The Best Silk Pillowcase

Buying Guide

Silk pillowcases provide a smooth, cool, comfortable place to rest your head at night. But there’s more to sleeping on silk than comfort. Silk pillowcases have also been shown to have beauty benefits not found with cotton or polyester pillowcases.

If you sleep on your side or stomach, silk can be especially helpful. Cotton can create friction as your skin moves across it, tugging and making creases more likely. With silk, your skin slides across easily. Silk also doesn’t absorb your skin’s natural oils the way cotton does, so you’ll retain more moisture as you sleep.

But back sleepers get their own benefits. As with skin, silk pillowcases resist absorbing the hair’s natural oils the way cotton pillowcases do. That can help your hair retain its natural luster. The lack of friction can also help keep your hair frizz- and tangle-free.

Although these benefits are nice, consumers often choose silk pillowcases due to their comfort and appearance. Not only do silk-covered pillows make bedtime a little better, but they look nice on top of your bed. With so many different colors available, you can usually find the perfect pillowcases to match your décor. And, if you care for yours properly, they’ll also hold up after many uses and washes.

• Although there are some beauty benefits found with silk pillowcases, some manufacturers will make claims that go beyond what silk can do. Silk pillowcases have not been able to clear up or prevent acne, for example. The same goes for hair. Manufacturers will claim silk pillowcases can moisturize your hair when all they can really do is keep hair hydrated by not absorbing its oils.
• The fibers in silk naturally regulate temperature to help keep you cool. You may not find that you’re cooler with silk than you would be with cotton, though.
• One downside to silk is care. Often, silk bedding requires that you hand-wash and air-dry. Even if a silk pillowcase’s care instructions allow a machine wash, you may find that you get a softer, smoother texture by handwashing.
• Some silk pillowcases have zippers that make it easy to insert and remove your pillows. If that’s the case, make sure the zipper is hidden to avoid it coming into contact with your skin while you’re sleeping.
• When buying silk, you’ll want to look at the momme number. Momme describes the weight and density of the thread; a higher number means there are more strands per 100 yards of fabric, so the silk is heavier. A higher momme means better quality and durability.  The numbers go from 11-25, but 25 is better for curtains and other decor. Try for a 22-momme when it comes to bedding.
• With silk, it’s not just the type of fiber and thread count, but also the length of the fiber. You’ll see silk listed with grades. That’s because silk is rated using a scale from A to C. A is top quality while C is the lowest quality. In addition to letters, there are also numbers ranging from 1 to 6. For the best quality silk, look for one rated 6A.