Is A Silk Pillowcase Good For Skin

Silk pillowcases have a reputation for being kind to skin. Is this reputation deserved, and if so why Is a silk pillowcase good for skin?

Beauty editors and bloggers are keen to share their love of sleeping on silk. It is said to reduce frizz and control flyaway hair, which in real life means you should get away with blow drying and straightening your hair less often.

For skin, silk pillowcases are meant to have a comprehensive list of advantages too. Partly, silk pillowcases are great for skin and hair because of their smooth surface. Your hair and skin move more freely across the surface of the silk while you sleep. This reduces the friction that can cause frizz and damage to hair. It also reduces skin’s moisture loss

Switching to a silk pillowcase has many skincare benefits. A silk pillowcase can prove a worthwhile investment, because less of that costly moisturiser, night cream, facial oil or serum that you carefully applied is lost. When you sleep on bedding made from cotton or man-made fabrics, a lot of this moisture can be absorbed by your pillowcase, rather than your skin.

So you can save on skin creams and lotions when you sleep on silk and wake up with more supple, moisturised skin. Less moisture loss can help to reduce the signs of ageing because healthy, plump skin tends to develop fewer wrinkles.

That same friction that causes frizzy, flyaway hair during sleep applies to the skin too. As you slumber, you move around – quite a lot as it happens. Every time you move your head, your face comes into contact with your pillowcase. When this happens, friction increases your chance of developing fine lines, pillow creases and wrinkling.

If you sleep on a silk pillowcase, this friction is much reduced. This is down to the fact that silk has a far smoother surface, so when you do move your skin or hair glides rather than drags across the surface.

People who suffer from skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne love to sleep on silk. Many report a remarkable reduction in patches of dry, scaly skin or spots. The skin’s delicate moisture balance is far less disturbed when sleeping on silk, which is why many silk devotees are those with skin conditions, harnessing the benefits of sleeping on pure silk. Chemotherapy patients also find that silk is a lot kinder to their ultra-sensitive skin.

All silk is not made equal, however. As a general rule of thumb the better the silk, the less friction and moisture loss there will be. The best kind is mulberry silk because the strands produced by silkworms that feed on mulberry leaves are longer, smoother and stronger than other silks.

Another factor to look for is the momme count. Like a thread count for cotton, the momme count is a measure of the silk’s quality. The very best silk bed linen is made from silk that has a momme count of 20 or above.

Finally, the weave matters too. A charmeuse weave makes for the smoothest, most lustrous finish, that will provide a super sleek surface on which to rest your head each night.

Is a silk pillowcase good for skin? The best way to find out is to try one for yourself. Year after year of truly beautiful sleep might cost far less than you think. Try a white silk pillowcase today.