Can you really have younger-looking skin and smoother sleeker hair just by changing what you sleep on?
Do silk pillowcases really work?
With more and more silk stores popping up all the time, telling us of the range of beauty benefits we can reap from sleeping on a pure silk pillowcase, it’s difficult to know whether it’s a beauty product worth splashing out on. Do silk pillowcases really have benefits?
What the experts say
Beauty journalists and bloggers are queuing up, it seems, to try out a silk pillowcase for themselves and tell the world about their experience. They are often given the product for free, however, whereas most mere mortals have to pay handsomely for the privilege of sleeping on top quality silk.
A surprising beauty product
A silk pillowcase is often not the first product that comes to mind when people think of skincare or haircare, but the beauty bonuses of sleeping on luxury silk can be many, with users citing better sleep, smoother skin and silkier hair.
Cool and comfortable
Silk is a cool, comfortable fabric, and therefore if you do invest in silk you might well find you get a better night’s sleep. Now they don’t call it beauty sleep for no reason. We all need our sleep, and if we don’t get enough our appearance will suffer – think dark circles and tired, grey-looking skin. Not enough sleep can cause stress to the skin as well as the rest of the body, which means that wrinkles are more likely to occur. Premature ageing is not a good look.
A pricey pillowcase
You may use all kinds of pricey pots of good stuff to stave off those fine lines – but what use is an expensive serum or night cream if it all ends up on your pillow? Most pillowcases are made from cotton, which is a very absorbent fabric. This means that most of your costly face cream might end up on the pillow, rather than being gradually left to work its magic as you slumber. Far more of a waste of money than something you can actually rest your head on by night, surely?
Less stress
Sleeping on silk will ensure you wake up with smoother feeling skin. While this is no guarantee against wrinkles – especially those caused by other factors such as exposure to UV light, pollution or smoking – it certainly cannot do any harm, right? The super-smooth surface of a silk pillowcase means that your skin glides across it too – which surely means less stress for the skin.
Sensitive souls
Those that suffer from skin irritations or sensitivity – such as eczema, psoriasis or acne – often find that using silk pillowcases makes their skin a lot clearer. All this and there’s no need to use chemical products, as silk is an all-natural product that is spun by silkworms then woven into a smooth fabric with a natural sheen.
Quality counts
A good quality silk pillowcase – particularly one made from mulberry silk with a decent momme count (think 19 plus) doesn’t just have the potential to improve your skin, it is also a desirable, luxurious product that can enhance the look of your home and the quality of your precious rest time.
Keeping it clean
To prevent the transfer of bacteria, it’s recommended that a silk pillowcase will perform best if washed often. Does this mean lots of handwashing though? Not at all. Many silk pillowcase care labels will confirm that the product can be machine washed at 30℃, and silk also dries far more quickly than cotton.
Crowning glory
Your crowning glory can also benefit hugely from a night spent on silk. Silk pillowcase fans report less tangles in their hair, and that their blow-dries last for longer too. Those with frizzy locks often say they get less frizz, which makes sense as the smoother surface of silk fabric causes less of that friction which leads to split ends and breakage as well as frizz. This is also why silk is believed to lead to younger-looking skin, as the reduction in friction leads to fewer wrinkles and creases forming during the night.
Beauty sleep
Do silk pillowcases really work? The only way to be sure whether it will work for you is to try one out. It may seem like a costly item but think about the price of some pots of miracle cream or a facial. Opting for a 19-22 momme count (like the thread count used for cotton) mulberry silk pillowcase will give your skin and hair the very best chance of benefiting from night after night of truly blissful beauty sleep.
