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The Shhhowercap Noir Shower Cap ($43) is the latest addition to me and my boyfriend’s shared arsenal of Hair Things. It might seem excessive given the price, but let me tell you why it’s not.

We both have thick, curly-ass black hair. We sleep wearing bonnets and head wraps, use $80 silk pillowcases just in case we’re too lazy (or drunk) to actually put them on, and spend our fair share of money on hair masks, deep conditioners, and co-washes. Neither of us washes our hair more than twice a week, in part because washing more than that takes a toll on curls and texture, and in part because time! (We don’t have it.)

On off days, we used to use those plastic shower caps you can pick up at the beauty supply store. The thing about those, though, is that they literally don’t work. They slip off within the first five minutes of a shower with even the most mediocre water pressure, and when they don’t, the noise made by the water hitting the plastic ruins my 15 minutes of peace.

So naturally, when Shhhowercap gifted me a sample of its more efficient (and way cuter) version, I was pretty excited. The turban-style cap, which comes in a handful of solid colors and patterns, is made out of a waterproof fabric that actually feels like cloth — not a plastic bag squeezing my brain. It fits nice and snug, but not too tight that it leaves a mark or feels uncomfortable.

I love it because it does what it says it’s going to do: It’s completely water-resistant so that when I step out of the shower I’m not making puddles on the floor, and it does a good — no, great — job of protecting my hair. It doesn't yank at my scalp or forehead when I take it off, and it doesn’t leave my hair sweaty or damp. I’ve even started to use it whenever I do a hair mask.

Still, maybe the best part about this cap is that it’s machine-washable. It can handle our back-to-back uses, and we can just throw it in the wash with our towels. I want one I don’t have to share now that it’s won us over, and I’ll happily fork over the $43 to get it.