How to Wash a Hijab: Care by Fabric, Stains, Ironing & Storage
Short answer: To wash a hijab, check the care label, then hand wash it or use a cool 30 °C delicate cycle inside a mesh bag with a little mild liquid detergent, no bleach and no fabric softener. Press out the water without wringing, air dry it flat or over a rail out of direct sun, and use a steamer or cool iron for creases.
Knowing how to wash a hijab properly keeps it soft, opaque and true to its colour for years. Every fabric follows the same basic rules (cool water, gentle handling, air drying); only the details change between modal, jersey, chiffon and satin. Below you'll find those details, plus the things most care guides skip: make-up and sweat marks, pilling, dark colours and storage.
How to wash a hijab by fabric
Start with the care label. The number in the washtub symbol is the highest safe temperature, and one dot in the iron symbol means a cool iron. The official GINETEX care symbol guide explains every symbol. Then use this table as your quick reference.
| Fabric | Wash | Dry | Creases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modal and bamboo modal | 30 °C gentle, mesh bag, or by hand | Flat or folded over a rail | Rarely; steam or cool iron |
| Jersey and cotton jersey | 30 °C gentle, mesh bag | Flat or folded over a rail | Shower steam or cool iron |
| Chiffon and modal chiffon | By hand, or 30 °C delicate in a mesh bag if the label allows | Hang or lay flat in the shade | Steamer, or cool iron with a cloth |
| Silky satin | By hand, or 30 °C delicate in a mesh bag | Hang without clips | Steam or cool iron on the reverse |
| Crinkle satin | By hand, or 30 °C delicate in a mesh bag | Twist, then hang | None needed |
| Viscose | 30 °C delicate, mesh bag, or by hand | Hang or lay flat | Cool iron while slightly damp |
| Cotton-linen and crinkle cotton | 30 °C gentle, mesh bag | Hang; twist crinkle styles | Crinkle: none; smooth: steam |
| Undercaps | 30 °C gentle, mesh bag | Flat | None needed |
How to wash a modal hijab
Modal is a soft knit made from beechwood fibre and is easy to live with. Wash it cool on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag, or by hand, with similar colours; heat and hard spins are what dull its smooth, matte surface. Our modal hijabs and bamboo modal hijabs come with a matching undercap that can share the bag. More on the fabric in our modal hijab guide.
How to wash a jersey hijab
Jersey stretches, which is why it grips without pins and why it needs care when wet. Wash it cool on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag, and never hang it wet from one end: the weight of the water pulls it longer. Jersey hijabs are also the most prone to pilling (see below).
Modal Hijab with Undercap – Sage
£17.00
Bamboo Modal Hijab with Cap – Mocha
£20.00
Premium Jersey Hijab – Navy
£15.00
Cotton Jersey Hijab – Olive
£15.00
How to wash a chiffon hijab
Chiffon is a fine, floaty weave and its enemy is friction. Hand washing in cool water is gentlest; if the label allows the machine, use a 30 °C delicate programme with the hijab alone in a mesh bag. Never wring it: squeeze softly, then roll it in a towel. The crepe texture of our premium chiffon hijabs hides small creases once dry.
How to wash a satin or silk-look hijab
Our silky satin hijabs are silk-feel satin, not real silk, so they are easier to wash than a silk scarf, but the sheen marks easily. Wash cool, by hand or on a delicate cycle in a mesh bag, and dissolve the detergent in the water first so it never sits undiluted on the fabric. Rinse well: leftover soap dulls the lustre. This suits our silky satin hijabs and the textured crinkle satins alike.
Premium Chiffon Hijab – Dusty Rose
£20.00
Modal Chiffon Hijab with Undercap – Stone
£15.00
Silky Satin Hijab – Champagne
£17.00
Crinkle Satin Hijab – Bottle Green
£20.00
Washing machine or hand wash?
Can you put a hijab in the washing machine? Usually yes, if the label shows a washtub rather than a hand in the tub or a crossed-out tub. Most of our hijabs' care notes allow a cool 30 °C machine wash in a mesh bag, while a few, such as our premium chiffon, recommend hand washing. Hand washing is also kindest to satin, ombré scarves and anything embellished.
How to machine wash hijabs
- Check the label. The label always wins over general advice.
- Sort. Darks with darks, lights with lights, and delicate chiffon and satin apart from heavier jersey.
- Pre-treat marks. Deal with make-up or sweat lines first (see the stains section).
- Bag them. One to three hijabs per zipped mesh bag, and never next to towels, denim or Velcro.
- Choose a gentle programme. Delicates, wool or hand-wash setting, 30 °C or cold, lowest spin.
- Dose lightly. A little mild liquid detergent; no bleach or fabric softener, which our care notes rule out.
- Unload straight away. A wet hijab left in the drum creases deeply.
How to hand wash a hijab
- Fill a basin with cool water. Stir in a small squeeze of mild detergent.
- Swish and soak. Move the hijab gently, then soak for 10 to 15 minutes (less for strong colours).
- Work any marks. Rub lightly between your fingertips, never with a brush.
- Rinse until clear. Change the water until there are no suds.
- Press, don't wring. Squeeze softly, then roll the hijab in a dry towel.
Detergent and wash bags
A mild liquid detergent for delicates is enough; powder can leave white streaks on dark fabric in cool water. Zipped mesh bags stop hijabs wrapping round the drum and snagging. Leave out fabric softener: it coats fibres, can reduce the grip of modal and jersey and dulls satin.
Tip: Keep one mesh bag per colour group by the machine and drop hijabs in as you take them off. Sorting on wash day is already done.
How to dry a hijab
Air dry every hijab we sell. Tumble dryer heat can shrink knits, encourage pilling, fade colour and ripple satin.
- Knits (jersey, modal, undercaps): lay flat on a rack or towel, or fold in half over a rail so the weight is shared. Smooth into shape while damp.
- Wovens (chiffon, satin, viscose, cotton-linen): hang over a rail or padded hanger; no pegs or clips on satin.
- Everything: dry indoors or in shade. Strong sun fades colour and radiators can scorch fine fabric.
How to get wrinkles out of a hijab: steamer or iron
Dry hijabs smoothed out and store them rolled, and most never need ironing. When they do, a handheld steamer is gentlest, or hang the hijab in the bathroom while you shower. If you iron, the care notes for our hijabs all say a cool setting (one dot), cotton-linen included.
| Fabric | Best way | If you iron |
|---|---|---|
| Modal and jersey | Smooth while damp, or steam | Cool, keep it moving |
| Chiffon | Steamer held a hand's width away | Cool, through a pressing cloth |
| Silky satin | Steam from the reverse | Cool, on the reverse; no water spray, which can spot |
| Viscose | Steam | Cool, slightly damp, on the reverse |
| Cotton-linen | Steam | Cool, as our care notes say |
| Crinkle cotton and crinkle satin | Twist into a rope while damp | Don't: it flattens the crinkle |
Crinkle fabrics are the easiest hijabs to own, because creases disappear into the texture. That makes crinkle hijabs ideal for travel. To refresh the texture, wet the hijab, twist it into a tight rope, coil it and let it dry that way.
Crinkle Cotton Hijab – Lilac Grey
£15.00
Ombre Cotton Linen Hijab – Dove Grey
£15.00
Viscose Hijab – Oat
£13.00
Ombre Crinkle Satin Hijab – Olive Sage
£13.00
How to get make-up, deodorant and sweat stains out of a hijab
Treat marks before washing, in cool water, and test any product on a hidden corner first, especially on satin and chiffon. Blot rather than rub, which spreads the mark.
Make-up and foundation
Foundation and lipstick are oily, so water alone just moves them around. Dab the mark from the back with micellar water on a cotton pad, then work in one drop of clear washing-up liquid or liquid detergent, leave it for ten minutes, rinse cool and wash as normal. To prevent marks, let foundation set before dressing, and fasten the front with hijab magnets instead of tugging fabric across your jaw.
Deodorant and perfume marks
Dry white deodorant marks usually brush off with a clean dry cloth; pre-treat any build-up with liquid detergent. Perfume can mark satin and light chiffon, so let it dry on your skin before you put your hijab on.
The sweat line on undercaps
The yellowish line along an undercap's front edge is sweat, skin oil and hair product. Work liquid detergent into the band, leave it 15 to 30 minutes, soak in cool water, then wash in a mesh bag. Hot water tends to set sweat marks. Rotating two or three caps helps; our hijab undercap guide explains how to choose them, and our modal undercaps come in colours to match or contrast.
Hijab Undercap, Modal – Black
£8.00
Hijab Undercap, Modal – Nude
£8.00
One-Piece Jersey Hijab – Camel
£15.00
Tip: Keep micellar water and cotton pads where you get dressed. A mark dealt with in the first minutes rarely becomes a stain.
Pilling and colour care
How to stop a jersey hijab pilling
Pills form when a knit rubs against bag straps, coat collars, seatbelts or rough items in the wash. Prevent them by washing knits in a mesh bag, away from towels and denim, and keeping them out of the dryer. To remove pills, lay the hijab flat and use a fabric shaver on its gentlest setting with light strokes. Don't pull them off by hand.
Keeping dark and bright colours deep
Wash a new hijab alone or with the same colour for its first wash or two, as excess dye can release at first. Black, navy, burgundy and brights such as red stay rich longest with cold washes, short soaks and drying in the shade. Wash whites only with whites, and wash ombré scarves quickly, without soaking.
How often should you wash your hijab?
It depends on the weather, the fabric and how close it sits to your skin. As a general guide:
| Item | Wash roughly | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Undercaps | After one or two wears | They touch hair and skin |
| Sport hijabs | After every session | Sweat sits in the fabric |
| Everyday hijabs | Every few wears, or when marked | An undercap keeps most oil off |
| Occasion satin and chiffon | When marked | Less washing keeps the finish |
Air a hijab on a hanger for a few hours between wears. In hot weather you will wash more often; see the best hijab for summer for heat-friendly fabrics and our guide to choosing a sport hijab for training.
How to store and fold hijabs
Drawer rolls for knits
Jersey, modal and viscose keep their shape best rolled, not hung on a hook. Fold the hijab in half lengthwise, then again, and roll it up. Stand the rolls upright in a drawer so you can see every colour at once.
Hangers for chiffon and satin
Chiffon and satin crease when folded tightly, so drape them over a padded or looped scarf hanger, away from rough edges and direct light.
Packing hijabs for travel
Roll, don't fold, and pack hijabs in a soft pouch away from zips and shoes. Tissue paper inside satin rolls softens creases, crinkle fabrics travel best, and a hotel shower steams out the rest. Keep magnets together in a small tin.
Your hijab care kit: a checklist
- Mild liquid detergent for delicates
- Two or three zipped mesh bags, plus a small one for undercaps
- A drying rack or clean towel
- A handheld steamer, or a cool iron and cotton pressing cloth
- Micellar water, cotton pads and clear washing-up liquid for marks
- A fabric shaver for jersey pills
- Padded or looped scarf hangers for chiffon and satin
- Drawer dividers for rolled hijabs
- A soft travel pouch and a tin for magnets
- Two or three undercaps in rotation
FAQ
Can you put a hijab in the washing machine?
Yes, if the care label shows a washtub symbol. Use a cool 30 °C delicate cycle, a zipped mesh bag, a little mild liquid detergent and a low spin. Hand washing is gentler for chiffon, satin and ombré scarves.
Can you put a jersey or modal hijab in the dryer?
Best not. Tumble dryer heat can shrink knits, cause pilling and fade colour. Lay jersey and modal flat or fold them over a rail to air dry.
How do you wash a chiffon hijab without ruining it?
Hand wash it in cool water with a little mild detergent, swish rather than scrub, and press the water out in a towel without wringing. Hang it in the shade and remove creases with a steamer.
How do you get makeup off a hijab?
Blot, don't rub. Dab the mark from the back with micellar water, work in a drop of clear washing-up liquid, leave it ten minutes, rinse cool and wash as normal. Test on a hidden corner first.
How often should you wash your hijab?
Wash undercaps after one or two wears and sport hijabs after every session. Everyday hijabs worn over an undercap usually need a wash every few wears, or sooner when marked.
How do you get wrinkles out of a hijab without an iron?
Use a handheld steamer, or hang the hijab in the bathroom while you shower. Smoothing hijabs while damp and storing them rolled prevents most wrinkles.
Should you use fabric softener on hijabs?
No. Softener coats the fibres, which can reduce the grip of modal and jersey and dull satin. Our hijab care notes say no softener and no bleach.
Choosing your next hijab? Compare every fabric in our hijab fabric guide.
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Shop the collections: Modal Hijabs · Jersey Hijabs · Chiffon Hijabs · Underscarves & Undercaps
