Photo Courtesy of Slip

Fad or fact? The surge of popularity for silk hair wraps and pillowcases is on the rise thanks to its magical night time healing powers for the hair and skin, but is it too good to be true?

Some swear it’s their beauty sleep secret weapon, whilst others don't see it as a worthy investment. With promises to extend the lifespan of your blowout, reduce frizz and split ends, slows down the apperance of wrinkles and keeps your skin soft and plump—it has got us convinced. . The reason why silk is the favoured fabric ss because silk allows your hair and skin to move smoothly along the pillowcase without sucking up all of the moisture and creating unecessary friction between your head and the pillow.

Although your current pillowcase may feel soft to the touch, the friction created by tossing and turning at night can be damaging to the hair follicle, ultimately resulting in more frizz and less shine. And if you're a person who sweats in her sleep, the silk's cooling effects may help you on those nights when your room is sweltering. 

As for benefits for the skin, silk is completely natural and hypoallergenic, so it's gentler on your skin, and for anyone with rosacea, silk will be less abrasive on your face than your run-of-the-mill cotton covers, which can help reduce redness as well. The appearance of wrinkles and signs of ageing can be slowed down as silk makes for a much more smoother surface for your face to rest on—skin isn't tugging on the fabric as you toss and turn in bed, causing less friction. Depending on the material or dyes used in a piece of fabric, your seemingly-normal cotton pillowcase may be the culprit behind any irritated areas and skincare concerns like acne and aging skin. 

An excellent option if you suffer from acne, a switch to silk may help minimise breakouts too. During sleep, your pillowcase absorbs oil, dirt, germs and dead skin cells from your face. This happens every night, only to transfer it back to your skin the next evening. It's a vicious cycle that could possibly be one of the reasons you’ve seen an uptick in breakouts too. More frequent changes of bed linens are recommended and even swapping to silk pillowcases will see an improvement in skin and hair health.

As the night is the best time to heal and repair skin, it only makes sense to see so many innovations in this area of beauty. More and more beauty and textile brands are coming out with pillowcases specifically designed to target certain beauty concerns, like wrinkling skin, frizzy hair and even to combat acne. Here, we recommend some of our previously purchased silk pillowcases that promise to maximise your beauty sleep to its fullest!