! I'll see how it goes with the bonnet I bought at the local store, but I'm keeping the link to the silk bonnet from Amazon!

I want to try the bonnet, especially to keep my hair away from my skin. But if it stops my hair from drying out so much and makes my curls last longer, it will be my great discovery of the year!

I feel you on the products. If you look at my hair, it's quite standard western hair. But it's never behaved like it. I was actually in my 20's when I first discovered products that my hair liked. Then they changed the formula. I found CO-washing and new products. Then my hair got long and required half a bottle of conditioner with each wash and it got way too prizy with the conditioner I was using. Now I'm using a conditioner bar and all but one product from NigthBlooming. It costs a lot to ship from the US, but it's still worth it and cheaper since a bar lasts for years, compared to a few washes. I still buy the old conditioner, but only use it diluted on my scalp to wash it.

Being able to walk into a store and find products that I want would feel magical! I kinda' fell that way, when visiting fairs and they sell hairsticks or beads :lol:

[Albact]

then my hair got long and required half a bottle of conditioner with each wash and it got way too prizy with the conditioner i was using. Now i'm using a conditioner bar and all but one product from nigthblooming. It costs a lot to ship from the us, but it's still worth it and cheaper since a bar lasts for years, compared to a few washes. I still buy the old conditioner, but only use it diluted on my scalp to wash it.

Being able to walk into a store and find products that i want would feel magical! I kinda' fell that way, when visiting fairs and they sell hairsticks or beads :lol:

HALF A BOTTLE OF CONDITIONER. Oh my god, you've managed to make me not want to have long hair anymore. How expensive. I had set my goal at waist length and then I will see what happens if I don't cut it. But as soon as I see that I'm spending too much money on hair products, I'll cut my hair.

I'm glad at least you got a conditioner bar that lasts longer.

Another thing I didn't know about was hairsticks (although where I live, girls put their hair up with a pencil if it is necessary and we don't have anything else at that moment. But for us it is a temporary solution and not for aesthetic reasons.) If I want one I have to order it online.
I recently ordered French pins from Amazon and I don't know how I hadn't heard about them before. They hold my hair like a claw clip but allow me to lean on seats or walls without piercing my head. I don't understand how these hair products aren't everywhere.

[TatsuOni]

HALF A BOTTLE OF CONDITIONER. Oh my god, you've managed to make me not want to have long hair anymore. How expensive. I had set my goal at waist length and then I will see what happens if I don't cut it. But as soon as I see that I'm spending too much money on hair products, I'll cut my hair.

I'm glad at least you got a conditioner bar that lasts longer.

Another thing I didn't know about was hairsticks (although where I live, girls put their hair up with a pencil if it is necessary and we don't have anything else at that moment. But for us it is a temporary solution and not for aesthetic reasons.) If I want one I have to order it online.
I recently ordered French pins from Amazon and I don't know how I hadn't heard about them before. They hold my hair like a claw clip but allow me to lean on seats or walls without piercing my head. I don't understand how these hair products aren't everywhere.

Oh it's not just the length. It's my hair. As I said it doesn't behave like standard western hair. I've dyed my hair once at a hairdresser when I was younger. My friend who had hair twice as thick and long as mine, required the same amount of bleach and dye as I did. The hairdresser was actually chocked, when she had to mix up more for my hair, since it sucked it up like a sponge. She had never seen anything like it :lol: It's the same with conditioner. So I really wouldn't worry if I were you.

[Kelp]

Silk bonnets were one of those game changer items for me. It's hard to fall asleep without one! My hair has gotten too long for pineapple buns (and the hair tie sometimes crimps my ends!) and too long for a single braid without it getting rolled on, so keeping my hair loose but still contained is such a comfortable solution.

My hair type tangles no matter what I do so I can't speak on it's ability to prevent them, but if definitely doesn't worsen them. I do notice less frizz, and since I'm not laying on my braid I know there is much less breakage. I also don't have to deal with tension headaches or hair falling out from buns.

I see a lot of people complain about discomfort, but I think it depends on the kind of bonnet you wear. The shower-cap-looking ones with a ruffled edge seem like they'd be terribly uncomfortable and dent the forehead. Can anyone confirm if that happens? :lol: Mine is much like a soft sack with a gentle elastic band that lays flat across my forehead. I'm not sure if this is the exact brand, but this (https://www.amazon.com/SOLZEK-Bonnet-Sleeping-Adjustable-Natural/dp/B0C5XKS3PR/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?crid=30N2JM31G3V6P&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.t9EpCig5ME-7IwqBgKYKYCiO0BbcQjB2k_SRb8WGyOaDHBx7njB0ysMrqUuF6 zNFoxUFOUaxJw6vnG-3-gk5PMaGxULHmjvvTlL9nzoX73H9I622987gkioyDoYKr5QZYSH GMBtdQ4bIqB40JXshEhZPe6M_Vs1Gh6fhWnAYMz_XJO13wWwjj zJPP-h3A3elvNbYBkc9iRbsJ78NOwpxtMkfC50l23GaPy-5tgnz0NIWvyLyzV01QeToSfPX6h3JpmocgO__VEj1O_g7w3Us0 sP-1gBrBVkPAXUd1Bu__vk.YtkozAbY48W2usqtUpa0VnAvgy8Zs7 TMMCCoffFa8aw&dib_tag=se&keywords=silk%2Bhair%2Bbonnet&qid=1741382336&sprefix=silk%2Bhair%2Bbonnet%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-12-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1)is the style I wear. (Careful clicking that Amazon link if there are still issues with site security!)

For anyone on the fence about whether they'd be able to fall asleep in one or not, maybe give something like this a try! I'm at a point where I dislike nights when I can't wear it :p

[Albact]

Oh it's not just the length. It's my hair. As I said it doesn't behave like standard western hair. I've dyed my hair once at a hairdresser when I was younger. My friend who had hair twice as thick and long as mine, required the same amount of bleach and dye as I did. The hairdresser was actually chocked, when she had to mix up more for my hair, since it sucked it up like a sponge. She had never seen anything like it :lol: It's the same with conditioner. So I really wouldn't worry if I were you.

Wow, magical hair with magical length!


My hair has gotten too long for pineapple buns (and the hair tie sometimes crimps my ends!) and too long for a single braid without it getting rolled on, so keeping my hair loose but still contained is such a comfortable solution.
I do notice less frizz, and since I'm not laying on my braid I know there is much less breakage. I also don't have to deal with tension headaches or hair falling out from buns.


I don't have long hair yet but I'm already rotating between braiding my hair (which I end up sleeping on) and throwing my hair over the edge of the bed and hoping it doesn't get in the way. So I hope the bonnet will solve my problem too.

[RavennaNight]

I’ve been sleeping in a satin bonnet for around a year, and I’ve noticed my hair breaks a lot less, and looks less “dry.” It definitely helps my hair retain moisture, although I have to make sure my hair is bunned underneath. Otherwise, I get very unruly waves.

[plasmius]

I used to think silk pillowcases were so prissy and there was no way they could make that much of a difference, until I joined here! I got "talked" into it so to speak :p They have made a noticeable improvement to my hair with less frizz from the friction and significantly less tangles when I wake up! It makes it worth the price point (I bought 2 so I can always have a clean one to swap) and the fact they have to be hand washed. I haven't managed to find a silk/satin hair covering that doesn't make my head hurt or fall off from not being tight enough, but I haven't given up on trying!

[MaggiNoodles ☆]

I've been using satin bonnets for several months now and it's tamed the frizz noticeably, so I use one every night. The elastic headband is a little loose but I roll it up slightly and it seems to stay up fine and it's otherwise pretty comfy. Even if it does slip down over my eyes in the night, I don't tend to notice because, well, I'm asleep :D That being said, I've so far been using it during colder months, and I imagine it might get uncomfortable during the summer when it's much hotter. I think in my case it's still worth it because it cuts down on the frizz so much. (I've tried silk pillowcases in the past, but I have a habit of sleeping on my arms anyway rather than the pillow itself, so it didn't really help in regards to my hair.)