7 Benefits Of Using A Silk Pillowcase

Last Updated on April 27, 2023

A good pillowcase, particularly a good silk pillowcase can have many benefits. From skin and hair to sleeping easier, there are many benefits to a good silk pillowcase.

The reason why we’re stressing a pillowcase is A.) because sheet sets are overrated. And B.) silk sheet sets are super expensive. Why buy a whole set, when you really just need a pillowcase?

You can purchase a good pillowcase for a fraction of the cost.

 

A Silk pillowcase shown in slate grey color

 

 

 

The Case For Silk Pillowcases

Silk fabric is known for its smoothness. Quality silk fabric is much smoother than cotton, or any other natural fabric for that matter.

Silk fibers are thinner than cotton. Silk fibers are also smoother than cotton.

So the resulting weave is also significantly smoother.

 

an infographic showing the thinness of a silk fiber

 

The smoothness of silk, along with a few other factors, results in the many benefits of a silk pillowcase.

  • Causes fewer skin wrinkles than cotton
  • Causes fewer hair tangles than cotton
  • Anti-aging and moisturizing
  • Better thermoregulation properties
  • More hypoallergenic
  • Easier to maintain
  • More Durable

 

Silk Causes Fewer Skin Wrinkles Than Cotton

Silk is super smooth. Much smoother than cotton fabric.

The many ridges of cotton tug and pull on your skin. This results in wrinkles. Do you ever wake up with random wrinkles on your face? Do you suffer from “ugly mornings”? Those are from your cotton pillowcases.

No matter what thread count you use, the result will be the same.

Silk on the other hand has a smoother, and more even surface. The smooth nature of silk means that it would grab and pull at your skin.

The result is fewer wrinkles in the morning.

 

Silk Causes Fewer Hair Tangles Than Cotton

For the same reason as wrinkles, silk pillowcases also cause fewer hair tangles.

Throughout the night, the rougher ridges and edges of a cotton surface tug and pull on your hair. Do you wake up in the morning with messy hair?

Do you spend time each morning untangling your hair?

graphical image depicting that a silk pillowcase prevents hair knots & bedhead

Silk pillowcases cause fewer hair tangles than cotton. Much fewer. And if you’ve recently switched over to curly hair, a silk pillowcase is a must-have!

 

Silk Is Anti-Aging And Moisturizing

We already mentioned how silk doesn’t wrinkle your skin. But silk has other anti-aging features as well.

Silk wicks away moisture but doesn’t absorb any. Whereas cotton does absorb moisture. In fact, as you sleep, cotton actively absorbs the moisture and natural oils from your skin.

Leaving you with drier skin, every morning. Silk also promotes an acne-free complexion.

 

Silk Has Better Thermoregulation Properties

Cotton is always described as being better than polyester due to its ability to breathe – which is true. But the breathability of silk is actually superior to cotton.

graphical image depicting that a silk pillowcase is breathable

It gets better.

Cotton does breathe, but not so well when it absorbs moisture. On a warm night, cotton can definitely provide an uncomfortable sleeping surface.

Silk doesn’t absorb moisture – which results in a consistently cool surface.

 

Silk Is More Hypoallergenic And Hosts Less Bacteria

The ability of silk to wick away moisture also makes it more hypoallergenic and bacteria-free.

A cotton pillowcase is a host to more bacteria than a public toilet seat. In fact, a toilet seat has 17,000 times fewer bacteria than your cotton pillowcase.

Why?

Moisture! The sweat and oil that your cotton pillowcase absorbs are what bacteria feed on.

Silk doesn’t hold on to moisture, sweat, oil, etc.

 

Silk Is Easier To Maintain

Your white cotton pillowcases probably have a lot of yellowing.

The majority of pillowcase stains come from your head. All of the oils and sweat that your pillowcase absorbs lead to those nasty yellow stains.

a while bed pillow with yellow staining all over

And obviously, you attempt to remove those stains. And oftentimes, you can’t.

Silk doesn’t absorb as cotton does. So a silk pillowcase is usually stain-free.

 

Silk Is More Durable

Silk fibers are more durable than cotton. And there’s more to it as well.

Over the years, as thread counts have climbed higher and higher, this has led to less durable fabrics. The threads used to create these ultra-high thread counts are very weak.

They break apart very frequently. The result is a pilled sheet, and eventually a torn sheet.

Silk is a much more durable fiber. Silk sheets don’t pill after a few washes. And silk sheets are much higher quality than cotton.

 

What To Look For In A Silk Pillowcase

Real silk is expensive. And there are a lot of imposters out there. A lot of products that are sold as silk aren’t actually silk.

So be on the lookout for a few descriptors that will ensure you’re not only buying a silk product, but also a quality silk product.

 

Momme Count

Cotton sheets have a thread count. Silk sheets have a “momme count”. Same concept – different name. A good momme count is around 20 or higher.

 

Verified Source

Look for Oeko-Tex verified information. This will ensure that the silk is from a recognized and verified source. You can also verify any brand or manufacturer with Oeko-Tex.

 

an image displaying the Oeko-Tex logo

 

Read The Title

Imposters will try to trick you with not-so-honest descriptors like “satin” or “silk-like”. Avoid those!

 

How To Take Care Of Silk

Silk requires a different type of care than a regular cotton pillowcase. While you can machine wash a silk sheet, we recommend hand washing it using a detergent for delicates.

 

A bottle of Delicate Wash detergent from Laundress

 

How To Hand Wash A Silk Pillowcase

If you can spare a few minutes to hand wash, the effort is well worth it!

  1. Fill a bucket or container with cold water. Add 1/2 oz. of detergent.
  2. Knead the pillowcase the way you would with another delicate item.
  3. Replace with fresh water and rinse until no detergent is left
  4. Allow to air dry completely

 

a lady washing a delicate garment in a square container

 

How To Machine Wash A Silk Pillowcase

Not everyone has the time to hand wash. If your time is limited, follow these instructions for a washing machine.

  1. Using cool or warm water, wash using the gentle cycle, with a delicate detergent
  2. Allow to air dry completely

 

Skip The Sheet Sets

As we discussed earlier, sheet sets are overrated.

Throughout the majority of the year, most people wear long-sleeve pajamas. Which means your body is almost completely covered.

Other than your face, hands, and feet (assuming you have no socks on), there is no skin-to-sheet contact. 

So no matter how expensive your sheets are, you’re never going to feel that softness. Skip the expensive sheet sets, and invest your money into a good silk pillowcase instead!

One thought on “7 Benefits Of Using A Silk Pillowcase

  1. It’s great that you mentioned how quality silk fabric is much smoother than cotton, or any other natural fabric for that matter. Most of our pillowcases are already very old, so we are thinking of getting new ones. We want something that feels comfortable, so we should probably buy some luxury silk pillowcases.

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