Sleep Caps and Head Wraps: Covering Your Head During Hair Loss

A wig is for going out. Most people with hair loss don't wear one from morning to night, and they shouldn't have to. At home, in bed, and on the days you don't feel like it, you still want your head covered: for warmth, for comfort, or just to feel like yourself in the mirror.

Here's what works, and why.

Why cover your head at all?

• Warmth. Hair keeps in more heat than you realise. A bare scalp gets cold at night in a way nobody warns you about.
• Comfort. A tender scalp can feel scratchy against a pillowcase. A smooth fabric in between helps.
• Loose hair. While hair is falling out, a cap catches it so you aren't waking up to it on the pillow.
• Sun. A bare scalp burns easily. Outdoors, cover it or use sunscreen.
• Feeling like yourself. Some people simply prefer it. That's reason enough.

Satin, silk or cotton?

The right fabric depends on what you're doing.

• Satin, for night. Satin is a weave, not a fibre. Most affordable satin is polyester. It's smooth, so it doesn't drag on your scalp or on regrowing hair, and it's far cheaper than silk.
• Silk, if you want it. Mulberry silk is lovely and breathes well, but it costs much more, and on a bare scalp it tends to slide off. If you buy silk, make sure it's labelled as silk, not "silky".
• Cotton jersey, for daytime. On a bare or tender scalp, silk slides and jersey grips. Cotton jersey also breathes, which matters if you wear it all day.

At night: a sleep cap

Look for a wide, elasticated brim. Narrow-banded bonnets ride up as you move and are usually on the pillow by morning. A wide brim stays put.

Our Wide-Brim Satin Sleep Cap ($18.99) is satin-finish polyester, not silk, and we say so on the page. It comes in 24 colours. It also works if your hair is thinning rather than gone: satin reduces breakage against a cotton pillowcase. To keep the brim elastic, hand wash it cool and hang it to dry.

Don't sleep in your wig. It tangles the fibre, especially at the nape, and it's uncomfortable on a sensitive scalp. Take it off, put it on a stand, and wear a cap.

During the day: a head wrap

A wrap is the easiest thing to put on when you're at home, doing errands, or not in the mood for a wig. It's also cooler than a wig in warm weather.

Our Modal Cotton Head Wrap ($22.99) is a 170cm by 60cm length of modal-cotton jersey in 28 colours. To be clear: it's a length of fabric, not a pre-tied hat. It takes a few goes in front of a mirror the first time. Once it clicks, it takes about twenty seconds.

A simple tie to start with

1. Centre it at the back. Hold the wrap lengthways and place the middle at the nape of your neck, with the two ends coming forward over your ears.
2. Cross at the front. Bring both ends up to your forehead and cross them over each other, or twist them together once for a fuller look.
3. Take them back. Bring the ends back around your head above your ears.
4. Tie or tuck. Knot them at the nape, or tuck the ends into the wrap at the back.
5. Adjust. Pull the fabric down to cover the top of your head and smooth it so it sits evenly.

Once that's easy, try twisting the ends into a rope and wrapping it around the base for a turban look.

Want something you just pull on? A cap is quicker. The wrap is for when you want a little more style, or a fabric that stays put all day.

Under a wig

A sleep cap or wrap is not a wig liner. Under a wig, you want something thin and breathable that holds the wig in place without adding bulk. Our Stretch Mesh Wig Cap ($9.99) is the breathable option. For more on choosing a wig during treatment, read Wigs During Chemo.

A simple kit for hair loss

• One wig for going out. Start with our Start Here collection: pull-on, no lace, no glue.
• One sleep cap for night.
• One or two wraps for home and quick errands.
• A wig cap for under the wig.
• Sunscreen or a hat for outdoors.

Questions about any of it? Ask us anything. If something isn't right for you, we'll say so.

---

This article is general information and is not medical advice. Talk with your healthcare team about what's right for your situation.