The complete guide
How to Choose and Wear a Square Silk Head Scarf
The problem with most hair accessories
Most of what we tie around our hair is working against it. Cotton bands grip, which is why they stay put, but grip and friction are the same thing. Elastics pull. Rough jersey catches at the ends. If you have ever taken a headband off and found a small cloud of broken hairs on it, you already know the issue.
Silk behaves differently. Its surface is smooth at a fibre level, so hair slides over it rather than dragging. That is the simple, honest reason silk squares have stayed in people's drawers for a century while trend accessories come and go. There is nothing magic going on. It is just a smoother surface.
This particular scarf is 100% mulberry silk, cut as a 68 x 68 cm square (about 27 x 27 inches), and printed with flowers in light blue with green through the leaves.
Why 68 cm is the size most people end up with
Square scarves come in a few standard sizes, and the number matters more than it sounds.
Around 50 cm you get a small square. It is lovely knotted at the neck but frustrating on the head, because once you fold it on the diagonal there is barely enough length to tie properly. Around 90 cm you get a large square, which can be a shoulder wrap or a full head covering, but it bunches up if you only want a neckerchief.
The 68 cm square sits between the two and does both jobs. Folded diagonally, the long edge is roughly 96 cm, which goes over the crown of your head and still leaves ends long enough for a comfortable knot at the nape. Folded smaller, it makes a neat triangle at the throat without a bulky wad of fabric under your chin. If you are buying your first square and you are not sure how you will mostly wear it, this is the safe size.
What mulberry silk actually means
Silk is graded partly by what the silkworms eat. Mulberry silk comes from worms raised entirely on mulberry leaves, under controlled conditions, which produces long and even filaments. Long filaments mean fewer joins, a more consistent thread and a fabric with a smooth face and a quiet shine.
The alternative you see sold cheaply is polyester "silk-feel" fabric. It looks similar in a photograph. In the hand the difference is obvious. Polyester warms up against your skin and stays warm, while silk feels cool when you first touch it and stays breathable. Polyester also tends to have a harder, glassier shine, where silk's lustre shifts as the fabric moves.
One thing worth saying plainly. The momme weight, which is the standard measure of how heavy a silk fabric is, is not given for this scarf. If you are comparing it against another square where the momme is listed, you will not have a like-for-like number.
Who it suits
If your hair is curly or coily, a silk square is likely already on your list. The smooth surface is kinder to defined curls than cotton, and a square is more adaptable than a fixed bonnet because you can adjust how tight and how high it sits. Plenty of people use a best mulberry silk head scarf as part of a morning routine rather than only at night.
If your hair is fine or prone to breaking at the ends, the same logic applies. Less drag means less damage over months of wear.
If you simply want a scarf, none of that matters and it is just a nice piece of silk. The print here is soft. Light blue and green are low-contrast and daylight-friendly, which makes this an easy best floral silk neck scarf for work or for a wedding where you do not want to compete with anyone.
And if you are buying for someone else, a scarf avoids the sizing problem entirely. There is no small, medium or large to get wrong.
Learning to tie it
People over-think this. Four ties will carry you through almost any occasion.
The classic head scarf is a diagonal fold, placed over the head with the long edge just behind your hairline, ends crossed at the nape and knotted. For a 1960s look, bring the ends round to the front and tie under the chin instead.
The headband is a tight roll, four or five centimetres wide, laid over the head and knotted underneath at the back. Twist the ends a few turns before you knot them, which stops silk from sliding loose.
The neckerchief is a diagonal fold, then fold again to a narrow triangle, point at the front, ends tied behind the neck and tucked. Push the knot slightly off-centre and it instantly looks less like a uniform.
The bag tie is the easiest of all. Narrow roll, simple knot around the base of a handle, ends left to hang.
The one practical tip for all of them is to tie firmer than feels natural. Silk is slippery by design, so a knot you would trust in cotton will creep loose over a few hours.
Looking after it
Silk is not difficult. It just does not forgive heat and rough handling.
Wash it by hand in cold water with a small amount of mild detergent. Move it through the water gently. Do not rub the fabric against itself and do not scrub at marks. Rinse in clean cold water until no suds come out.
Never wring it. Lay it flat on a clean towel, roll the towel up and press, then unroll and dry the scarf flat or over a line away from sun and radiators. Direct heat is what makes silk go dull and dry, and strong sunlight is what fades a print.
Iron on the lowest silk setting, reverse side up, while the scarf is still a little damp. If your iron runs hot, put a thin cotton cloth between the two.
Two small habits make a real difference over time. Put your perfume, hairspray and sun cream on first, then the scarf, because alcohol-based sprays can mark both the dye and the fibre. And store it away from zips, watch clasps and anything with a rough edge, since a single pulled thread on a smooth silk face is very visible.
Where it fits in a wardrobe
A silk square is one of the few accessories that works harder the plainer your clothes are. Over a white shirt, a navy jumper or a denim jacket, a pale floral does most of the work for you. Over something already busy, it fights.
It also travels well, which is underrated. Folded into a pocket it takes up almost no room, weighs next to nothing, and comes out of a bag with creases that drop out once it is tied. For a few days away where you are packing light, one square gives you a hair cover for a windy day, a neck scarf for dinner and a bag tie, all from the same small piece of fabric.
The short version
This is a 68 x 68 cm square of 100% mulberry silk with a light blue and green floral print. The size is the most useful square size there is, big enough for your head, small enough for your neck. Silk's smooth surface means less friction on hair than cotton, which is the practical reason to choose it over a jersey band.
Hand wash cold, dry flat, cool iron on the reverse, and keep it away from perfume sprays. Do that and it will still look right in ten years.
If you are unsure between this and a larger 90 cm square, ask yourself where it will spend most of its life. On your head and neck, take this one. Over your shoulders, size up.