Silk Pillowcases Tried And Tested By A Skin Expert
Cotton pillowcases have a lot to answer for, they are holding back your skincare routine and are a bit like a leaky bucket. Cotton is a highly absorbent fabric and whilst we have taken time to remove our makeup and use our most powerful and effective skincare to take full advantage of the cell renewal being at its peak whilst we sleep, we really don’t want our pillowcase to have it all.
Hydration is a challenge and at night we already loose moisture whilst we are sleeping so we are already at a disadvantage and then the pesky cotton pillowcase goes and steel what little moisture there is on the surface of the skin.
Once you have got your head around the fact that your regular pillowcase is stealing your skincare there is another issue and that’s friction. Whilst you’re sleeping and for some of us tossing and turning the friction that is being caused its stretching and dragging the delicate skin tissues causing lines and wrinkles and we are waking up to crease marks.
Silk Pillowcase Claims:
Limits the skin being dragged and stretched
Reduces sleep creases
Prevents line and wrinkles
Reduces skin dehydration whilst you sleep
Great at keeping you cool whilst you sleep
Ensuring your skin gets your skincare not your pillowcase
Hair is less prone to breakage
Less bed head
Does A Silk Pillowcase Actually Work?
I can confirm silk pillowcases do work however all is not straight forward when it comes to which one to get. As you know if you have followed me for a while, when I do research and testing it’s in depth and I want to be able to recommend what is right for your skin. You will need to ask yourself what do you want to achieve from your silk pillowcase. Is it to wake up with less crease marks? Is it to limit the lines and wrinkles and keep cool when experiencing hormonal hot flushes in the night? Is it to have more of a preventative measure on lines and wrinkles? Or is it to maximise your skincare and give your skin a helping hand with the skin’s hydration levels?
How I Tested The Silk Pillowcases
You can be rest assured that whilst it was a hard job resting my head on silk pillowcases, I did conduct a comprehensive test. Consistency is key when testing anything and it’s essential to limit the variables, each pillowcase was tested for the exact number of days and the same skincare was used. This is essential when testing the hydration levels, all the tests included measuring the hydration levels in the upper layers of the skin with a tool that measure the hydration and moisture levels in the corneum. The skin was always measured before bed, after skincare and then measured immediately after waking up. I also took into consideration nights when it was hot and very importantly when alcohol was consumed. The difference to your skin when you have drunk alcohol is probably worthy of its own blog, but very top line the dehydration and the puffiness in the skin is extremely noticeable. Also, if you are a sceptic like me, you will appreciate the fact that I went back to a cotton pillowcase for a few nights to reset my skin and to ensure no cumulative effect influenced the testing.
Is a 30momme Silk Pillowcase Worth it?
If you want the ultimate, look no further than Fishers Finery 30momme. There was less drag on my skin during the night and no crease marks on the cheeks or eyes when waking up. Noticeably the skin looks rested, hydrated and less puffy. If you are wanting to focus on less drag and less creases to the skin I would recommend you purchase a 25momme or a 30momme, they also remain cooler throughout the night, perfect if you’re experiencing hot flushes. If you are wondering if you should get the 30momme or the 25momme there really is no difference in terms of the benefit to the skin. You can get 30momme queen pillowcases (which is the one I got and seems to fit most pillowcases) for £88 PURCHASE HERE or you can buy Fishers Finery 25momme queen for just under £80 PURCHASE HERE.
Best Silk Pillowcases For Hydration Levels
If you’re buying a silk pillow to maximise your skincare routine and your skin’s hydration levels whilst you’re sleeping you are best to buy a 22momme, these silk pillowcases are good all-rounders.
My Favourite 22momme Silk Pillowcases Include
Sensory Silk Pillowcase which is a pure Mulberry Silk pillowcase and you get two self-heating eye masks (Dreamy Eyes and Luna Eyes) with 25 guided meditation that you can scan to download. PURCHASE HERE use SILK20 for 20% off.
Scentered Sleep Well Restorative Set is also 22momme Pure Mulberry Silk Pillowcase and you also get the gorgeous Sleep Well Therapy Balm which is a blend of Palmarosa, Lavender & Ylang Ylang plus ear plugs and sleep well tips PURCHASE HERE.
Slip Pure Silk Pillowcase is a great 22momme pillowcase and performs well, I just can’t get my head around the higher price versus the competition. Slip have tested their silk pillowcase and claim it creates 43% less friction than a cotton pillowcase PURCHASE HERE.
Do Silk Pillowcases Under £20 Work?
Here lies the biggest question of them all, the variation in price for a 19momme is huge. I tested a 19momme from amazon for under £20 and it didn’t perform as well as its peers. If you are 30 and under, then this silk pillowcase will be a great buy for preventative measures, but when compared to the others I did see faint crease marks and puffiness in the morning. Interestingly there was little difference in the skin’s hydration levels when compared to the 22momme. If you sleep with two pillowcases having a silk pillowcase under £20 as your second pillowcase is a great idea. PURCHASE HERE
Should You Buy A Silk Pillowcase With A Cotton Underside?
I included these half cotton and half silk pillowcases as I wanted to see what results you would achieve, after all you could argue that the underside of the pillowcase isn’t touching your skin. If you are a wriggler or you end up tossing and turning in your sleep or perhaps sleep with your hand under the pillowcase the chances are the cotton underside will touch your face and then it’s not delivering any benefits. If you go to sleep and wake up in the exact same position these are definitely worth considering and would make a great second pillowcase if you sleep with two pillows PURCHASE HERE.
Washing Instructions
You can wash by hand, however I opted for the washing machine, and I ran it on a silk cycle, but if you don’t have that option a cold wash or the hand wash cycle would be the ones to choose. I did turn them inside and out and placed them in a mesh laundry bag so they didn’t get damaged, I got mine from Amazon, PURCHASE HERE, although some silk pillowcases do come with washing bags.
I didn’t tumble dry but this advice varies from brand to brand, some saying tumble dry on a low heat helps remove the fabric crinkles.
Tips For Caring For your Silk Pillowcase
Wash and iron frequently, the more they get creased in the night the less they can support the skin and reduce the skin from creasing and leading to lines and wrinkles
Apply your skin care early, give your skin time to absorb it and it won’t come off on the pillowcase and mark it
Use a silk friendly detergent as the detergent is what will extend the life of your pillowcase
If you don’t have a laundry bag you could wash the silk pillowcases in a cotton pillowcase
Which Silk Pillowcase Is Right For You?
Don’t spend a lot on a silk pillowcase if you’re under 30
The higher the momme the less drag and friction on the skin
The higher the momme the cooler it feels throughout the night
To enhance hydration levels ensure you go for a momme of 19 and above
If you sleep with two pillowcases look at the second being a lower price
Whilst I have happily found a way to limit the crease marks on my cheeks and eyes I still need to tackle the creases marks on the décolleté. I feel another testing coming along in my future.
Thank You For Reading
I hope you have enjoyed this blog, please let me know if you need any help with your skin.
Stay tuned for more blogs and follow me on social media for latest launches and more skin school.
Bye for now,
Fiona x
Links may be affiliated links which means that if you make a purchase though one of our links we receive a small commission which helps support and run this website.