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The Best Silk Pillowcases For Shinier Hair And Clearer Skin

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The Best Silk Pillowcases For Shinier Hair And Clearer Skin

Outside of jumping into the ocean or getting caught in a windstorm, nothing can ruin a fresh blow-dry quite like a night’s sleep. Despite all of the anti-frizz hair treatments you’ve been applying, once your head hits the pillow, it’s game over for your glossy, bouncy locks from the night before. Unless, of course, your pillowcase is made from silk. 

A silk pillowcase will not only maintain your hair’s shine, but it will also promote the health of your skin, minimise breakouts and even prevent the formation of wrinkles and fine lines — all in a night’s work.

Keep reading to find out more about this skin-friendly fabric and why we recommend making the swap. 

Why should we be using a silk pillowcase?

1. They prevent night sweats

Silk pillowcases regulate temperature, therefore promoting a deeper sleep and ensuring we won’t be tossing and turning all night trying to find the cold side of the pillow. Keeping your temperature under control will also keep you from experiencing “night sweats,” which can contribute to breakouts and frizzy hair. 

2. They prevent breakouts

Silk is naturally hypoallergenic, which means that it helps to prevent the accumulation of dust mites, mold, and fungus, all of which can cause breakouts and other skin-related flare-ups such as eczema.

3. They won’t absorb your skin care

Due to its non-absorbent and water-repelling nature, silk won’t steal the goodness from your skin care products. Allow your hardworking serums to  sink into your face, not your pillow. 

4. They’ll reduce split ends

The natural proteins in silk prevent split ends, frizz and dryness by maintaining our hair’s natural oils, which allow it to remain smooth throughout the night. As silk helps to prevent friction, it allows hair to glide gently across the pillow. For this reason, you can say goodbye to bed hair and wake up with silky, tangle-free locks.

Here are the best silk pillowcases to buy:

touché Eucalyptus Vegan Silk™ Pillowcase

Let’s be clear. Not all silk pillowcases are made the same. More importantly, most silk pillowcases haven’t been vegan-friendly. Until now. Pioneering the silk bedding industry, Aussie brand touché are shaking things up with their range of cruelty-free pillowcases that don’t skimp on quality. Why stop at the pillowcase? Treat yourself to the entire bedding set…

$69 at touché

Shhh Silk Silk Pillowcase Queen Size

Loved by Gisele Bundchen and Chrissy Teigen, these 100 per cent mulberry silk pillowcases work to banish fine lines and minimise hair breakage and frizz.  

$95 at Adore Beauty

Slipsilk™ Pure Silk Pillowcase

Available in both the Queen and International Standard Pillowcase, Slipsilk™ cases have undergone scientific testing by an independent third-party lab and shown to significantly reduce friction and absorb significantly less face cream.

$95 at Slip

Main image credit: @slipsilkpillowcase

Do you sleep with a silk pillowcase? Did you know about these benefits?

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Comments 95

  1. I have one but I am yet to use it, I have a beauty one and purchased it for hair and beauty benefits but i wonder how comfortable it is and tbh I wonder how comfy it is. Would love to know thoughts on this? 💕

  4. I don’t have one but I would love to try one. The Slip brand specifically. I also wonder how slippery they are to sleep on and I also did not know they don’t absorb skincare. My current normal pillowcase sure does I can tell because I can smell my skincare on it.

    I learned something from bh yet again.

        • My reply vanished!

          To repeat, I used to have two store-bought satin (polyester) pillowcases & they used to slip off the bed in the middle of the night. Also, the pillow would wriggle out of the pillowcase as I slept.

          I made a whole batch of polyester satin pillowcases with a zip at the side to keep the pillow in; & used polycotton fabric for the back to prevent it from sliding off the bed.

          They work great!

          • I thought they would only slip off the bed if you also have silk sheets. Lol. I guess I really need to look into this before I go ahead and buy something.

    • I’ve previously owned two shop-bought satin pillowcases & they would slip off the bed in the middle of the night. Sometimes the pillow would even slip halfway out of the pillowcase!

      I made a whole batch of polyester satin pillowcases on my sewing machine. I used polycotton fabric on the back to prevent the pillow from sliding off the bed; & a zip at the side to keep the pillow from wriggling out.

      They’re fantastic!

    • I find that the pillow does slip out of the pillow case so I have sewn my pillowcases with zip closures. But I do not find that they slip around on my bed (I have cotton sheets) nor does my head slip off. I have sewn silk on both sides as I cannot sleep on the same place on normal pillow cases for more than one night because of acne, I didn’t know that silk pillow cases help prevent acne but I don’t think I want to get out of that habit.

      • For the good quality silk one I made, I have washed it in a normal washing machine, I find that no ironing is needed and after about 2 years of use it still looks like new. For the poorer quality silk one I made, I don’t use it as it feels too rough. The one whose quality is in the middle still looks good after 2 years of machine washes but a little ironing (very low heat) helps to have it looking its best on the bed but that is only if you want it to look super smooth without a trace of a crinkle but it doesn’t really need it.

    • I use Softly Delicates washing detergent for my silk pillowcases. I just pop them in a laundry bag, pop said bag in the washing machine & use a cold delicate cycle to wash them. Mine come out fine.

    • Good question. I’d also like to know too because I’ve read a lot of washing instructions for different brands on their websites and you need special silk detergent. It just seems too hard.

      • I hear you. The instructions I got with my Gioia Casa pillowcases was to wash them in a pH neutral detergent & after doing some research I found out that the Softly Delicates detergent is just that. Have used it ever since without any problem.

      • I wash mine like seashells mentioned but I don’t use the cold cycle (I never do, just a little bit of warmth I find helps cleans things a little better but that is what I do and it seems to be ok with 2 years of use and washes).

    • Oh, that is cheap. There could be a number of factors why it is:
      1. It was ‘silk feel’ and they marketed as silk (check the label inside for what the composition is – if they are being truthful 🙂 )
      2 It is cheaper silk ie the grade is not that good which means that it may be not as soft or probably won’t last as long as a more expensive one
      2 the processing was cheap ie non environmentally friendly dyes or chemicals

      It might be perfectly ok and you may have no issues, maybe go to a store which has some on display and have a feel of the silk of the more expensive ones to see if there is a difference in the feel – it might not tell you that it is of a similar quality but it would be interesting to know if there is a difference.

  15. I am using now tencel bamboo satin pillowcases. Pure plant fiber and thicker and satiny smooth and soft. Cooling on the body in hot days. Sheets, pillowcases and everything! In love.

  21. I was just thinking how I miss my silk pillowcases this morning as I awoke! bh is reading my mind again!! I don’t know where my silk pillowcases went to – I had three of them and they’ve all gone missing – how can a pillowcase go missing?!

  22. I bought some off Catch last year from the brand Gioia Casa. I have bedding in aquatic/mermaid shades & it can be difficult to find pillowcases in those colours, but thankfully the brand had a colour that suits my palette. (Also use their silk eye masks, which are fab; although one of mine has lost its stuffing tbh. They’ve also got bamboo bedding too it seems.)

  24. The problem is these companies rip us off. Silk Is actually cheap. Why Is it $100 for a pillow slip….. honestly

    I have tried them but they make me hot, slip off and slide.

  27. Wow! This article came at a perfect time! I have been shopping around for silk pillow cases, let me tell you they aren’t easy to find. Bed Bath and table i’ll pay them a visit soon! But i thought silk pillow cases might make me feel a little more sweatier not sure but i thought it just sticks to the face or would feel sticky. Hmm well im going to give it a try anyway!

  28. Wow! This article came at a perfect time! I have been shopping around for silk pillow cases, let me tell you they aren’t easy to find. Bed Bath and table i’ll pay them a visit soon! But i thought silk pillow cases might make me feel a little more sweatier not sure but i thought it just sticks to the face or would feel sticky. Hmm well im going to give it a try anyway!

  29. Wow! This article came at a perfect time! I have been shopping around for silk pillow cases, let me tell you they aren’t easy to find. Bed Bath and table i’ll pay them a visit soon! But i thought silk pillow cases might make me feel a little more sweatier not sure but i thought it just sticks to the face or would feel sticky. Hmm well im going to give it a try anyway!

  30. Wow! This article came at a perfect time! I have been shopping around for silk pillow cases, let me tell you they aren’t easy to find. Bed Bath and table i’ll pay them a visit soon! But i thought silk pillow cases might make me feel a little more sweatier not sure but i thought it just sticks to the face or would feel sticky. Hmm well im going to give it a try anyway!

  31. Wow! This article came at a perfect time! I have been shopping around for silk pillow cases, let me tell you they aren’t easy to find. Bed Bath and table i’ll pay them a visit soon! But i thought silk pillow cases might make me feel a little more sweatier not sure but i thought it just sticks to the face or would feel sticky. Hmm well im going to give it a try anyway!

  33. Wow! This article came at a perfect time! I have been shopping around for silk pillow cases, let me tell you they aren’t easy to find. Bed Bath and table i’ll pay them a visit soon! But i thought silk pillow cases might make me feel a little more sweatier not sure but i thought it just sticks to the face or would feel sticky. Hmm well im going to give it a try anyway!

  34. Wow! This article came at a perfect time! I have been shopping around for silk pillow cases, let me tell you they aren’t easy to find. Bed Bath and table i’ll pay them a visit soon! But i thought silk pillow cases might make me feel a little more sweatier not sure but i thought it just sticks to the face or would feel sticky. Hmm well im going to give it a try anyway!

  35. Wow! This article came at a perfect time! I have been shopping around for silk pillow cases, let me tell you they aren’t easy to find. Bed Bath and table i’ll pay them a visit soon! But i thought silk pillow cases might make me feel a little more sweatier not sure but i thought it just sticks to the face or would feel sticky. Hmm well im going to give it a try anyway!

  36. Wow! This article came at a perfect time! I have been shopping around for silk pillow cases, let me tell you they aren’t easy to find. Bed Bath and table i’ll pay them a visit soon! But i thought silk pillow cases might make me feel a little more sweatier not sure but i thought it just sticks to the face or would feel sticky. Hmm well im going to give it a try anyway!

  37. This article came at a perfect time! I have been shopping around for silk pillowcases they aren’t easy to find. Bed Bath and Table I’ll pay them a visit soon! But I thought silk pillowcases might make me feel a little sweatier not sure but I thought it just sticks to the face or would feel sticky. Hmm well, I’m going to give it a try anyway!

  41. I used to have a satin pillowcase which made the pillow fall off the bed each night as it was too slippery. I have never tried a silk pillowcase because I assumed that it would also be slippery, but maybe I will buy one in the future. It is possible that some types of silk pillowcases are less slippery than others.

  44. I’ve been using silk pillowcases for a few years now and absolutely love them! They definitely help prevent those annoying wrinkles when you wake up and my hair is not as frizzy. Make sure they are machine washable.

    • I’ve been using silk pillowcases for several years now. I buy them on eBay from a great little seller in Vietnam and the quality is excellent and they last. They are particularly useful on hot summer nights as I don’t seem to sweat as much. I can’t say I have noticed any difference with my hair though.

  48. I DID TRY A SILK PILLOW CASE ONCE AND I HATED IT! I gave it to my husband and he hated it too. I had another try and just could not sleep , so I ended up replacing it with my normal cotton one and its was fine. I have frizzy and curly hair so its was so disappointing. Oh well each to their own I suppose. I’m glad I did’t pay over the top for it.

  49. I can’t say that I have noticed a difference in relation to shiner hair and clearer skin, but I do find the experience relaxing, and hence, more sleep… there are benefits in that case for me.