Do you want shiny hair? How about smooth skin? Do you wake up with dry skin? Try silk. If you’re not already sleeping on silk, you need to be. Silk is created with smooth, tightly woven fibers that promote sleek hair and plumped skin. Below, I’ve outlined a few key points of why you should be using silk.

Hair

If you have dry hair, or just want to wake up with smoothed and shiny hair, try using a silk pillowcase or wrapping your hair in a silk scarf before bed. Unlike cotton, which absorbs a great deal of moisture and ruffles the hair cuticle (causing tangles), silk is not super absorbent. Silk will not only leave your hair looking smoother than it did before going to bed, but it will also preserve the moisture in the hair follicle.

Cotton pillowcases continually pull oil from the hair and scalp. The body responds by producing more oil on the scalp. When you exchange cotton with silk your hair will become less oily meaning that you can go longer without washing your hair! That in itself is a win for me!

Face

If you’re a stomach or side sleeper, you more than likely wake up with lines on your face. When you’re young and have abundant collagen, sleep lines fade quickly. However, as you age, these sleep lines become more permanent. The smooth fibers of silk allow the skin to “slip” over the pillowcase, whereas cotton tugs at the skin and promotes the formation of sleep lines. Do your skin a favor and actively prevent wrinkles by using a silk pillowcase!

Skin

I can’t tell you how many times I have applied lotion before bed and woke up with dry skin. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out what was happening. Part of the problem was that I have dry skin, but the other half was that my cotton sheets were absorbing the lotion I had put on my skin! Not only will cotton absorb moisturizer from the skin, but it will also absorb your face cream and skin treatments. That’s aggravating, especially when you follow a targeted skincare regimen.

Silk, on the other hand, absorbs minimal amounts of product. This means that your skin will remain hydrated, and your night cream will be able to work it’s magic uninterrupted. If you’re dealing with dry skin, silk sheets or pajamas may help.

Allergies

Have you ever opened a sheet set and experienced a strong smell? Most people attribute the odor to packaging, however, cotton textiles often have a scent. The fragrance comes from several different factors like pesticides, bleaching, and dyes. Yikes!

While silk fibers are durable, the fabric itself is delicate. Many of the pesticides and chemicals added to cotton and linen would either kill the silkworm or destroy the silk. Thus silk contains zero or minimal additives. Even better, the material includes natural properties that repel mold, fungus, and dust mites. Silk is also much less likely than cotton to absorb pollen that has settled into your hair or skin. Instead of sleeping on allergens every night, just shake your pillowcase off and go to sleep!

No matter what your age, using silk can make a real difference in your hair, skin, and allergies. I honestly wish I had a silk pillowcase as a child as it would have prevented so many tears during hair brushing sessions with Mom. If you aren’t currently using silk, I would highly recommend incorporating it into your sleep regimen. Be sure you’re using 100% silk, though, so that you receive the full benefits of this fantastic fabric!