Silk vs Satin Pillowcase:
Who wins?
Summary:
I.Silk Pillowcase
A) For skin
B) For hair
C) For environment
II.Satin Pillowcase
I. Silk Pillowcases:
Silk:
History:
Silk dates back thousands of years…
Silk is known being originated and first discovered in China in the 27th century BC.
Legend: Legend has it that under the reign of the Yellow Emperor (Hoang Ti), in the palace garden, a silkworm eating mulberry leaf then weaving its own cocoon was observed. |
The Yellow Emperor ordered her wife She-Ling-She to observe and analyze this closely.
She-Ling-She deduced that silk can be extracted from this cocoon and can be used in weaving…
Around 300 AC sericulture (silk culture) commences in Japan then in India.
This art is then spread all around Asia and Anatolia, then its commerce started to Europe with the famous trade route “the Silk Road”.
Silk Pillowcases: how are they made?
Silk is a luxurious fabric, and its production remains an intensive process.
There are different types silk made by different animals (such as bees, silkworm …), but the one we are most of the time referring to comes from mulberry silkworms (Bombyx mori).
- 1) Sericulture: Firstly, there is cultivation of the silkworms on mulberry leaves.
- Then, the worms pupate in their cocoons
- 2) Extraction: Cocoons are dissolved in boiling water
- Extraction: fibres are extracted from the water
- 3) Spinning: fibres are fed into the spinning reel
- 4) Weaving and finally
- 5) Printing
How to identify Silk’s Quality:
- Mulberry silk is known to be the highest quality of all silks. Their fibers are longer and regular which makes it very smooth and long-lasting.
Momme indicator?
- Momme number certifies that the fabric is thin and very resistant.
- Momme number varies between 10-22. But a high-quality silk varies between 19-22 mommes. The higher the Momme (mm) is the higher the quality of silk is.
A) For skin:
- 1) hypoallergenic; allergy friendlly
0 dust, 0 allergens? : Silk retains almost any dust and other allergens that can potentially irritate the skin (especially compared to cotton or linen), due to the very structure of its fibers. There is very little space for dust and other allergens between the silk threads in a quality weave.
- 2) keeps your skin hydrated and smooth;
Silk is known to absorb only around 11% of its weight in liquid whereas Cotton is known to absorb up to 30%.
This means that silk keeps your skin more hydrated than cotton.
And who benefits from this? Only dry skins ? No, ALL SKIN TYPES!
all skin types, if you have dry or dehydrated skin then good newsà silk absorbs your skin moisture way less than what cotton does! 😊
If you have oily skin, then good news too! Your skin does not have to produce more sebum because your pillowcase sucked all the moisture out of it ! 😊 (contrary at what cotton pillowcase does)
- 3) anti-aging benefits;
-Silk helps counter aging effects;
Our skin regenerates itself mostly at night. Silk has natural proteins and 18 essential amino acid à which speed up skin cells’ metabolism and helps the process 😉
-Silk prevents premature aging:
Cotton is a rough fabric, when sleeping on a cotton pillowcase, it results with repeated rubbing of the face on the pillow which leads to premature signs of aging (fine lines and wrinkles) with time.
Unlike cotton, silk is a soft fabric and soothes even more our skins.
According to a research lead by Dr. Samuel J.STEGMAN in 1987, skin gets damaged with continuous contact with pillowcase.
The solution would be to sleep on softer material such as silk.
- 4)antibacterial benefits;
There are many researches made about silk.
According to a research made by University of Cincinnati, Silk presents antibacterial properties.
Particularly, this research demonstrated that copper present in silk, when in touch with bacteria and viruses, can kill them.
- 5) comfortable; smooth fabric
We know that silk is a smooth fabric, even, in verbal expression, when we use the adjective “silky”, we basically mean something is smooth.
“silky smooth”
Ex: Omg look Anna’s hair, they are so silky (smooth! 😊)… (which means they are smooth like silk!) 😊
- 6)thermoregulatory (thermorégulatrices);
which means you don’t have to turn your pillowcase to feel cool?:)
This basically means that it helps your body temperature to be maintained while you sleep…
Cool when it’s hot, warm when it’s cold 😉
- 7)helps with acne; silk has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Enzymes present in silk help regulate acne, since the skin rests and breathes on a more hygienic fabric (especially compared to cotton and linen😊)
Conclusion:
Silk pillowcase is not the ultimate solution for fine lines, wrinkles, or acne, but it is a huge luxurious help on the long-term run.
For hair:
- 1) Healthy hair (less breakage and split ends) ;
Silk fabric is softer compared to linen and cotton, which allow your hair to “slide” on the pillowcase thus limiting excessive friction causing hair breakage and spilt ends.
At the end of the day, on the long run it helps your hair stay “healthy-looking”
- 2) Keeps hair smooth ;
Silk limits static electricity while keeping your hair soft, and with way less tangles!
- 3) Keeps your hair hydrated :
As we previously mentioned, silk absorbs liquid way less than cotton. Thus, it absorbs less hair sebum, which help them keep hydrated, smooth and protected and waking up 😊
- 4) Less hair loss;
When your hair is tangle-free, and “healthier” this also results in less hair loss in the long-term
For Enviroment:
- Environmental Impact:
Silk is biodegradable (can be decomposed by living organisms with the aim of avoiding pollution) as a natural substance.
Silk can also be considered as a renewable material (if managed correctly)
What about the production/sericulture process?
Sericulture oftentimes involves the use of pesticides, where residues of PCBs and heavy metals can be found, which has negative impacts on the environment and human body.
However, there are also organic certified silk sectors. I highly recommend using 100% organic ones if you are willing to use silk pillowcase.
Here is summary table: 😊
Silk Pillowcase | |||
(+) POİNTS | (-) Points | ||
For skin | For hair | Other.. | -more expensive than cotton/polyester/satin pillowcases
-requires delicacy while washing process
-Environmental (if pesticides are used) |
-hypoallergenic; allergy friendly
-anti-aging benefits
-antibacterial benefits -comfortable; smooth fabric
-thermoregulatory
-helps with acne and eczema
|
-less breakage and split ends
– Keeps hair smooth
– Keeps your hair hydrated
– Less hair loss |
-aesthetically pleasing
-feeling the luxury -Environmental (renewable, biodegradable)
-Environmental (if produced 100% organically) |
My personal experience :
– When I first started using silk as a pillowcase, even the first morning I felt the smoothness on my hair and skin, maybe it was a placebo effect but I don’t think soo..
I personally consider silk, more than just a pillowcase but as a PART of my beauty routine…
How to maintain Silk Pillowcase ?:
Silk Maintenance:
Silk requires delicacy:
Machine wash –> program for delicate textiles –> at 30° (with specialized detergent for silk)
Or
Hand Wash -> at 30° (with specialized detergent for silk)
– No chlorination
– No tumble dryer
– Air dry (not in the sun)
Iron Process?
– Do not pull the steam trigger of your iron machine
– Iron on the reverse side at low temperature when your silk is still slightly damp.
BONUS:
A silk pillowcase would be a marvellous and luxurious gift to your loved ones😊
II. Satin Pillowcases
First of all, what you need to know about satin is satin is NOT a FABRIC ! 😊
Satin is just a way to weave a fabric (therefore we can find satins of polyester, cotton, silk…)
If you see in a composition of a pillowcase, the world Satin, it is just gibberish! It is most probably a marketing trap to make you think it is a “quality material” like silk while the actual material is again most probably made of polyester.
We cannot very talk whether satin pillowcases are good or not for skin, because they are not even a fabric!
Therefore, I won’t write more about “satin pillowcase”, because what matters is, the “real fabric” used in it (polyester/silk/cotton/wool/linen.…)?
=> My personal favourite fabric above all as a pillowcase, would 100% organically made Silk Pillowcase;)
What is yours ?
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