Have you ever heard of a solution so stupidly simple you almost don’t want to try it, because if it works, that’d mean all those complicated things you’d tried before were all for nothing? Something that made you think “damn I wish I knew this earlier”. Yeah, sorry but I’m about to drop another one on you.
The way that 99% of you are sleeping isn’t the best for your skin. You need to switch to a silk pillowcase stat.
Skin benefits of sleeping on a silk pillowcase
First of all, it’s immediately the coolest skin care hack out there because it works WHILE YOU SLEEP… truly the most low-effort it can get! But what exactly is a silk pillowcase doing for you while you catch those Z’s? There’s two main benefits to making the switch:
Saving moisture
Most pillowcases are made of cotton – the same fibre that’s used to make the cotton pads designed to absorb toners. While it’s wonderfully soft and perfectly moisture-wicking for things like clothing and sheets, pressed up against your skin for 8 hours overnight it can really do a number on your moisture levels. All the lovely water-based products and natural sebum that comes out throughout the night are being sucked straight into the fibres and not staying where they need to. Your standard cotton pillowcase is totally working against your night time moisturisation efforts, able to absorb about 7% of its weight in liquid. Silk, on the other hand, is low-absorbency, so the products and natural oils on your skin will stay on overnight right where they belong.
Reducing friction
I’m about to give you a reason to care about physics for the first time since high school: less friction = less creases + redness.
Friction is the interaction and drag between everything on earth that touches. Rough surfaces have more friction than smooth ones. You might not have considered that by far the thing that touches our face the most is our pillowcases overnight. It’s 8+ hours. Every. Single. Day. Especially if you’re a rough sleeper, you might find your skin being smushed all sorts of directions by the material of your pillowcase, and even starting to feel irritated. Silk is obviously super smooth and extremely low-friction, so your skin and hair will glide across the surface more easily as you toss and turn in your sleep. That means less tugging and roughness on your delicate face! Say hello to fewer crease lines each morning.
In addition to all those big benefits, you also get bragging rights that you’ve put effort into your bedding beyond simply what was the cheapest on sale, and can feel like a fancy adult who has their life together. And best of all, buying a silk pillowcase is a one-and-done effort – no complicated routines or messy products to use!
Is satin as good as silk?
Now “silk” may have been a bit of a generalised term. There are other types of fabric that’ll do the job too. Usually the choice is between silk (a type of fabric) and satin (a description of a particular kind of weave, which can be made from silk or other materials like polyester or nylon).
Satin is the popular choice as its’ cheaper and easier to find. In practice, it works nearly just as well, as satin fabric is often similarly “silky” and is usually made of a range of low-absorbency materials like silk, but silk is still the gold standard in terms of softness, confort, and quality. White the initial investment seems large (prices tend to range between $15-$40), its something youll use for years and years to come. If you do decide to use satin instead, go ahead and confirm the filament used is low-absorbency to be sure it’ll perform its best.
Try out these silk pillowcases for your skin
A quality silk pillowcase like this big white one will change your sleep game forever. Its high thread count gives slip and comfort like you’ve never experienced.
I know you’re probably picturing a bland white pillowcase, but who said silky has to boring? If that’s not your style, a pillowcase with a gorgeous floral design might suit you better (and there’s a huge range of colour options too!).
And if you’re still not sold on the price or practicality of silk, test the waters with an affordable set of 2 chic black satin pillowcases.
Bonus beauty sleep tips
Sleep on your back
Sleeping on your back is an obvious but practically more difficult way to reduce friction, wrinkles and moisture loss. If your face isn’t touching the pillow, you won’t have to worry about whether it’s high quality (or even clean!).
Keep pillowcases clean
Switch your pillowcases out as often as possible. All the gunk from your hair, the back of your neck, last night’s breathing, your cat while you’re not home, sits and dwells on the pillowcase. I try my best to change my pillowcases out more often than the rest of my sheets, once or twice a week.
Keep hair tied up and away
Better yet, just get your hair totally out of the equation so you don’t have to worry about transferring oils onto your clean pillow and then to your face.
Of course, switching a silk pillowcase, while comfortable, won’t magically fight against a bad routine or your terrible skin care habits. It’s not a fix all – just think of it as a fun little addition to how you treat your skin right. Plus everyone who sees your bedroom will think you’re luxurious and a more put together adult than you really are.
I think I’m off to bed.
