If you want to step up your self-care routine, invest in your beauty sleep, or feel rich AF, then I'd suggest getting a silk pillowcase. Yes, they may look expensive, but they're actually pretty affordable considering their benefits. If you're wondering whether these shiny cases are worth the buy, I can vouch that they're certainly no gimmick.
Getting your essential eight hours of shut-eye is only half the battle when it comes to looking and feeling great. If your pillow is subpar, your skin and hair may be affected. It's true, sleeping on a silky smooth surface can save your skin and hair from damage caused by tossing and turning in the night.
Silk pillowcases have been endorsed by aestheticians, dermatologists, and interior specialists alike. As our resident sleep expert, I can also confirm that after trying every single one of these pillowcases, I can't go back to sleeping on cotton. Paired with one of the best pillows, I've said farewell to frizz, split ends, and acne and hello to great sleep.
The best silk pillowcases
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Composition: 100% pure Slipsilk™
Mommes: 22
Colors available: 8
Care: Machine washable
+ Specially developed Slipsilk™
+ Tested to absorb less hair and skincare products
+ Preferred by dermatologists
- Cannot tumble dry
Tried and tested by more than one Real Homes team member, as well as thousands of well-rested customers, this silk pillowcase from Slip is a fan favorite. Constructed from its trademarked and specially developed Slipsilk fabric, it's scientifically shown to reduce friction, helping both your skin and hair. This pillowcase is award-winning for a reason.
Composition: 100% mulberry silk
Mommes: 19
Colors available: 6
Care: Machine wash and dry
+ OEKO-TEX certified
+ Reversible cotton side
+ Super affordable
- Few colors
The most affordable silk pillowcase on our list is this one by Lilysilk. While it's relatively cheap in comparison to others out there, this slip pays no sacrifice to quality. Rather, it's made of 100% non-toxic OEKO-TEX certified grade 6A mulberry silk, which effectively reduces friction between your pillowcase and hair, minimizing hair loss. Only 5% of silk in the world meets this standard!
Composition: 100% pure mulberry silk
Mommes: 22
Colors available: 37
Care: Machine washable and tumble dryer friendly
+ A vast variety of colors and patterns
+ Thermo-regulating
+ OEKO-TEX certified
- Expensive
No matter your bedroom aesthetic, Blissy has a pillowcase in a color or pattern you're sure to love. In fact, there are 37 shades to choose from, all beautifully pure and made from organic mulberry silk. With thermo-regulating properties, your bed will not only look cool but you'll wake up feeling fresh, too.
Composition: 100% mulberry silk
Mommes: 22
Colors available: 3
Care: Hand wash only
+ Best for sensitive skin
+ Soothing properties
+ Oxford edges add a decorative touch
- Only 3 color options
- Not washing machine friendly
If you love an Oxford pillowcase or are looking for some silk options to match the others on your bed, then this ESPA Oxford Edge pillowcase is the perfect pairing. We found this option to be the most soothing to touch, which is ideal if you suffer from sensitive skin or are choosy about textures.
Composition: 100% mulberry silk + 100% European flax
Mommes: Information not available
Colors available: 5
Care: Machine wash on a warm cycle
+ Reversible linen side
+ Reasonable price
+ Available as a pack of 2
- Do not tumble dry
This best half-and-half option has a full silk side and a full linen side to choose between. This is great for constant pillow flippers, and the flax side will blend in seamlessly with the rest of your bedding if the silk finish is too shiny.
Composition: 100% mulberry silk
Mommes: 19
Colors available: 8
Care: Machine wash on a warm cycle
+ Gorgeous limited edition prints and colors
+ High-quality and luxury feel
+ OEKO-TEX certified
- Spendier than others
When choosing a silk pillowcase, mulberry silk is what you should be looking for as it's the highest quality you can buy. Brooklinen points out that its silk comes from silkworms fed an exclusive mulberry leaf diet, which produces a product that is naturally breathable and particularly good for our hair and skin.
Composition: 100% Mulberry Silk
Mommes: 30
Colors available: 16
Care: Dry clean recommended
+ Super luxurious
+ Great value for money
+ Available as a pack of two
- Have to handle with care
Fishers Finery offers several options for silk pillowcases, but its "Black Label" option boasts 58% more silk than standard 19-mm silk pillowcases. This means it feels thick (but not stuffy) while still retaining its unbelievably soft and smooth texture. And don't get us started on how it feels on our skin — cool and refreshing, in short.
Composition: 100% Tencel lyocell
Mommes: N/A
Colors available: 7
Care: Machine wash and dry
+ Eco-friendly alternative
+ Just as soft as silk
+ Great price
- Don't get the silky sheen
Eucalypso Home is known for its silky soft Tencel Lyocell sheeting, which is the perfect sustainable and vegan-friendly substitute. It's made with the brand's proprietary DreamWeave Technology, so it's smooth and cool to the touch. When directly compared to a mulberry silk style, however, it feels less slick and more like cotton, though it still offers all the benefits of silk.
Composition: 100% polyester satin
Mommes: N/A
Colors available: 22
Care: Machine wash and dry
+ Super affordable
+ Get the look of silk
+ Suitable for vegans
- Feels cheap
This super cheap satin pillowcase by Bedsure is a must-have for anyone who wants a vegan and eco-friendly home. Made from polyester satin, you can get the same look as silk, without it coming directly from silkworms. However, the difference between mulberry silk pillowcases is noticeable. This one feels thinner and less luxurious.
Real Homes review process
It seems as if every bedding and beauty brand has slipped into the silk frenzy, so if you're already overwhelmed, we're here to help. We've been snoozing on the job and putting the best silk pillowcases — and silk pillowcase brands — through their paces. After trying and testing numerous options we've rounded up our favorites, looking at various price points, momme counts (the measurement used to define the density and quality of silk), and the colors available. We also ran each silk pillowcase through the washing machine to see how it held up.
Louise is our biggest beauty sleep advocate and will stop at nothing to make sure she recommends only the best sleep products out there. If there's one thing she'd suggest buying, it's a silk pillowcase. Down to personal experience, she can't sleep on anything else!
"I have sensitive skin and was eager to test the difference between a cotton or linen pillowcase that came with my bedding and sleeping on silk. The cooling properties were more than noticeable. Resting my head on a cold surface lets my skincare soak in and doesn't irritate my cheeks too much."
Christina follows quite a specific ritual when it comes to maintaining her corkscrew locks, and silk pillowcases are a curly-haired girl's BFF.
"Generally speaking, cotton and polyester tend to create static and frizz, but with a high momme count, my mane doesn't have that 'frizz halo' in the morning. Because of the soft 'slip' of a silk pillowcase, us curlies worry less about 'fairy knots' (these are single-strand tangles that are a coily/wavy-haired person's worst nightmare)."
What should I look for when buying a silk pillowcase?
Besides considering how much you'd want to spend and the color that goes best with your bedding, there are some key details about silk you should look out for.
Firstly, you should make sure the pillowcase you're buying is made from natural silk if you're wanting to benefit from its properties. "Holding a flame to silk can be a way to distinguish between real and faux silk," says Lilian Wu, marketing manager at LilySilk. "Genuine silk produces a smell similar to that of burning hair with an invisible flame that will soon self-extinguish. Fake silk will combust rapidly with an intense flame followed by a plastic burning smell." It may be better to avoid doing this test at home!
Secondly, find out the momme count. "Momme (mm) is a unit traditionally used to measure the quality of silk fabrics," says Wu. "Usually, the higher the momme weight, the more durable the weave, the more luxurious the fabric is, the more suitable it is for heavy-duty use, and the longer it will last."
What is momme in silk fabric?
"Momme (mm) is a unit traditionally used to measure the quality of silk fabrics," says Wu. "One momme = 4.340 grams per square meter; 8 mommes is approximately 1 ounce per square yard or 35 grams per square meter." She also adds that the "heavier the silk, the more opaque it becomes."
Are silk pillowcases really worth it?
"Over our lifetime we will spend around a third of our time sleeping and the majority of us sleep on a cotton pillowcase every night," says Anya Ratnavel, owner of The Silk Collective."While cotton may feel soft, it is more abrasive against our skin and hair compared to silk fabric. This can lead to cotton creases on our face each night (and wrinkles over time) and hair becoming tangled and tugged as you toss during the night, causing hair breakage." If these are concerns for you, it may be worth investing in a silk pillowcase.
How do I wash a silk pillowcase?
If you're wondering how to wash silk, the good news is that you won't have to rethink your entire laundry routine. Functionality-wise, there'll be no special wash instructions or fussy handwashing routine as most of the best silk pillowcases can be popped in your washer on a cold or warm cycle. They also dry just as quickly as their cotton and polyester counterparts.
Now to the nitty-gritty. All of these silk pillowcases are anti-microbial, as well as bed bug and dust mite resistant too, so you won't need to wash them as regularly. But it's better to be safe than sorry. Make sure you know how to get rid of bed bugs if you do see critters in your space.