Best silk pillowcase 2023: Soft and comfortable pillowcases for your hair and skin
Wave goodbye to overnight tangles and frizz with these soft and silky pillowcases
Want hair and skin that’s silky-soft? A silk pillowcase could be the answer, as it reduces creases and friction as you lie on it overnight. If you spend good money on hair and skin treatments, it makes sense to invest in a silk or satin pillowcase to make sure your hair isn’t ruffled and your skin products stay in the right place as you sleep.
We’ve slept our way through a range of pillowcases to find the best for your hair or skin type and budget. Read on for our guide to choosing the right silk pillowcase for you, and below, find our picks of the best pillowcases at a range of prices.
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How to choose the best silk pillowcase for you
How do silk pillowcases work?
It’s extremely simple: the natural slipperiness of the fabric reduces friction compared to cotton, so there’s less drag on hair and skin. Instead of catching on cotton, your hair will glide over the surface of the silk, leaving the cuticle flat. This, in turn, reduces frizz and increases shine.
Silk pillowcases also tend to crease less than cotton cases, again reducing damage to the surface of skin and hair, so a silk pillowcase is perfect for dry or delicate mature skin. Moisturisers and overnight facial treatments can get soaked up by cotton, but silk will absorb less of your skin’s natural oils or any you’ve added in treatment form, helping you wake up with hydrated and glowing skin. Silk is also great at balancing sebum production, making a silk pillowcase a great choice for oilier skin, too.
As well as maintaining hair and skin health, natural silk pillowcases can help regulate overnight temperature, so you may find a silk pillowcase gives you a better night’s sleep than cotton or polycotton.
How do I choose the best-quality silk?
When shopping for a silk pillowcase, look for the fabric weight measured in momme (pounds per hundred yards of fabric, pronounced “moe-mie” and often abbreviated to “mm”). This is similar to the thread count you’ll find in cotton products. Most silk pillowcases are produced from fabrics weighing between 15 and 30 momme. The higher the momme, the denser the fabric, and the better the results in general.
The best-quality natural silk is mulberry silk, which is made by the larvae (silkworms) of the Bombyx mori moth. These moths eat only mulberry leaves and spin a silk that has longer and finer threads than those of other silkworms, producing a smoother and higher-quality silk.
Satin is the name of the flat, shiny weave used in most silk pillowcases, and natural silk satin produces the most effective results on skin and hair. Inexpensive synthetic satin weaves will also reduce friction overnight, but they’re less effective at temperature regulation.
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Care for your silk pillowcase
Silk is a delicate material and, if you want your pillowcase to last a good long time, you’ll need to take care of it appropriately.
Silk is best hand-washed in cool water at no more than 30°C and left to dry naturally. Use a hand-washing liquid designed for silks and delicates. Do not tumble dry or bleach your silk pillowcase, or iron it on a high heat. These processes can break down the surface, reducing the “slip” of the fabric, which is where all its hair- and skincare benefits lie. Dry cleaning is also an option for silk pillowcases.
How much do I need to spend?
Higher-quality silk pillowcases, made with a heavier momme mulberry silk on both sides of the case, will cost anywhere between £50 and £100. Lighter weight or lower-quality silk cases, cases made from synthetic satin, or pillowcases with only one side made from silk, will naturally cost less. You may wish to try out a cheaper case to see how your hair and skin get on with silk before committing to a luxury case. We’ve tested pillowcases at a range of price points below so you can find the case that best suits your needs and budget.
How we test silk pillowcases
At Expert Reviews, we know that the best way to test a product is to use it ourselves. As such, we test all the silk and satin pillowcases we review, replacing our standard cotton or linen pillowcase, for one week.
As well as noting how comfortable the pillowcase feels to sleep on, we consider any positive effects on hair condition including dryness, frizziness, matting or tangling. We also examine if a pillowcase improves the condition of our skin when used with our usual nighttime skincare products. Finally, we confirm the momme of the silk fabric used (or the fabric type if the product uses a synthetic mix), and the range of colours in which it is available.
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The best silk pillowcases you can buy in 2023
1. Slip Silk Pillowcase: Best luxury silk pillowcase
Price: £85 | Buy now from SlipSilk
Slip’s 100% pure mulberry silk pillowcases feel ultra-soft and are fantastically comfortable to sleep on. The range includes a good range of colours and a choice of zip or envelope fastenings, and there are even matching sleep masks for those who like to accessorise while sleeping. Slip’s products are beloved of celebrities including singer Arianna Grande, model Cindy Crawford and multiple Kardashians, and it’s easy to see why: the pillowcases look and feel luxurious, and are super-soft on skin and hair. Slip promises that its pillowcases can be machine-washed on a gentle cycle, but we’d probably recommend hand-washing as the fabric is delicate and the cost of replacement is reasonably high.
Key specs – Silk type: 100% mulberry; Fabric weight: 22 momme
2. John Lewis The Ultimate Collection Silk Standard Pillowcase: Best budget silk pillowcase
Price: £45 | Buy now from John Lewis
This John Lewis pillowcase is made from a lighter 19 momme mulberry silk for a result that’s still soft to the touch and luxurious in feel, but at a significantly lower price than Slip’s luxury option above. The pillowcases are available in a good range of muted bedroom colours, and the smooth satin surface left hair noticeably less frizzy in the morning. Skin felt soft, too. This is a very good lower-cost option.
Key specs – Silk type: 100% mulberry; Fabric weight: 19 momme
3. Lilysilk 22mm Housewife Silk Pillowcase: Best colour range
Price: £40 | Buy now from Lilysilk
Lilysilk’s 100% mulberry silk pillowcases are beautifully soft and have good sheen, and come in a great range of colours to suit all bedrooms. The sophisticated darker teal and plum are particularly attractive, but there are also sunny golds and sweet pastels if that’s more your look. The pillowcases boast all the skin and haircare benefits of natural silk satin, and are fastened with a hidden zipper to keep everything nice and neat. Best of all, if you’re in the market for a matching pair, there’s 40% off a second pillowcase.
Key specs – Silk type: 100% mulberry; Fabric weight: 22 momme
4. Since Silk pure mulberry silk pillowcase 2 pack: Best twin pack
Price: £39 | Buy now from Amazon
If you’re already sure you’d like a matching pair of pillowcases to suit your bedroom decor (or both bedroom occupants are keen to sleep on silk for skin, hair or comfort reasons), a twin pack of pillowcases can make good economic sense. This pair of cases from Since Silk is relatively basic and comes in a limited range of colours. The cotton-lined cases feel less soft and slippery than other cases on our list. However, if you’re looking for a lower-price option and don’t mind the limited colour options or slightly less slippery silk, then these are a good-value option.
Key specs – Silk type: 100% mulberry; Fabric weight: 20 momme
Since Silk 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcase 2 Pieces Set, 20 Momme Grade 6A Silk Pillowcases for Hair and Skin, Soft Silk Pillow Case with Envelope Closure (50x75 cm, Cream)
5. Lilysilk silk pillowcase 19mm with cotton underside: Best single-sided pillowcase
Price: £17 | Buy now form Lilysilk
One way to keep the cost of silk pillowcases down is to use silk on only one side of the case. If you’re curious about the potential benefits of silk but don’t want to splash out on an all-silk case, then Lilysilk’s single-sided silk pillowcase with a plain cotton underside is a great alternative to some of the pricier options on our list. The single-sided pillows come in a narrower range of colours than the main range and, naturally, if you’re in the habit of flipping your pillow over as you sleep, you may lose some of the benefits of the silk overnight. However, these cases feel soft, look smart and are a good-value way to try out silk to see if it’s right for you.
Key specs – Silk type: 100% mulberry; Fabric weight: 19 momme
6. Night memory foam pillow with tri-silk pillowcase: Best for a good night’s sleep
Price: £110 | Buy now from Amazon
Memory foam is the miracle material that moulds to your body’s natural posture, providing a comfortable and supportive night’s sleep. Night’s light-blocking black memory foam pillow combines a super-light memory foam with a luxurious silk and spandex cover that maintains a comfortable sleeping temperature, promising a deep and restful sleep. The pillow comes with a 101-night guarantee that refunds your money if you’re not fully satisfied with your sleep improvement over three months. At £110, this is an investment, but if superior sleep is your goal then this pillow brings together a number of sleep supports that should take you deep into dreamland, smoothing your hair and skin while you’re there.
Key specs – Silk type: 95% mulberry, 5% spandex; Fabric weight: N/A
7. Coco and Eve Beauty Sleep pillow case: best synthetic satin pillowcase
Price: £20 | Buy now from Cocoandeve
Synthetic satin provides some of the benefits of silk satin, in that it has the same slippery properties as natural silk. That means hair glides over the surface, minimising frizz and tangles. Synthetic satin also creases less than cotton, reducing drag on delicate facial skin. Coco and Eve’s pretty pink Beauty Sleep pillowcase is a cost-effective alternative to natural silk pillowcases, recommended for hair that frizzes and flies away. It also has the advantage of being vegan and cruelty-free, as no silkworms are harmed in the making of synthetic satin. The easy-care polyester pillow can be machine washed and even tumble-dried.
Key specs: fabric 100% polyester; fabric weight: n/a
8. Silke London hair wrap: best silk bonnet
Price: £50 | Buy now from Silke London
For the ultimate in portability, a silk hair bonnet or wrap lets you take your silk with you wherever you sleep. Focussing the smoothing power of silk onto the hair, a silk hair bonnet is perfect for reducing damage and breakage to curly and afro hair styles, and can be worn at home or easily packed into hand luggage for travel. If a silk pillowcase doesn’t fit your home decor or sleeping style, a silk bonnet is an excellent hair care alternative.
Key specs: fabric 100% silk; fabric weight: 22 momme