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The best silk pillowcases aren't just luxurious to look at. Discover the benefits these cases have on your skin and hair

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Looking for the best silk pillowcase? Look no further. Getting your eight hours is just one part of looking and feeling amazing. Your bedding contributes greatly too, and the covers that envelope our best pillows better be multi-purpose.

Aside from the soft and stroke-worthy feel, this organic and hypoallergenic product was literally made for your beauty routine. Endorsed by aestheticians and interior stylists, silk will pay dividends to your decor as well as your hair, skin, and quality of sleep. Its anti-aging attributes are perfect for stopping fine lines and, they're suitable for even the most sensitive of skin types.

According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, it's normal to lose anywhere from 50 to 100 strands of hair per day, but if you want to keep a thick and full mane, one way to do this is to purchase the best silk pillowcase you can afford.

It seems as if every bedding and beauty brand has slipped into the silk frenzy, so if you're already overwhelmed, the good news is the Real Homes team is here to help. We've been snoozing on the job putting the best silk pillowcases – and brands – through their paces, and have rounded up our tried and tested favorites for sleep's sake, looking at various price points, mommes (the measurement used to define the density and quality of silk) and the colorways available. 

And, as we become much more conscious buyers, we've also taken a look at vegan options. Choose a hue that blends in with your favorite sheet set, or serves as a complement to your color scheme. 

This LILYSILK 19 Momme Silk Pillowcase is made of 100 percent, non-toxic, OEKO-TEX certified Grade 6A mulberry silk, which can effectively reduce the friction between the pillowcase and hair, reducing hair loss. Only five percent of silk in the world meets this standard! 

As an expert in silk, LILYSILK offers bedding, loungewear, and clothing in luxurious silk. Plus they offer a 60-day hassle-free return policy. Making sleep time feel like a special occasion, this pillowcase has a terse envelope closure that's centered in the middle to keep your pillow from sliding out. The beautiful gift boxing presentation only adds to the luxe appeal. And it's available in 16 colors, to match the look of your room, and amply sized to accommodate the fluffiest of pillows. 

LILYSILK'S natural silk fibers are degradable and only take one to five years to decompose (50 times faster than synthetic pillowcases!). We also love that LILYSILK operates as a ZERO-Waste business meaning every fabric scrap is utilized in some way, and they have a partnership with TerraCycle for a closed-loop recycling process for products at the end of their lifespan.  

What's more, Mulberry trees require less water than cotton to grow and they are not sprayed with pesticides to protect the soil.

Fisher's Finery offers several options for silk pillowcases, but their "Black Label" boasts 58 percent more silk than standard 19mm silk pillowcases. Wow, meaning it will be thick without being overbearing, and unbelievably soft and smooth. 

The deep eight-inch flap for the envelope enclosure helps the pillow stay in place the same way the silky texture keeps hair tame and smooth. And don't get us started on the feel on our skin, cool and refreshing. 

The luxurious 30mm, comes packaged in a gift box and is available in four colors and standard, queen, and king sizing. If you're after a wider range, the 25mm is another stand-out, with a wider color range. Both are sold individually or in sets of two.

Also of note, with sustainability at the forefront of their business model, Fishers Finery plants a tree for each order placed to offset the CO₂ generated by shipment, and to date has offset over three million pounds of CO₂.  

While you can machine wash the pillowcase, they suggest placing it in a mesh wash bag, but due to the delicate nature recommend hand-washing or dry cleaning for longevity. 

If you simply want to try the silk pillowcase life without fully committing, Mellanni's silk pillowcase is a great place to start, typically costing under $30. It's available in a wide range of colors, with a hidden zip design that ensures your pillow can't slip out. Also unique, Mellanni also offers specialty sizing including a square 18-inch offering and a body pillow covering, in addition to your standard, queen, and king pillowcase sizes.

The silk itself is cool to the touch, with a tight weave to maintain low natural friction and moisture absorption to keep your hair and skin hydrated and to prevent skin from creasing and wrinkling and hair from getting dry, frizzy, and knotted. My hair has a tendency to knot up at the back of my head (back sleeper problems), but that wasn't the case here whatsoever.

When choosing a silk pillowcase, mulberry silk is what you're looking for, and it's the highest quality you can buy. Brooklinen makes an effort to point out that its silk comes from silkworms fed an exclusive mulberry leaf diet. We're not completely sure what that means, but we've been left with a product that is breathable, naturally insulating, and particularly good for our hair and skin. 

We're particularly fond of the constellation print, but they also feature seasonal prints from various artist collabs and some solid colors. And for interested parties, you can also match (or bundle) with an eye mask as well. 

For any reason that you're not wowed by Brooklinen's product, they offer a year-long return window, even if it's been opened. 

Preferred by dermatologists, beauty experts, celebrities, and more, The slipsilk™ silk pillowcase has been developed and refined for nearly 20 years to provide the ultimate combination of shine, thickness, softness, and durability. It's anti-aging, anti-crease, and anti-bed head.

In laboratory testing, these cases were shown to absorb significantly less facial cream than cotton pillowcases. In other experiments, they were also shown to create 43% less friction on average, avoiding the dreaded bed hair, knots and tangles.

The silky-smooth cases are available in a range of colors from non-toxic dyes in both queen and king-size pillowcases from the highest grade (6A) long fiber mulberry silk, with a thickness of 22 momme.

Celestial Silk founder Danielle started Celestial Silk in 2014 when silk pillowcases were truly a luxurious commodity. They still are, but a range of entrants into the market have created a range of price ranges.  She tested over 50 samples from various manufacturers before settling on the 25 momme silk pillowcase they offer today. They also claim that they were the first to offer a zippered enclosure for a 25 momme product, but also offer the traditional envelope style too. Beyond construction, you'll fall in love with the rich color and print options. 

Celestial Silk also has a big charitable initiative where they donate 10 percent of sales to charity as well as donated more than 3,000 silk pillowcases to chemotherapy patients and lower-income women.

A silk pillowcase is always a great gift, most of the options on this list already come in gifting-ready packaging. Take it a step further with a set. Top silk brand Blissy packages in a coordinating eye mask and two scrunchies for the ultimate self-care package. 

Blissy typically offers over 30 colors in its silk, but the Dream Set is available in white, black, silver, pink, champagne, and tie-dye. Pillowcases are also available individually starting at around $90, but they also frequently run promotions.

Users with coarser hair have commented how smooth and easier to manage it makes their hair while others simply remark how smooth it is against their skin.  

Eucalypso Home is known for its silky soft TENCEL Lyocell sheeting which is the perfect vegan substitute. It's made with their proprietary DreamWeave Technology which makes it silkier and cooler to the touch. When directly compared to a mulberry silk design, however, it feels less slick and more cottony, but still offers all the benefits of silk. Designed to help regulate body temperature and help soothe sensitive skin thanks to their naturally hypoallergenic & antibacterial makeup that prevents acne and wrinkles. They wash easily too. 

Available in a set of two for under $50, and with seven earthy hues to choose from, it's essentially a no-brainer. It's good for your hair, skin, and the earth. 

Tired of waking up with messy hair? This vegan and affordable alternative to the infamous silk pillowcase by Bedsure is a year-round must-have for anyone with long hair. With a material that reduces friction when you sleep you can cut down on your early morning disentanglement routine from day one.

If you hadn't already guessed, Mulberry silk is made from silkworms and this animal product means that it isn't suitable for anyone who adopts a vegan lifestyle or wants to know how to master a vegan and eco-friendly home. 

Available in 22 different colors across four sizes, this satin pillow provides a resilient feel with a distinctive and lustrous appearance. Just like its silk counterpart, it creates less friction on straight, wavy, and curly hairstyles and is much gentler on hair than cotton cases. However, satin is not quite as breathable, so if you find yourself a hot sleeper, these will not offer cooling relief. 

The envelope closure will stop your pillows from escaping from the pillowcase during the night and with no zipper, you won't have a hard metal causing discomfort or digging into you while you sleep.

We logged some serious hours of beauty sleep for the sake of this guide. We also took each silk case through a wash cycle to see how it held up in the wash. We also considered factors like price, mommes, color availability, closures and sizes. 

Lilian Wu, marketing manager at LilySilk (opens in new tab) says there are two key identifiers to distinguishing between real and faux silk. 1. Type of flame  Genuine quality silk: Burning genuine silk produces a smell very similar to that of burning human hair. The flame is close to invisible when burning the edge of the natural silk fabric. Very soon after the flame source is taken away from the fabric, the silk will self-extinguish.

Fake silk: Most fake silk is, in fact, petroleum-based polyester products. When burned, these materials tend to combust rapidly in intense flames and smell like burning plastic.

2. Ashes from burning Genuine silk: The ash from burning is black, crispy, and turns to powder quickly when ground.

Fake silk: The ash of artificial silk tend to be sticky, twisted, and difficult to break apart.

'Mommes (mm) is a unit traditionally used to measure the quality of silk fabrics,' says Lilian Wu.

'One momme = 4.340 grams per square meter; 8 mommes is approximately 1 ounce per square yard or 35 grams per square meter. Momme is used to measure the density of silk.'

'The density of the threads in the 25 momme variety of silk is also significantly higher than that of the 22 momme or 19 momme. Our 25 momme silk pillowcase boasts a thread count of 750, while our 22Momme silk pillowcase has a thread count of 600+ and 19mm silk pillowcase, with a thread count of only 400. More threads = more durable and expensive.

'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 the shelf-life. Generally, all silks can be washed and the heavier ones can be washed repeatedly. The heavier the silk, the more opaque it becomes.'

"Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles," Lilian explains.

"The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fiber, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles, thus producing different colors. Mulberry silk is the highest quality silk available for purchase."

"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 (opens in new tab) .

"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 (leading to wrinkles over time) and hair becoming tangled and tugged as you toss during the night, causing hair breakage."

"As silk is less absorbent than cotton, a silk pillowcase or silk eye mask will also help keep any overnight creams you may use stay where they belong, on your face!"

If you're wondering how to cool down a room, it's good to know that silk is naturally temperature regulating ensuring you are warm and cozy in winter and cool and comfortable in summer. Pair with the best mattress for true temperature regulation.

Plus, there's no ruffling, reduced split ends, and less morning frizz after using your hair straightener – there’s no better way to wake up.

"Mulberry silk is the long silk fiber produced by matured and domesticated silkworms when they secrete liquid silk, also known as natural silk fiber,”  says Lilian Wu.

"It is the earliest animal fiber used by human beings and the most genuine silk fiber for all kinds of silk clothes, which is lightweight, soft, and absorbent of moisture. In addition, mulberry silk contains over 18 amino acids and protein fibers which is healthy for human skin and hair."

"For example, the hygroscopicity of the mulberry silk comforter is 1.5 times higher than that of cotton comforters. Besides, mulberry silk is pretty hypoallergenic, and as a consequence, many dermatologists recommend silk bedding and apparel for aged and sick people. Compared to other silk fibers, mulberry silk is more luxurious and breathable. It may not be that durable, but who’s going to use the same bedding for life?"

"Tussah silk, also known as ‘shantung,’ is a type of wild silk produced by tussah silkworms that feed on oak and juniper leaves. The silk has a feel and quality different from the mulberry silk. As the worm is not grown in a controlled environment, the moth hatches from the cocoon and interrupts the filament length, resulting in short and coarse fibers instead of long and lustrous ones"

"Usually, it is widespread in China and other Asian countries like India, difficult to dye, and most often available in its natural color, a creamy tan. It is also lightweight and airy, as well as dressy, giving excellent comfort to the wearer. Moreover, it does not wrinkle easily, which makes it suitable for traveling."

If you're wondering how to wash silk, the good news is that you won't have to overhaul your laundry routine.

Functionality-wise, there'll be no special wash instructions or fussy handwashing routine as the best silk pillowcases can be popped into the washer on a delicate cycle. What's more, they're just as quick to dry as their cotton and polyester counterparts.

Now to the (literally) nitty-gritty. All of these best silk pillowcases are anti-microbial, as well as a bedbug and dust mite resistant, too. But, to be better safe than sorry, make sure you know how to get rid of bed bugs if you do see critters in your space.

Jaclyn is an eCommerce editor at Future Home Interest, where she oversees sleep content including mattresses and bedding. She regularly scouts out the best of the best for buying guides to help you fill your home with only the best. She joined the team in January 2021. She has previously worked with sites like Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, The Spruce, The Spruce Eats, and MyDomaine, but got her start at the trade mag Home Furnishings News, which fueled her excitement for innovation in the home category and seeing the newest launches.  When Jaclyn's not working, she loves long strolls through HomeGoods, unwinding with a chilled glass of Rosé, and entertaining her Cavapoo  Reese. 

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