Silk Pillowcase Guide: What They Can Do, What They Can't, and How to Pick One

The silk in one cocoon can run half a mile in a single unbroken strand, while a fiber of American cotton is a little over an inch long. Nearly everything a silk pillowcase can do for you follows from that gap.

Hold a well-washed cotton pillowcase up to a window and look along the surface. You'll see a faint fuzz, thousands of fiber ends standing up from the twisted yarn. Your fingertips barely notice it. Your hair gets dragged across it every time you roll over, all night, for years.

Silk's surface is built differently, and that is the whole argument for buying one.

What does a silk pillowcase actually do?

It gives your hair and face a smoother surface to move across than cotton does, and that one change accounts for nearly everything it can do. Silk is reeled from the cocoon in long continuous filaments, so the woven cloth has far fewer loose ends for a strand of hair to catch on. Fewer ends, less friction.

Hair is where most people notice it. Many find they wake up with fewer tangles and less frizz, and that a blowout or a set of curls comes through the night in better shape. Curly, coily, fine, and color-treated hair often shows the change first, because those strands rough up and knot more easily. Are silk pillowcases good for your hair? goes into more detail.

Skin is a more modest story. Silk can feel gentle against the face, and many people prefer sleeping on it. That's a matter of comfort, and we'd leave it there.

A word on evidence, because you'll see confident numbers online. Independent research on pillowcases is thin. Some of the friction percentages you'll see come from sellers' own product pages and press releases, with no published method behind them, and we don't know of any large independent trial of what a pillowcase does for hair or skin over time. The mechanism makes sense and the experience is common. That's a fair basis for buying one, as long as you know it's the basis.

What won't a silk pillowcase do?

It won't treat anything. A pillowcase sits against your skin and hair for eight hours, and it has no way of changing what's going on inside either one. It won't erase wrinkles, clear acne, calm eczema or rosacea, or stop hair from thinning, and a split end stays split until someone cuts it. If any of those is why you're shopping, start with a dermatologist. Buy the pillowcase afterward if you still want one.

One more claim to walk past. You'll often read that silk leaves your night cream on your face because it takes up so little moisture. Textile tables point the other way: the standard commercial moisture regain is about 11 percent for silk and about 8.5 percent for cotton. Both fibers hold water, silk slightly more. Buy it for the surface.

Who is a silk pillowcase for?

It suits anyone whose hair comes out of the night looking worse than it went in. Picture fine hair that knots at the nape by morning, or a blowout you'd like to stretch to day three. Those are the people most likely to feel the change. Someone with short, sturdy hair and no morning complaints will probably enjoy the feel and notice little else.

A few people should think twice. Silk comes from silkworms, so if you avoid animal fibers it isn't for you. And if your household's laundry rule is hot water, hot dryer, everything in together, a silk pillowcase will have a short and unhappy life.

Silk, satin, or cotton: which should you choose?

Choose silk if you want a smooth natural fiber and will wash it gently, polyester satin if you want a smooth surface for less money, and cotton if easy care matters most.

	Silk	Polyester satin	Cotton
What it is	A natural protein fiber from silkworm cocoons	A satin weave, usually in polyester	A natural plant fiber, woven several ways
Feel	Smooth, with a soft sheen	Can feel smooth and slick	Crisp or soft, with more grip on hair
Cost	Usually the highest	Less than silk	Usually less than silk
Care	Cold and gentle, no dryer	Washes easily	Washes easily, takes hotter water

The word that trips people up is satin. Satin is a weave, so a satin pillowcase can be silk or polyester, and most inexpensive ones are polyester. That doesn't make them bad. Polyester satin can feel smooth, it costs less, and many people are happy with it. Check the fiber line so you know which one you're paying for.

How do you choose a good silk pillowcase?

Check the fiber first, then the momme weight, then whether both sides are silk, then the closure and size. Grade and testing are useful extras.

Fiber

Look for "100% silk" or "100% mulberry silk" in plain words. Mulberry silk comes from silkworms raised on mulberry leaves, and it's what most silk bedding is made from. "Silky" and "silk touch" describe a feel and tell you nothing about the fiber.

Momme

Momme (say "mommy") is how silk is weighed, and it does roughly the job thread count does for cotton sheets. For a pillowcase the useful range is 19 to 25, and 22 is a sensible middle: a good amount of silk for something you'll wash often, still soft against the face. Whether the step up earns its cost is the subject of Is 22 momme silk worth it?

Both sides

Some pillowcases put silk on the top and cotton or polyester on the back, which looks fine in a photo and lasts until the pillow flips at 2 a.m. Ask for silk on both sides.

Closure

The choice is a zipper or an envelope. An envelope closure has no hardware and slips on fast, though silk is slippery and a full pillow can work its way out. A hidden zipper holds the pillow in and tucks the pull out of the way. LS Silk pillowcases use a hidden zipper, so that's our vote.

Size

US pillowcases come in Standard/Queen and King. Ours are 20 × 30 in (51 × 75 cm) and 20 × 36 in (51 × 90 cm). Go by your pillow, because a king bed can just as easily wear standard pillows, and silk bunches if it's loose. What size silk pillowcase do I need? shows you how to measure.

Grade and testing

6A is a term the silk trade uses for long, even fibers. It's a helpful signal, but it isn't an independent certification, so read it as the seller's description. OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 comes from an outside program and means the material was tested for harmful substances. It says nothing about how good the silk is or how it was farmed. LS Silk pillowcases are 6A and made from silk certified to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100.

How do you wash a silk pillowcase?

Hand wash it cold, or machine wash it on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag with mild detergent. Hang it or lay it flat to dry, and do not bleach or tumble dry it. That's the whole routine, and there's a plain reason for the bleach rule: silk is a protein fiber, and chlorine bleach attacks it the way it attacks wool. How to wash a silk pillowcase has the longer version, stains included.

Should you buy a pillowcase or a bonnet first?

Buy a pillowcase if you know you won't keep anything on your head at night, and a bonnet if your hair needs to stay put. A pillowcase gives hair a smoother surface to move across, and a bonnet keeps it from moving across the pillow at all. For coily hair or protective styles, a bonnet is often the better first buy. Plenty of people with long or curly hair, of every background, use both.

22-momme, 100% mulberry silk on both sides: see LS Silk pillowcases in King or Standard/Queen →

Half a mile of thread from one cocoon, and its whole job is to let your hair slide by at 3 a.m. without catching. You won't be awake to see it work, which seems about right for a pillowcase.

Frequently asked questions

Are silk pillowcases good for your hair?

They can be. Silk's smooth surface creates less friction than cotton, and many people find that means fewer tangles and less frizz in the morning. It won't mend split ends or change how your hair grows. Curly, fine, and color-treated hair tends to show the difference most.

Do silk pillowcases help with wrinkles or acne?

Don't buy a silk pillowcase expecting that. A pillowcase isn't a treatment for wrinkles, acne, or any other skin condition, and good evidence either way is scarce. Silk can feel gentle against the skin, which many people enjoy for its own sake. For anything that's bothering you, talk to a dermatologist.

What momme is best for a silk pillowcase?

Most bedding silk falls between 19 and 25 momme, and 22 is a sensible middle for something you'll wash often. Heavier silk uses more fiber and costs more. A stated momme weight matters more than hitting one exact number, because a listing with no weight at all is harder to trust.

What size silk pillowcase do I need in the US?

Most American pillows take a Standard/Queen case, which at LS Silk measures 20 × 30 in (51 × 75 cm). Longer king pillows need a King case, 20 × 36 in (51 × 90 cm). Measure the pillow itself, since the size of the bed won't tell you.

Can you put a silk pillowcase in the washing machine?

Yes, on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag with mild detergent. You can also hand wash it cold. Hang it or lay it flat to dry, and do not bleach or tumble dry it.

Are silk pillowcases hot to sleep on?

Many people find them comfortable on warm nights, because the cloth is thin and feels smooth against the skin. A pillowcase is still a small part of what keeps you warm or cool, and your room and comforter count for far more. Don't expect one to solve night sweats.

Related reading: Are Silk Pillowcases Worth It? · How to Buy Real Silk Online · Silk Bonnet vs Silk Pillowcase