Silk pillowcases are all the rage in the beauty world, but do they really live up to the hype?
When it comes to the benefits of a silk pillowcase for your hair, the short answer is yes. In addition to being super fancy, soft, and luxurious, silk pillowcases are full of beauty boosts that can bring your far-off fantasies of Disney Princess hair closer to reality.
Curly, straight, fine, or thick, your hair will no doubt benefit tremendously from swapping out your cotton pillowcase for a silk cover. Here are 5 specific improvements to your hair’s health, look, and feel you are guaranteed to experience from switching to a pure silk pillowcase:
1. Less Morning Tangles & Frizz
Contrary to the perfectly tousled locks actresses sport on screen, just-rolled-out-of-bed hair is not always cute. If you’re all too familiar with the unglamorous reality behind this Hollywood lie, then you’ll be happy to hear that sleeping on silk can transform the bird’s nest you’re used to waking up with into the morning hair you’ve always dreamed of.
Because silk, which is spun from silkworms, is much more tightly-woven than cotton – the most common material used in pillowcases – or any other synthetically-produced material for that matter, a 100% silk pillowcase has an extremely sleek surface, unrivaled by any other type of cover on the market. The smoothness of a pure silk pillowcase’s surface drastically limits friction between the cover and your hair as you move in your sleep, keeping tangles to a minimum. In other words, your hair is able to gently slide over the silky, sheen surface of a pure silk pillowcase, keeping it looking nice and knot-free during all hours of your beauty sleep.
2. Hairstyle Preservation
Not only can a pure silk pillowcase kick everyday bed-head out of your life forever, but the reduced friction can also help you preserve your blowout or keep your new style frizz-free. This is especially true for you curly-haired girls out there.
As celebrity hairdresser Andre Walker put it,
“Silk pillowcases help to maintain your style, in addition to keeping your curls and coils from frizzing and straightening out.”
With a 100% silk pillowcase, you can keep your new salon ‘do looking fresh for days on end!
3. Reduced Breakage & Split Ends
As previously mentioned, cotton pillowcases are the most popular type of coverings. This is mostly because cotton is cheap, and while it may not feel as sensual as silk, cotton is comfortable to sleep on. However, aside from mussing up your tresses while you sleep, a cotton pillowcase can actually result in irreversible damage to your hair, especially over time.
Cotton can really stress your hair out. The way cotton is made results in a weave that grips and snags at your hair, creating split ends and snapping off strands while you sleep. Andre Walker testified to this,
"Standard cotton cases are known to cause breakage and split ends.”
Ever wondered why strands and segments of your hair litter the bed in the mornings? That’s why.
Silk, on the other hand, is hundreds of times more finely-woven than cotton. When used in a pillowcase, silk is very gentle on your hair follicles and will never tug at your hair. Sleeping on a pure silk pillowcase will completely eliminate the breakage your cotton pillowcase causes to your hair, giving you fuller, more beautiful locks in the long run.
4. Enhanced Hair Hydration
Another way cotton can be detrimental to your hair’s health is by zapping it of much-needed hydration. Just like with skin, locking in your hair’s natural moisture is essential for keeping it luscious and healthy.
Cotton is a very porous material. Like a sponge, cotton absorbs any moisture it comes into contact with. This is great for cloths, but it is not what you want from the surface you sleep on (and rest your face and hair on) every night!
What you do want to be sleeping on is a non-absorbent surface like a 100% silk pillowcase, which nourishes your hair instead of depleting it of moisture while you get some Z’s. Because of silk’s moisture-retaining properties, a pure silk pillowcase can be a godsend to those of us who tend to have naturally dry hair or live in an arid area.
As stylist to stars (and hair inspirations like Khloe Kardashian and Sofia Vergara) Jen Atkins explained,
"Cotton absorbs moisture, while silk retains it, so when you lie on a silk or satin pillowcase, the oils from your strands are maintained rather than soaked up, leaving your hair nourished rather than dry. This is especially beneficial for hair types that are prone to frizz, such as coarse hair types or girls who have wiry curls."
5. Conservation Of Hair Products
As an added bonus to the silkier, softer, nourished locks a 100% silk pillowcase imparts to your appearance, a pure silk pillowcase can also help preserve the life of your hair products. Just as cotton absorbs your hair’s natural moisture, it also sucks in any conditioners, mousses, or other beauty concoctions that are in your hair when you go to bed.
If you’re currently sleeping on a cotton surface, then a large portion of your (expensive) hair products are winding up in your pillowcase every night. Not only is this counterproductive to your nighttime beauty regimen (and pretty gross if you think about it), but it’s also wasteful, and can prove costly.
Switching to a pure silk pillowcase can help give a boost to the beauty serums you’re already using. Sleeping on silk can also save you money long-term by allowing you to be more conservative in your hair product application, while at the same time enjoying a better, enhanced effect!
The purchase of a high-quality, pure silk pillowcase is really an investment in your future, beauty-wise. In addition to putting cash in your pocket over time by keeping you from having to replenish your supply of hair products so often, the benefits of a silk pillowcase can save you time usually spent combing through a mess of tangles in the morning and prolong the spans of time between salon appointments, since your hair will stay looking fabulous longer!
That said, you may still be wondering if a silk pillowcase has any real advantages over a cheaper option, like a satin pillowcase. So, let’s take a moment to examine the differences of a silk vs. satin pillowcase:
What Are The Benefits Of A Silk Vs. Satin Pillowcase?
To put it bluntly, a pure silk pillowcase is the queen of all pillow coverings. While satin may be less expensive and boast some benefits that are similar to silk, like reducing friction between hair and pillowcase, there are many beauty boosts silk offers that satin does not.
For instance, silk – namely, mulberry silk, which is the finest quality of silk there is – is free of man-made chemicals, hypoallergenic and repels bacteria. A mulberry silk pillowcase is one made out of silk from the fibers spun by silkworms fed a diet of only mulberry leaves when they are creating their cocoons. There are no pesticides or other potentially harmful additives used in this all-natural process.
A satin pillowcase is made using an entirely different method. Satin is constructed from polyester, a fiber spun by man from polymer chains (a.k.a. oil – the same basis of gasoline!) While a satin pillowcase may be better than a cotton one, essentially, satin is a less durable, less breathable, less benefit-packed, inorganic knockoff of silk.
If you decide to go with satin instead of silk, then in exchange for the cheaper upfront cost of a satin pillowcase, you will be paying each night with the lesser quality of your beauty sleep. There’s no way around it: the benefits of a silk pillowcase for skin and hair far outweigh those offered by satin.
Selecting The Best Silk Pillowcase For Hair
The best and easiest way to invest in a more beautiful you is by replacing your current pillow covering with a pure silk pillowcase. Think about it: is there any beauty regimen more effortless than popping a silk pillowcase onto your favorite pillow and going to sleep for a full night’s rest?
If you’re craving to sleep on silk, we encourage you to do your research, read silk pillowcase reviews, and do not settle for less than a 100% silk pillowcase made out of mulberry silk with at least a 22 momme (fabric weight.)
Truly, no other covering can compete with a luxuriant mulberry silk pillowcase. And, in case you’re worried about caring for a high-end mulberry silk pillowcase, you’ll be glad to know that unlike many other luxury products, silk pillowcases are long-lasting and easy to care for.
If you’re curious how to wash a silk pillowcase for best results, you have two options. Using a gentle detergent, either wash your pure silk pillowcase by hand or insert it into a protective laundry bag before running it on a delicate setting in your washer.
The best silk pillowcase for hair is a 22-momme mulberry silk pillowcase, which can be priced as high as $90 from other retailers. If you’re ready to kiss bad hair days good-bye and save on a top-tier silk pillowcase today, check out our selection of affordable silk pillowcases over at Tafts.com.