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A nurse’s work is never easy, but little things — like a well-fitting scrub cap and a comfortable uniform — makes one’s shift just a little bit more bearable. Thanks to scrub caps, one’s hair is protected and out of the way. And if you have long, curly, or unruly hair, it’s really a God-send.
There are different kinds of scrub caps that you can choose from. For women and men with short hair, we’ve included close-fitting caps. For women with big hair or ponytails, we have a lot of ponytail scrub caps for you.
It was also a lot of fun looking through all the patterns and designs available online. You can choose from solid colors to fun and loud designs. Scroll through our list and have fun choosing your favorites.
Laundry Tip: If you want your scrub cap to last longer, opt to wash your cap in cold water and (mild) detergent.
Best Overall: ABAMERICA Working Cap with Button
A ponytail often doesn’t fit under your nurse cap well. If a ponytail is your go-to hairstyle, then you really need to check out ABAMERICA’s working caps. They are designed especially for nurses with ponytails, long straight hair, long curly hair, or even big frizzy hair.
Here are some excellent design features on the cap:
- A pouch at the back for your ponytail
- A ribbon that gathers the back pouch to keep it secure
- An elastic closure at the back so you can wear and remove it easily
- Toggle strings that let you adjust the cap
- A sweatband across the front end to absorb sweat
- Two buttons on each side for the straps of your masks to keep your ears from hurting
- 100% polyester so it’s lightweight, breathable, and durable
You can wear this all day without feeling uncomfortable. They fit beautifully and look great on different head sizes. Excellent material and very well sewn. The ribbon doesn’t unravel. They don’t fade and they’re cool when worn. You can even place your surgical hair net over it if you are in the OR.
Best Basic Bouffant: QBA Adjustable Working Cap with Button
If you’ve looking for a quality basic nurse cap that looks good on you, then Naivlizer is it. Their bouffant cap is very stylish and aside from being roomy, it looks exceptionally well on one’s head. Their solid colors and simple patterns are great to wear with patterned scrub tops, too.
Made of 100% high-grade cotton, these are light and breathable making them perfect for long shifts. Just like ABAMERICA, they come with an elastic closure to keep the cap in place and a moisture absorbent strip on the front to absorb sweat. Each cap also has one button on each side for your mask. Overall, they are sewn very well.
When you buy a Naivlizer cap, you support a small business.
Best Large Cap: Hotme Working Hat with Button
If you work in the pediatric ward or just love cutesy designs like unicorns and llamas, then you have to check out these adorable working caps by HotMe. They have a wide array of designs that often change. As of writing, they’ve got cute designs like the aforementioned unicorns and llamas, space designs like stars and rockets, and more serious patterns like paisley and solid colors. Those in dentistry have special designs set aside for them in the form of cute tooth drawings.
They come with a button on each side for your masks, an adjustable elastic band that you can tie into a pretty bow at the back of your head, and a sweatband across the front to help absorb sweat.
The manufacturer encourages buyers to wash these caps in cold water and mild detergent to prevent fading and bleeding. It makes your caps last longer!
Best Patterned: Kousenpu Adjustable Working Cap with Sweatband
If you have long hair but don’t want to get a bouffant style, you might want to try these Kousenpu caps. Thanks to the construction, they are roomy enough to snugly fit long air in the back while keeping baby hairs and bangs tucked well in front.
If you especially like flower patterns, Kousenpu has some very nice floral designs in pretty pastel colors. They also have bright flower designs in happy reds and sunshine yellows.
On the downside, their caps don’t have solid designs and they don’t have buttons for masks. The latter is surely a con while the pandemic is still ongoing.
Best For Men: Cherokee Scrubs Hat
Cherokee is a long-time popular medical apparel brand. If you order your scrubs from the brand, you can throw in a couple of their nursing caps.
At first glance, these look surprisingly small compared to the previously listed caps but that’s their actual strength. These caps are highly recommended for men with short hair since they don’t need the room. They are also purchased by petite women with smaller head sizes.
There are only four basic colors available as of writing but Cherokee caps have great quality and there is no fading.
Not recommended for people with long or bushy hair, or those with big heads.
Heartbeat Design: Big Hair Women’s Surgical Caps
Women with big, big hair, check out Sparkling EARTH’s Big Hair Women’s Scrub Caps. Designed for the nurse with long or poofy hair, the back is constructed to fit in all that hair while keeping your hair snug inside. This is very convenient if you regularly do delicate procedures or just want to keep your hair unexposed during these pandemic days.
The Big Hair caps can be worn two ways. You can either tie it in the back or wear as a ponytail. It is lightweight and constructed very well so that it is very comfortable to wear your entire shift.
Proudly made in the USA and made from 100% cotton, it also comes with the built-in sweatband. There is only one design for sale so you can’t choose but the heartbeat design is just perfect for any nurse.
Sadly, there are no buttons for your mask. It also comes at a higher price point.
Cutest Designs with Button: CHUANGLI Printed Working Cap with Sweatband
These CHUANGLI nurse caps check all the boxes. They are made of 100% cotton, have the button for your mask, a sweatband across the front, an elastic band and lace-up on the backside, an opening for your ponytail, adjustable straps, and enough room for your hair.
They also have a multitude of fun designs to choose from. They’ve got fun prints like unicorns and flamingos. They have beautiful prints like paisley and floral. For dentistry professionals, there’s a bunch of cute tooth designs, too.
Nurse Cartoon Designs: Yi Heng Unisex with Button
The first thing you will notice with the Yi Heng nurse caps are the super cute nurse designs. They are cartoony and very adorable and come in pastel colors. They also have other fun designs lilke bears and dogs. They also have a heartbeat pattern in a gray black color. In person, the colors are as vibrant as in the photos.
For the low price, it’s surprising that they come with the regular features like the buttons on each side and the sweatband in the front. The buttons are as cute as the designs and overall, the cap does its job.
Did we mention that it’s half the price of regular nurse caps?
Ponytail Cap: AlleShaw Working Cap with Button
Here’s another option for nurses looking for nurses who want their hair and ponytails covered. This nurse cap from AlleShaw is very similar to the ponytail caps we’ve mentioned earlier. It’s got the adjustable elastic band, the sweatband in front, the buttons for your mask, and the ponytail pouch.
It comes in different fun designs like medical-themed designs, animals, flowers, and even leopard print. The brand also has a nice blue solid color.
It is advertised as 100% cotton but came in as 100% polyester.
Best Set: VIALOI Scrub Caps
VIAOLI promotes their working caps for nurses, pet clinic workers and those who work in salons. Feature-wise, they are constructed with an adjustable band for easy tying, the sweatband in front, and one button on each side for masks. Made from 100% cotton, they are made from color-fast material.
The designs are very eye-catching. For one purchase, you get a set of three or four caps with different designs. You will have fun choosing which design combination to choose. One set has flamingos and flowers. Another set has the heartbeat designs with solid colors. Still another set has tooth designs which makes this perfect for those working in dental clinics. There are even more designs we haven’t mentioned so make sure to check them all.
Do note that for some nurses, the fit is a tad off as the front doesn’t fit flat against the forehead no matter how you tie it at the back.
Best Snoopy Print: Meliza Working Cap
The Meliza working caps are just darling. We are soft for Snoopy designs so we might have just squeed when we saw the adorable Snoopy and heart designs. This particular print comes in a pair so you get 2 caps with one purchase.
They also sell other prints. They have an interesting design where there is a band in a matching print along the edge of the cap. Apparently, this design is functional as well. Turning up the band makes the band smaller and turning it down makes the band bigger. Meliza caps are recommended for people with medium-sized heads.
If you’re a nurse who likes to collect interesting designs, we highly recommend the Meliza caps. A handful of them are very pretty and fashionable.
As for features, they are made from 100% cotton and have an elastic closure. They don’t have the sweatband though and the button for masks.
Best Snug Fit: FIGS Modern Classic Scrub Cap
If you are looking for a snug-fitting nurse cap in basic colors, then this FIGS cap is it. Honestly, it looks very stylish especially when you’re wearing solid colored scrubs.
The cap makes use of the FIGS signature FIONtechnology fabric. It is odor-resistant, anti-wrinkle, and anti-static. The core-spun material is very, very soft, has a four-way stretch, and is moisture wicking. The material and technology might account for the high price point.
Please note that this fits small and says “you’ve got this” across the side.
Did any of the ones featured above catch your eye? You know you’ve found the right scrub for you when it combines comfort and functionality in one pretty-looking design. Happy shopping!
