Short answer: Wash mulberry silk scrunchies by hand in cool water with a small amount of silk-safe, enzyme-free detergent, then rinse gently, press out water with a clean towel, reshape, and air dry away from direct sunlight or heat. The whole wash should be calm and brief: no hot water, no scrubbing, no wringing, no bleach, and no tumble dryer.
For most people, a light hand wash every few wears is enough, while scrunchies exposed to heavy hair oil, curl cream, sunscreen, sweat, or gym use should be washed sooner. If the scrunchie only touched clean dry hair for a short style, you can usually air it between wears and wash it when it feels dull, oily, stretched, or less fresh.
The safest routine is simple: separate silk scrunchies from towels and rough clothing, use cool water, keep the elastic relaxed, blot rather than twist, and let the silk dry naturally before storing it. This helps the silk keep its smooth feel while reducing the chance of snags, water marks, stretched elastic, or a crushed shape.
Key Takeaways
- Hand washing is the best everyday method for mulberry silk scrunchies because it protects both the silk outer fabric and the inner elastic.
- Use cool water and a small dose of delicate, silk-safe, enzyme-free detergent; regular laundry detergent can be too harsh for protein-based silk.
- Never wring or twist a silk scrunchie. Press it in a clean towel, then reshape it with your fingers.
- Air dry away from direct sun, bathroom heaters, hair dryers, radiators, and tumble dryers.
- Wash more often if you use hair oil, leave-in conditioner, curl cream, dry shampoo, or styling sprays.
- A mesh bag and cold delicate cycle can work for some machine-washable silk, but hand washing is gentler for small accessories.
- Let scrunchies dry completely before putting them in a drawer, travel pouch, or beauty bag.
Why Mulberry Silk Scrunchies Need Gentle Washing
Mulberry silk is loved for hair accessories because it feels smooth against the hair shaft. Compared with rougher elastic ties, a silk-covered scrunchie can help reduce friction while you tie, remove, and sleep with your hair loosely secured. That smooth surface is also the reason care matters: if silk is repeatedly exposed to hot water, harsh detergent, rubbing, or heat drying, it can lose some of its soft feel and sheen.
A scrunchie has two parts to protect. The first is the silk cover, which can collect scalp oil, leave-in products, sunscreen, and everyday dust. The second is the elastic core, which gives the scrunchie its hold. A routine that is too aggressive may clean the fabric but stretch the elastic, crush the gathered shape, or leave the silk looking tired.
That is why the best method is not complicated. Treat a silk scrunchie as a small delicate garment: short soak, gentle movement, thorough rinse, towel blot, and natural drying. If you want a fresh rotation so each piece has time to dry between wears, keep a few options from the mulberry silk scrunchie collection rather than relying on one scrunchie every day.
How Often Should You Wash Silk Scrunchies?
Wash frequency depends on what is in your hair and how you use the scrunchie. A scrunchie used on clean, dry hair for a low ponytail may not need washing after every wear. A scrunchie used for workouts, overnight styling, slick buns, beach days, or oily hair routines should be washed more often.
| Use pattern | Suggested wash timing | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Clean dry hair, short daytime wear | Every few wears or when it loses freshness | Prevents light oil and dust buildup without overwashing. |
| Hair oil, curl cream, leave-in conditioner, or serum | After one to two wears | Product residue can dull silk and transfer back onto hair. |
| Workout, humid weather, or sweaty scalp | After each heavy-use day | Sweat and salt can make the fabric feel less smooth. |
| Overnight loose ponytail or pineapple | Weekly, or sooner with styling product | Keeps the accessory fresh near your pillowcase and hairline. |
| Travel pouch or handbag use | After travel or visible contact with makeup, sunscreen, or dust | Prevents residue from sitting on the silk between uses. |
If you are unsure, use touch and smell as practical cues. A clean silk scrunchie should feel smooth, light, and dry. If it feels waxy, limp, gritty, or oily, wash it before wearing it again.
What You Need Before Washing
You do not need a complicated laundry setup. Use a clean basin or sink, cool water, a silk-safe detergent, and a clean white or light towel. If your scrunchies are brightly coloured, test one hidden fold with a damp white cloth before the first wash. If colour transfers, keep that colour separate and wash it with extra caution.
Choose detergent carefully. Silk is a protein-based natural fibre, so harsh alkaline detergents, bleach, optical brighteners, and routine enzyme detergents can be too aggressive for long-term care. A dedicated silk-and-wool wash is ideal. If you do not have one, use the mildest delicate wash available and use less than you think. Too much detergent is harder to rinse from the gathered folds.
Avoid fabric softener. Mulberry silk should already feel soft, and softener can leave residue on the fabric. Also skip stain removers unless the product label clearly says it is safe for silk and you have spot-tested first.
Step-by-Step: How to Hand Wash Mulberry Silk Scrunchies
Hand washing is the most controlled method for small silk accessories. It lets you clean the fabric without stretching the elastic or forcing the scrunchie through a machine drum.
- Fill a clean basin with cool water. Cool water is safer than hot water for silk and helps reduce the risk of shrinkage, fading, or fibre stress.
- Add a tiny amount of detergent. Use a silk-safe, enzyme-free detergent and mix it into the water before adding the scrunchies. For a small basin, a few drops or a very small splash is enough.
- Submerge the scrunchies gently. Press them under the water without stretching them. Let them soak briefly, usually three to five minutes, to loosen oil and product residue.
- Swish, do not scrub. Move each scrunchie through the water with your fingertips. Do not rub silk against itself, scrub stains hard, or pull the elastic open and closed.
- Rinse in cool clean water. Drain the soapy water and refill the basin, or rinse gently under cool running water. Continue until the water feels clear and there is no slippery detergent residue.
- Press out water with your hands. Cup the scrunchie and press lightly. Do not twist it like a towel.
- Roll in a clean towel. Place the scrunchie on a towel, roll it up, and press to absorb extra water. This protects the gathered silk shape.
- Reshape and air dry. Fluff the gathers with your fingers and lay the scrunchie flat on a dry towel or drying rack away from direct sunlight and heat.
Once dry, the silk may look slightly softer and less crisp than when new. That is normal for natural silk after washing. If the gathers look flat, rotate the scrunchie between your fingers and gently separate the folds.
Can You Machine Wash Silk Scrunchies?
Some silk accessories can be machine washed if their care label allows it, but hand washing is still the gentler choice for scrunchies. The reason is shape. A scrunchie is small, gathered, and elasticated, so it can twist around other items or become trapped against zippers, hooks, rough seams, or the edge of the drum.
If you decide to machine wash, place the scrunchies in a fine mesh delicates bag, use cold water, choose the shortest delicate cycle, and wash only with other smooth silk or lightweight delicates. Do not wash silk scrunchies with towels, denim, activewear with Velcro, bras with hooks, or garments with rough zips. Remove them as soon as the cycle finishes, reshape them, and air dry.
For daily hair routines, it is usually easier to hand wash two or three scrunchies at once. It takes only a few minutes and gives you more control over detergent, water temperature, and drying.
How to Remove Hair Oil, Curl Cream, or Styling Product
Hair products are the main reason silk scrunchies start to feel heavy or dull. Oils, butters, gels, sprays, and dry shampoo can settle in the gathered folds. The goal is to dissolve residue gently rather than attack the silk.
Start with a cool-water hand wash and a silk-safe detergent. If a greasy spot remains, apply a tiny amount of diluted detergent to that area with your fingertip and let it sit for a minute before swishing again. Blot, do not rub. Rinse thoroughly so no detergent remains in the folds.
For heavy oil, repeat a second gentle wash rather than using hot water or a harsh stain remover. If a scrunchie has been soaked in strong pigment, tanning product, hair dye, or a stubborn stain, accept that it may not return perfectly. Silk rewards prevention: avoid wearing your favourite light scrunchie immediately after applying fresh oil, colour spray, or sunscreen.
Drying Silk Scrunchies Without Ruining the Shape
Drying is where many silk accessories are damaged. Heat can be harder on silk than washing itself, and twisting can stretch the elastic. After rinsing, press water out with your palms, blot in a towel, and lay the scrunchies flat in their natural round shape.
Do not hang a wet scrunchie by one point if it is heavy with water, because gravity can pull the elastic and folds unevenly. Do not place it on a sunny windowsill, bathroom heater, heated towel rail, or hair dryer stream. Airflow is useful; direct heat is not.
In humid Australian weather, scrunchies may take longer to dry. Leave them on a breathable towel or rack, turn them once, and wait until the inner folds are dry before storing. If you put a damp scrunchie into a makeup bag or drawer, it can smell stale and may transfer moisture to other silk pieces.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest mistake is treating a silk scrunchie like a regular elastic hair tie. Regular hair ties can often survive rough washing, but a silk-covered scrunchie needs a softer approach.
- Using hot water: Heat can stress silk and may affect colour or shape.
- Adding too much detergent: Extra soap hides in the folds and makes the scrunchie feel stiff or dull.
- Scrubbing stains: Rubbing one patch can roughen the surface or create a lighter mark.
- Wringing: Twisting can stretch the elastic and crush the silk gathers.
- Tumble drying: Dryer heat and tumbling are unnecessary for small silk accessories.
- Washing with rough loads: Towels, denim, zips, and hooks can snag silk.
- Storing while damp: Moist folds can create odour and make the fabric feel less fresh.
How to Keep Silk Scrunchies Fresher Between Washes
You can reduce washing stress by rotating your scrunchies. Keep one for clean bedtime hair, one for workouts or errands, and one for styled hair with product. This prevents a single favourite from absorbing every oil, cream, and sweat mark in your routine.
After wearing, place the scrunchie somewhere airy instead of throwing it straight into a closed bag. If it has only been used lightly, let it air overnight before storing. If you use silk accessories as part of a full sleep routine, pair clean scrunchies with a fresh pillowcase from Silk Bonnet World Australia so product residue is not moving from one surface to another.
For travel, use a small breathable pouch rather than letting scrunchies sit loose with makeup, perfume, sunscreen, pens, or jewellery. Sharp earrings and hair clips can snag silk quickly.
Which Silk Scrunchies Are Easiest to Care For?
Care is similar across silk scrunchie sizes, but your routine may influence which size is easiest to keep fresh. Slim scrunchies use less fabric and dry quickly, which suits fine hair, half-up styles, and light daily use. Classic scrunchies are a balanced choice for ponytails and regular rotation. Oversized scrunchies have more gathered silk, so they feel plush and gentle for looser styles, but they need a little more drying time after washing.
If your scrunchie is often exposed to oil or curl cream, choose darker colours or keep a dedicated wash-day scrunchie. If you need a clean option available every day, a set gives you more rotation and less pressure to overwash one piece.
Recommended Products
For everyday ponytails and low buns, classic 19 momme mulberry silk scrunchies are the easiest starting point because they balance hold, softness, and drying time.
For fine hair, half-up styles, or a smaller accessory that dries quickly after hand washing, slim 19 momme mulberry silk scrunchies are practical and lightweight.
For thicker hair, loose pineapples, and low-tension bedtime styles, oversized mulberry silk scrunchies give more fabric coverage, though they should be allowed extra time to dry fully.
Final Verdict
The best way to wash mulberry silk scrunchies is by hand: cool water, a tiny amount of silk-safe detergent, brief gentle movement, thorough rinsing, towel blotting, reshaping, and air drying away from heat. This routine cleans hair oil and product residue while protecting the silk surface and elastic core.
Machine washing can be acceptable for some silk accessories if you use a mesh bag, cold delicate cycle, and silk-only load, but it is not the most careful option for small gathered scrunchies. Hand washing is faster, gentler, and easier to control.
If you wear scrunchies often, build a rotation rather than wearing one piece until it feels overloaded. For more context on choosing the right size and hold, read the guides to silk scrunchies for fine hair and oversized versus slim silk scrunchies.
FAQ
Can I wash silk scrunchies with shampoo?
It is better to use a silk-safe delicate detergent. Shampoo is made for hair and scalp, not textile care, and some formulas contain ingredients that may leave residue on silk.
Can I use regular laundry detergent on silk scrunchies?
Avoid regular detergent if possible. Many standard detergents are designed for tougher laundry loads and may be too harsh for silk over time. Use a gentle silk-and-wool or delicate wash instead.
Can silk scrunchies go in the dryer?
No. Air drying is safer. Dryer heat and tumbling can stress silk, flatten the gathered shape, and shorten the life of the elastic.
How do I stop a silk scrunchie from smelling musty?
Wash it gently, rinse well, blot with a towel, and let it dry completely in open air before storage. Musty odour usually comes from storing the scrunchie while it is still damp or coated in product residue.
Should I wash a new silk scrunchie before wearing it?
You can wear it straight away if it arrives clean and packaged, but a gentle first wash is fine if you prefer. Always follow the care label and test dark colours separately.
Can I soak silk scrunchies overnight?
No. A brief soak is enough. Long soaking can stress silk, affect colour, and weaken the elastic. Aim for a few minutes, then rinse.
How do I wash silk scrunchies after using hair oil?
Use cool water and silk-safe detergent. If oil remains, repeat a gentle wash or spot treat with diluted detergent. Do not use hot water, bleach, or rough scrubbing.
Can I iron a silk scrunchie?
It is usually unnecessary. If the fabric looks flat after drying, fluff the gathers with your fingers. Ironing a gathered scrunchie is awkward and may damage the elastic if heat reaches it.