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Dr. Alpana Mohta Ranka, MD, DNB, IFAAD, is a triple-board-certified dermatologist with over 100 research publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

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Writer's pictureDr. Alpana Mohta

Silk Pillowcase: Benefits for Hair and Skin

Updated: Aug 19, 2023

While all the lotions, moisturizers, serums, sunscreens, etc., help protect our hair and skin while we are in the waking world, what happens when we sleep?



We spend literally 25-30% of our life sleeping. That means our face and hair are constantly touching the object we are sleeping on for the entirety of that time. This makes the material of the pillowcase a very important factor that determines the condition of your skin and hair.

Silk Pillow

Which Pillowcase is Good for Hair and Skin?


Most people use pillowcases made of cotton. Cotton is, frankly, horrible for pillowcases (in the context of skincare). The cotton fabric, being extremely absorbent, tends to dehydrate your skin and hair while you're sleeping.


As you may already know, the more hydrated your skin and hair would be, the healthier and lesser prone to age-related damage they would be.

Therefore, silk pillow covers are great for hair and skin.



Silk Pillowcase: Benefits for Hair and Skin


Let's discuss some properties of a silk pillowcase that make it an excellent choice for a sleeping partner:

  1. Hydrophobic: This property of silk also makes it the most important one, which is why it makes a good case for being used as a pillowcase material. Silk will not rob your skin of its hydration and, in fact, may actually help it retain whatever you've applied to it before sleeping.

  2. Hypoallergenic: This, slightly difficult-sounding word, means something that is very less likely to cause an allergy. Silk is naturally hypoallergenic. Cotton, not very much so.

  3. Smooth texture: This is probably very intuitive, but to make it even more so, imagine rubbing your face against a pillow made of cotton vis-à-vis that made of silk. Silk feels smoother, doesn't it? This means that you can very easily toss and turn on a silk pillowcase without your hair getting broken or your skin getting creases on it.

  4. Silk clothing is also helpful for atopic dermatitis patients.

Disadvantages of Silk Pillowcases


Generally, there are no medical disadvantages to using silk pillowcases. The only disadvantages are those related to how expensive silk is and how difficult it is to care for.

However, I truly believe that the expense and effort are well worth the benefits you get in return.


Product Recommendation


I would highly recommend making a tiny investment in getting a silk pillowcase. It would be highly worth it (apart from the benefits listed above, think of all the creams and serums that get wasted by being absorbed by cotton pillowcases).

Here's my suggestion (well, this is what I use) if you are looking for a silk pillowcase: 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcase for Hair and Skin

Pillow Case 100% Silk written in stylized text with the background of a bed with four pillows with silk pillowcases.





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