7 Benefits of Sleeping on Silk Pillowcases

January 24, 2022 | Casper Editorial Team

Given that humans spend nearly a third of our lives asleep, it’s no wonder we want to make the most of our time in bed by creating the dreamiest sleep environment possible. While there are numerous recommendations on how to get some extra benefits out of your eight hours, perhaps one of the most talked-about is the use of a silk pillow.

What can silk do for you? In fact, there are plenty of benefits of sleeping on a silk pillowcase. The qualities of silk can soothe your skin, keep you cool, and even leave you with healthier hair. 

If you’re ready for something a little less hitting the hay and a little more out of this world, we have the details on how a silk pillowcase can send you to the stars.

Silk pillows provide a host of benefits that will leave you feeling refreshed every morning. Casper’s Silk Pillowcase + Sleep Mask Set offers 100% Mulberry Silk so you get the best of the best.

1. Wrinkle Prevention

No matter your sleeping position, you’ve probably experienced the dismay caused by sleep creases: You get out of bed, head to the bathroom, and look in the mirror to find the pattern of your crumpled pillowcase etched into your cheek or forehead. 

To make matters worse, you have a meeting in under an hour, and those lines your pillow just spent hours pressing into your face are going to take their sweet time fading away.

Of course, those sleep creases may eventually disappear as the day goes on, but it turns out that repeated compression and creasing of the face during sleep can turn into permanent wrinkles over time.1

It’s easy to see, then, why sleeping on a smoother fabric with less stiffness or creasing can help slow the wheel of time—for your face, at least. And as an added bonus, sleeping on a silk pillowcase means you’re more likely to wake up without those embarrassing pillowcase lines.

2. Skin-Soothing Relief

Silk offers numerous benefits for your skin. Other than avoiding a sleep crease from forming, those with sensitive skin or delicate facial skin, acne, eczema, or other irritated or inflammatory skin conditions may be especially aided by the smooth fabric.2 If you’re finding yourself vexed by the textures of pillowcases made from other, rougher fabrics, choosing a silk pillowcase could offer major relief. 

In addition to providing a gentler, less abrasive surface for your skin, one study found that those who slept on silk fabrics experienced several improvements to their skin conditions within a matter of weeks, including:

  • Reduced inflammation
  • Less irritation
  • Relief from itching

If you struggle with any irritating skin conditions, you may already be picky about your pajamas. But why should your head and shoulders get any less special treatment? When it comes to finding total body relief, consider replacing your regular pillowcase with a silk one.

3. A Cleaner Sleep 

There are few, if any, surfaces we press our faces against so often and for so long as our pillows. This unfortunately means that any grime or bacteria that make their way onto your pillow are also going to be in prolonged contact with your skin.

How, then, can a silk pillowcase help? There are a few ways:

  • While you should still wash your pillow regularly, silk has properties that help it stay cleaner in between washes.3 
  • Because silk takes in less moisture than other fabrics, it’s less likely to serve as a host for dust mites and for bacteria from your face and skin. 
  • Silk is naturally hypoallergenic, so its dryness prevents bedroom allergens in comparison to other fabrics that do retain moisture, such as cotton pillowcases.

Who wouldn’t feel more refreshed knowing their pillow is providing an even cleaner, more hygienic atmosphere than before? 

4. Hydrated Skin

If you’ve ever spent time and money on a multi-step skincare routine hoping to nourish your dehydrated skin, only to wake up with a face that’s somehow just as tight and dry as before, your pillowcase could be part of the issue. The truth of the matter is, some fabrics used in a regular pillowcase either absorb or repel moisture more than others. This could be one of the reasons why you have dry skin.

Luckily, for the skincare-conscious sleepers out there, another of the numerous silk pillowcase benefits is the potential for more hydrated skin. 

Silk fabric may contain small amounts of Sericin, a natural protein from silkworms, which may form a smooth film on the skin’s surface to prevent moisture loss. Though the natural polymer is largely extracted and removed during the degumming process.4

The natural silk fiber also repels moisture more effectively than other fabrics. This means that rather than soaking up all the hydration in your skin, a silk pillowcase can help you retain it.5 This, in turn, can make your nighttime skincare products all the more effective.

If you’re dreaming of waking up with a face that’s glowing and hydrated, this easy addition to your sleep environment is sure to send you over the moon.

5. Smoother, Healthier Hair

Say goodbye to bed head and bad hair days. If all those healthy skin benefits of a silk pillowcase appeal to you, you’ll be delighted to learn that many of the same properties can simultaneously work wonders for your hair.

Because silk is naturally smoother than other fabrics, such as cotton, resting your locks on a silk pillowcase reduces the friction of any tossing and turning that occurs while you sleep. This provides many benefits for a healthier head of hair, including:

  • Reduced frizz
  • Less hair breakage
  • Fewer tangles
  • Fewer split ends
  • Silkier strands

And those skin-moisturizing benefits we mentioned earlier? You can bet they also mean more hydrated hair. A traditional cotton pillowcase absorbs moisture from your hair. On the other hand, a silk pillowcase keeps moisture within your hair where it belongs. That means you don’t wake up with dry, frazzled locks. If you struggle with keeping your hair looking healthy or have frizzy hair, hydration can help.

For those with bleached, dyed, chemically treated, or otherwise damaged hair, resting on a smooth surface is essential to restoring your hair’s strength and reducing further breakage.

6. The Right Temperature

Regardless of whether we tend to hoard the blankets or throw them off the bed, we often disregard how our bedding from the shoulders-up affects our body temperature and comfort during rest.

In truth, silk pillowcases can be an effective way to stay comfortable in bed. 

No matter the season, the moisture-repelling properties and natural, breathable fibers in a mulberry silk pillowcase will help you avoid sleeping hot and remain cool and dry—both factors that contribute to regulating your body temperature during sleep. 5

Whether you find yourself hotter than Venus or colder than Neptune, choosing a pillowcase made of silk fabric can leave you feeling worlds better during your slumber.

7. A Luxurious Feel 

Aside from all the other benefits we’ve covered, there’s one more we haven’t yet mentioned: There’s just no replacement for the rich, luxurious feeling of sleeping on silk. 

If you’ve never experienced it for yourself, let us help you imagine a few experiences just as smooth, soothing, and relaxing as resting your head on a silk pillowcase:

  • Coasting down a lazy river
  • Gently swaying in a hammock
  • Laying back in a field of fresh, green grass
  • Resting in a perfect ray of sunshine
  • Floating in outer space

It may be true that, when compared to a standard pillowcase, a silk pillowcase can feel like an investment. But if you’re looking for a small, easy-to-implement change with major impact, a silk pillowcase is the way to go. After all, creating a more luxurious, relaxing sleep for yourself can make your days and nights smooth sailing.

What To Look For In A Silk Pillowcase

Of course, like every other product that promises better sleep, not all silk pillowcases provide the same benefits. Here are a few things to look for when choosing a silk pillowcase:

  • A high-quality silk pillowcase should be made of pure 100% mulberry silk, like those available at Casper. Pure mulberry silk is the strongest and smoothest type of silk on the market. It’s essentially the Egyptian cotton of silk fabrics. Mulberry silks are generally graded as Grade A, B, and C. Grade A is the highest quality for weaving. It has longer and stronger stands that are even stronger than a strand of steel with the same length and diameter. High-quality pure mulberry silk can easily last for years if frequently laundered and cared for. Grade B comes from undeveloped cocoons. Lastly, grade C often has a yellowish color and shorter fibers. 
  • If you’re looking for an even deeper slumber, check out our Silk Pillowcase + Sleep Mask Set, which comes with a 100% mulberry silk sleep mask. 
  • Beware of silks that include blends of other fabrics—particularly silk that includes synthetic materials, such as rayon and polyester. Compared to pure silk, these combinations are unlikely to offer the same level of benefits.
  • Choose a pure silk pillowcase that comes in the right pillow size for your bed so it doesn’t slip off while you sleep. After purchasing a silk pillowcase, the last thing you want is to end up sleeping on a bare pillow.
  • Depending on your taste and style, you’ll want to find a silk pillowcase available in multiple colors to coordinate it with the rest of your bedding. At Casper, our silk pillowcases come in several luxurious looks.

And of course, the fabric of your silk pillowcase should feel lustrous, opulent, and friction-free. After all, the goal is to give you the smoothest, most tranquil night’s rest on earth.

Sleep Smoothly With Casper

Sleep is a part of our lives we often take for granted. Yet, the details of our sleep (and in particular, our sleep environment), can make a significant impact on our overall health and wellbeing. 

So, are silk pillowcases worth it? We think the benefits of this type of pillow speak for themselves. From a gentler, cleaner place to rest your head to healthier hair and happier skin, the differences you’ll experience from sleeping on a silk pillowcase will leave you wondering why you didn’t use one sooner. Get new pillows while you’re at it and repurpose your pillows to give them new life.

At Casper, we believe that a luxuriously comfortable sleep is more than just a dream. With our silk pillowcases, breathable sheets, and innovative mattress technologies, you’ll find yourself with a sleep environment that’s truly out of this world. 

Sources: 

  1. Aesthetic Surgery Journal. Sleep Wrinkles: Facial Aging and Facial Distortion During Sleep. https://academic.oup.com/asj/article/36/8/931/2613967 
  2. Dermatology Reports. Influence of silk clothing therapy in patients with atopic dermatitis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7137929/
  3. Verily Mag. Two-Minute Beauty Read: Why Everyone’s Switching to Silk Pillowcases https://verilymag.com/2017/07/two-minute-beauty-read-silk-pillowcases 
  4. NIH. Silkworm Sericin: Properties and Biomedical Applications. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5124675/
  5. PubMed. Silk as a Biomaterial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19543442/ 
  6. Good Housekeeping. Do Silk Pillowcases Really Benefit Your Skin and Hair? https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home-products/a28037094/silk-pillowcases-benefits/