Allure August 29, 2023

Allure

Hair

14 Best Silk Pillowcases for Silky-Smooth Skin and Hair

 

Take your beauty sleep to a new level with these plush picks.

Waking up with perfectly smooth skin and hair sounds like a myth reserved for the realm of fairytales or rom-coms. In real life, we typically roll out of bed with weird grooves etched across our faces and hair that's suspiciously less shiny than it was the night before, which is a clear indication that it might be time to invest in one of the best silk pillowcases on the market.

Happily, more and more beauty, fashion, and lifestyle brands like Slip, Brooklinen, and Kitsch are reimagining their product lines to develop pillowcases, made with mulberry silk (the highest quality available on the market) and specifically designed to target the biggest beauty concerns plaguing us at night, like fine lines and frizzy hair.

Rex Jimieson, a hairstylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago, previously told Allure that he recommends "a silk scarf around your hair at night or [using] a silk pillowcase to prevent friction on the hair." Friction, he noted, is one of the main reasons for "manual damage" that leads to split ends and breakage — especially for damaged and/or color-treated hair — down the road.

Dermatologists also back the potential benefits of silk pillowcases. "Night is the best time to repair skin, so it makes sense that so many innovations are happening right now in this field," says Rebecca Kazin, MD, board-certified dermatologist and Director of Clinical Research at Icon Dermatology and Aesthetics in North Bethesda, Maryland. "Since we spend up to one-third of each day asleep [ed. note: if we're lucky], why not make the most of these hours?" We can't help but agree — if we're going to invest in our skin care, we might as well invest in sleep accessories that'll help us get enough shuteye to make the most of our favorite retinol serums and night creams.

With that in mind, we rounded up some of the best silk pillowcases to help you get a feel for just how transformative it can be to swap out the old cotton pillowcases and bedding you've been rewashing for years now. Well-rested skin, sleek hair, and better sleep await.

Best Overall: Slip Pure Silk Pillowcase

Even if you've only gotten a few hours of shut-eye, this best-selling Slip Pure Silk Pillowcase can help you fake a full eight hours every night. It also promises to help with wrinkles, bedhead, and sleep creases — and comes in almost a dozen colors. Pair your pillowcase with a corresponding Slip silk scrunchie (an Allure editor favorite) and sleep mask for an entire relaxation set that screams "luxury."

Long-Lasting: Parachute Silk Pillowcase

A better night's sleep is a Parachute Silk Pillowcase away. This 25 momme Mulberry silk pillowcase is cloud-soft and feels buttery smooth to the touch, and it'll never loose its silky texture no matter how many times you machine wash it. Since Parachute's pillowcase is features a thicker type of silk, it's more durable than other options and will last for a long time, as long as you follow the care directions. Like most options on this list, it's sensitive skin-friendly and available in king and standard sizes.

Most Affordable: Bedsure Satin Pillowcase

One of our top picks is Bedsure's Satin Pillowcase, which has a jaw-dropping 268,000 reviews on Amazon, 73 percent of which are five-star reviews. And the price is super easy on your wallet since they're made of 100 percent polyester satin — and you get two pillowcases at that. If that doesn't convince you to grab this pillowcase set, the top reviewer says: "All I know is I shower and style my hair at night and after sleeping on these, my hair looks freshly blow-dried the next morning."

Best Silk Pillow: Cozy Earth Silk Pillow

There are many silk pillowcases on the market, but when was the last time you spotted a silk-stuffed pillow? The Cozy Earth Silk Pillow is an Allure editor favorite for its 100% long-strand Mulberry silk stuffing, which regulates temperature and is more breathable than the average cotton-stuffed pillow. Cozy Earth's pillow has an outer shell made of cooling bamboo-based fibers, and you can pair this pillow with any of the brand's silk pillowcases for a delightfully luxe slumber with less friction and, therefore, less skin and hair issues in the morning.

Best Color Options: Blissy Mulberry Silk Pillowcase

Blissy's Mulberry Silk Pillowcase will elevate your sleep, skin, and hair routines while looking great doing so. Each pillowcase is made from 22 Momme silk and is available in a jaw-dropping 49 colors and patterns to choose from. This pick also has a hidden zipper closure that ensures a snug, budge-free fit on your pillows. Once it's time to clean, no need to hand wash: you can pop this washing machine-friendly pillowcase in your next laundry load and tumble dry on low.

Best 25-Momme Silk Pillowcase: Fishers Finery 25 Momme Mulberry Silk Pillowcase

Considering this is one of the few pure Mulberry silk pillowcases to feature long-strand silk threads, the Fishers Finery 25 Momme Mulberry Silk Pillowcase is one of the best buys out there. It utilizes the cooling, breathable textile to make hot sleepers happy and to protect your hair and skin from concerns like breakage, breakouts, split ends, you name it.

Stays Put: Casaluna Standard Solid Silk Pillowcase

Made with 100 percent silk, this Casaluna Standard Solid Silk Pillowcase is soft to the touch, and its lightweight feel won't weigh you — or your hair — down. The European-style closure successfully conceals the ends of the pillow (instead of leaving the sides of it wide open, like traditional US-style pillowcases) so that it looks tidy and stays in place through the night. Choose from eight colors, like this gorgeous, golden-toned Warm Brown hue (shown above).

Best Satin Pillowcase: Kitsch Satin Pillowcase

One of our favorite hair accessory brands entered the hair-care game with a cute blush satin pillowcase designed with 100 percent satin polyester, so you can wave goodbye to frizz-causing friction and tangles.

Oh So Soft: Avocado Silk Pillowcase

Sure, Avocado's biggest claim to fame is its array of luxe mattresses, but don't sleep on Avocado Silk Pillowcase (actually, that's exactly what we want you to do). This high-end pillowcase is made from breathable, buttery-smooth 22 Momme Mulberry silk and is available in standard, king, and queen sizes. Not to mention, it's one of the softest pillowcases we've ever graced our heads with and it's available in six shades that'll match any bedroom aesthetic.

Buttery Smooth: Madison Park 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcase

Silky-smooth to the touch, temperature regulating, and featuring a thicker 25 Momme-weight, 100 percent mulberry silk — there are many things to love about Madison Park's 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcase. This high-quality silk pillowcase is sold in single-pack standard, queen, and king sizes with five neutral-tone shades to mix and match.

Best Cooling Pillowcase: Brooklinen Mulberry Silk Pillowcase

Brooklinen might be home to some of the best bed sheets on the market but this 100 percent mulberry silk pillowcase from Brooklinen is luxurious in all the right ways. It's one of the best cooling pillowcases ever, thanks to its 22-momme count and envelope closure that allows for airflow, and helps keep both your hair and skin smooth. If you're in need of a self-care boost, pick up a silk eye mask from the brand, too. Trust us, you'll always end up waking on the right side of the bed.

Best Silk Pillowcase Designs: Hill House Home Sisi Silk Pillowcase

Named after the "famously long-haired Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) of Austria," Hill House Home's Sisi Silk Pillowcase is constructed with mulberry silk and a sophisticated piping design, so it's a major upgrade from your usual cotton pillowcases. And did we mention it also comes in a few gorgeous, cottagecore-inspired floral designs like the one above? As well as seven other colors, if you want something more classic.

Machine Washable: Tuft & Needle Silk Pillowcase

Keep friction-induced hair damage at bay with the Tuft & Needle Silk Pillowcase. As its name suggests, it's a pure Mulberry silk pillowcase that feels oh-so-smooth to the touch and is available in standard and king sizes. What makes this pick stand out is that it's machine washable — just make sure to read the care instructions to find out the proper washing settings and for a reminder to air dry it.

Best Set: Casper Silk Pillowcase + Sleep Mask Set

Need the perfect gift for the sleep-deprived loved one in your life? Look no further than Casper's Silk Pillowcase and Sleep Mask Set, which comes in standard and king sizes. Bonus points if you know they're already (trying to) snooze on a cozy Casper mattress.


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