When did women stop wearing bonnets in North America?

Sleeping caps remained popular among women until the late 20th century, primarily for practical reasons: they helped keep curlers in place and protected hairstyles. During the 1970s and 1980s, sleeping caps began to fall out of favor with younger women, largely due to modern advances in hairstyling tools, such as blow dryers, curling irons, and hot rollers. They stopped using them because they were no longer considered necessary. And this is probably why younger white women are CLUELESS about sleeping caps or ‘bonnets’ and think it’s ‘cultural appropriation’ to wear them. They grew up in a household where no one wore a bonnet.

I can speak from personal experience because my mother wore a sleeping cap nearly every night of her life. I also had one when I was a child because she sometimes rolled my hair in sponge curlers (despite the fact that we had more modern styling tools): there was a time when all white women wore bonnets as part of their daily attire and even to bed before the late 1800s. Interestingly, men also wore them to bed, as they helped keep heads warm in homes that lacked central heating. Women not only used bonnets for warmth but also to protect their hairstyles.

Starting in the late 1800s, many women—especially younger, more fashion-conscious ones—began to adopt fashionable hats as part of their daily outfits. However, older women and those living in rural areas continued to wear bonnets well into the early 20th century.

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But I have noticed that black women still use them—probably because their hair has unique needs. Natural black hair often requires more time to dry and set, and wearing a bonnet can help preserve hairstyles, reduce frizz, and protect the hair from breakage. This is why they remain a part of African American culture. BUT they are European in origin and white American women certainly continued to use them during the last century. Some still use them.