Post by Kyle St. Romain.

My girlfriend came back from her hairdresser a couple weeks ago with a new mission: silk pillowcases. She had just gotten some fancy hair treatment and was told that silk pillowcases are not only the pinnacle of luxury, but they will also help her treatment last longer. I was skeptical, and was sure that if you talked to the right person they’d also tell you silk pillowcases will do the dishes, mow the yard, and file your taxes… In any event, she was sold on the idea and the pillowcases arrived in the mail a couple days later. Let’s discuss.

Silk Pillowcase Benefits

In my research, I actually discovered that many people tout the benefits of silk pillowcases for hair. Apparently, the amino acids that are naturally found in silk help promote hair growth. The smooth texture of silk doesn’t pull on your hair like cotton pillowcases might, which helps keep more of your hair where it belongs: on your head.

One of the other popular benefits associated with silk pillowcases is for wrinkles. Evidently, dermatologists and plastic surgeons can tell what side you sleep on because your face gets creased and wrinkled from lying against a cotton pillow for one-third of your life. Silk is supposed to help reduce these creases. *Food for thought – most people will have slept for 20 years by the time they reach 60.

Silk pillowcases are also good for your skin for other reasons. Silk is hypoallergenic, doesn’t retain moisture, and contains some of the same amino acids that you’ll find in skin moisturizers. Silk pillowcases are also considered cleaner than cotton pillowcases, and are more resistant to mites. I guess I was overly skeptical of silk.

Drawbacks of Silk Pillowcases

If you like everything to match, you may have a problem with silk pillowcases if you’re just buying the pillowcase separately. An easy fix would be to buy the entire set of silk bedding, but not everyone likes to sleep in silk sheets because they can feel slippery. Silk bedding can also get expensive, but I guess that’s a potential drawback of any quality sheet set.

The Verdict: Silk Pillowcases Feel Great! Regardless of their health benefits.

The jury is still out as to whether face wrinkles are the result of the “harshness” of cotton. I think there are other factors at play like the type of pillow you sleep on, and it may just be that wrinkles are an unavoidable fact of life. However, I like to think that something as simple (and comfortable) as switching to silk pillowcases will help keep me looking sharp in my old age. Silk pillowcases put a whole new meaning to beauty sleep.

In any case, in the aftermath of the recent heat waves in California (it got to 100 degrees on the coast, with no A/C), I’ve been thinking silk is the way to go next summer. Silk is better at regulating temperature than other fabrics like cotton, and it gives us an excuse to try something new.

What do you think? Have you tried silk pillowcases before? Are they for you? Let us know in the comments below.