BENEFITS

Silk pillowcases are said to be an “eight-hour beauty treatment every night” and claim to have anti-aging, anti-sleep crease, and anti-bed head abilities. Not to mention I’ve heard people go as far to say that it helps minimize acne, hydrate skin and prolong hair washes. So basically what I’m telling you is that these pillowcases are working magic on your hair and skin overnight so you can truly say “I woke up like this” and not look like you just got runover by a car.

DOES IT REALLY WORK

So why is silk so much more beneficial than cotton? Well for starters, it is significantly less absorbent than cotton so it is less likely to cause hair and skin products to transfer. That means you can keep your expensive products to yourself and not accidentally give your pillow an unwanted $50 facial. Secondly silk pillowcases are more slick which reduces friction and causes less pulling of your hair. This means less tangles, bed head and breakage! I didn’t even realize how not normal the amount of shedding I was doing until I got the silk pillowcase and now I almost never find stray hairs on my pillowcase!

Also, what they say about prolonging hair washes is 100% true. I used to have to wash my hair every single day. Now I only wash my hair twice a week. I have noticed that my hair is significantly less greasy and my cowlick is almost non existent. In addition to not being greasy, my hair holds it’s curl for the most part so I usually just have to make minor touch ups. So this pillowcase is literally a life saver.

NAME BRAND vs OFF BRAND

Now were talking a difference of over $60 which is no small amount by any means. To be completely honest I have found that the only noticeable difference is that the $22 off brand pillowcase does not help my cowlick which is the main reason I would have to wash my hair almost every day. No amount of product or styling will fix it once it’s been slept on, washing it would be the only remedy if I didn’t want to look ratchet. Other than that I will say that the off brand works pretty much the same from what I can tell.

To the touch, the off brand one doesn’t feel as luxurious to me but that could also be in my head to justify the $60 price difference. Also, I’ve noticed it doesn’t get as dingy as the off brand one. But that could also be because my name brand one is patterned and the off brand one is stark white. So again, not the best way to gauge this. Lastly I am a very hard sleeper lately. No matter how hard I sleep, the name brand pillowcase still seems to hold my day before curls and volume whereas the off brand one sometimes does not.

Final verdict: 100% worth the money for the real deal. But if you aren’t ready to pull the trigger yet on the name brand pillow, start with the off brand. It’s one of those little luxuries that I would put on my birthday or Christmas list but probably wouldn’t spend my own money unless it was on major sale. If you do happen to stop by a Marshalls or TJ Maxx, I highly suggest looking for the Slip pillowcases there. They are usually located in the beauty section mixed in with the face and eye masks. You can’t beat scoring them for 50% off.

FAQ

CAN YOU WASH & DRY IT?

For the best results you should always hand wash silk although both of these say that they are machine washable. I have washed both of my name brand and off brand pillowcases in the washing machine on a cold, no spin cycle with gentle detergent and have had no problems or pilling. That being said after doing my research for this post I can say that I will definitely be hand washing my name brand pillowcase going forward and plan on getting a detergent specifically for silk (like this one). The reason for this is that the friction of the washing machine can degrade the silk and make it less slick which is what gives you all of the benefits discussed above. You will want to hang dry it. Do NOT put in the dryer. Heat is bad for silk.

DO THEY WORK FOR ALL HAIR & SKIN TYPES?

YES. The benefits are for all!

CAN YOU SLEEP ON IT WITH WET HAIR?

Yes, in fact silk pillowcases are the best kind of pillowcases to sleep on with wet hair! Since they don’t rob your hair of the moisture, your hair will naturally dry more evenly and less frizzy.

DOES YOUR HAIR GET STATICY?

Not one bit. No static. ALL of the volume from the day before though!

DOES IT STAIN?

I personally have not had to deal with stains yet but I do always take my make up off and do not drool so I’ve only had minor “stains” to deal with and they have always come off in the wash. I’ve read that for minimal stains you should gently apply detergent and work it into the fabric. Never use a brush or bleach on silk.

HOW DOES IT HELP YOUR SKIN?

Not only is Silk nonabsorbent, it is naturally hypoallergenic and is resistant to mold, mildew, fungus and dust mites. That mean it prevents bacteria transfer from your face to your pillow and vice versa. It also helps keep your face hydrated! Between the silk pillowcase and this face oil that I swear by, my face has definitely been noticeably clearer!

DOES YOUR PILLOW GET HOT?

That depends! Silk naturally regulates heat, which helps you maintain the correct body temperature. It doesn’t conduct heat, so if you want to keep cool at night on hot days, go with silk. On the flip side, it retains heat during cold weather.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SATIN & SILK?

Material wise, silk is a natural fiber and satin is a synthetic fiber. Benefit wise, they are said to have the same hair and skin benefits. I found the satin to work the same as the silk but still had the cowlick issue.