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Why should you switch your cotton pillowcase for silk?
Hollie Shirley / Hair & Skincare Editor Lets face it, there is nothing quite like getting into bed with fresh, cool, cotton bed sheets right? Until you’ve experienced sleeping on silk that is.
Sleeping on silk hosts a whole range of beauty benefits for your hair and your skin, including reducing bedhead and wrinkles. But how exactly does this work and is it worth the hype?
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Collagen loss = wrinkles
As we age, our skin reduces collagen and elastin production and as such, reduces our skin’s natural strength and elasticity, making us more prone to wrinkles and pillow creases. These creases can deepen over time, making your skin appear more wrinkled than it actually is. Sleeping on silk prevents this from happening as it glides against your skin rather than rubbing against it.
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Bedhead
While it may not be as effective as sleeping in a silk hair wrap, sleeping on a silk pillowcase will still mean you end up with less bedhead and tangles, which means less time styling and brushing your hair in the morning.
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Reduce greasy roots
As well as reducing bedhead, those who suffer from greasy hair will find sleeping on a silk pillowcase means you wake up with less greasy roots. This is because silk is a moisture-wicking fabric, meaning the oils produced by your hair are not soaked into your cotton pillowcase but are allowed to be distributed along the length of your hair.
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Better skin
In the same way that sleeping on silk can reduce your hair troubles, it works the same on your facial skin. All those treatments and expensive face creams you use before bed will just get soaked into your cotton pillowcase meaning your skin don’t get a chance to absorb them – such a waste! Silk won’t absorb these, so you will notice an improvement in your skin’s texture and appearance and may also find you don’t need to use as much because your skin is finally behaving itself.
It can also help acne clear up quicker. Due to being a natural protein fibre, it is smoother against your skin so won’t cause as much friction which can aggravate cystic acne.
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Hypoallergenic
Those of us who suffer from allergies, skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema and rosacea will find sleeping on silk can help reduce the symptoms. Due to some of silk’s hypoallergenic properties including a natural resistance to dust mites, fungus and mould, in addition to many other allergens, it makes sleeping at night much easier if you suffer from asthma and other airborne allergies. For those with skin conditions, it reduces the friction and rubbing which causes us to feel itchy and aggravate your already sensitive skin, allowing it to heal quicker during flare-ups. Eczema sufferers who tend to scratch at their skin in their sleep will be less inclined to do so. Being smooth and non-irritating, silk can help stifle the urge to itch and is the perfect fabric to help eczema sufferers sleep easy.
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Comfortable in hot temperatures
Silk has the ability to keep us cool when it’s warm and warm when it’s cool. It does this by allowing our body heat to dissipate. Conventional duvets work in a similar way to a pressure cooker. As we sleep our body heat is reflected back to us and we are kept warm. This, however, continues to happen throughout the night which causes overheating.
Sleeping on silk allows some of our body heat to escape leaving us warm but not hot. Being a more constant temperature throughout the night allows our bodies to have a more relaxing and rejuvenating sleep.
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Better sleep
All of the above factors mean you will sleep better at night. We all know that sleep is an essential part of looking after ourselves, and by sleeping on silk you will give your body the chance to repair and recover, leading to better skin, hair and better overall health.
