Stephanie says: Is it true that it is better for your skin to sleep on silk pillow cases
The Left Brain believes:
There is some evidence, like this Pubmed article, that indicates special silk clothing can reduce atopic dermatitis in children who are prone to that condition. However, I have can’t find any evidence that sleeping on silk pillowcases is really better for your skin. Nonetheless, one brand, Silkskin Antiwrinkle Pillowcases, says they actually fight the signs of aging. Here are a few claims from their website followed by my comments:
1. Gives your skin the chance to breathe naturally
While your skin does perspire and while certain chemicals can clog your pores and cause acne, skin does not really “breathe” so silk doesn’t really make a difference in this regard.
2. Because moisture levels are being maintained throughout the night, deeper lines and wrinkles are not forming.
Moisture loss causes dry scaly skin, not wrinkles. A pillow case can not stop wrinkles from forming.
3. Different from run of the mill silk pillow case as it is made from organic silk which contains amino acids, the building blocks of your skin.
ALL silk is made of amino acids, so the fact that this silk is organic is completely irrelevant. And the amino acid profile of silk is different than keratin protein, which is what skin is made of. And, even if it were the same, it’s not like the amino acids leap off the pillowcase and attach to your skin.
4. Organic silk also has the same pH balance of your skin.
Measuring pH really only makes sense when you’re talking about a water solution. Yes, skin has a optimal pH balance, but the pH of fabric you’re sleeping on is really irrelevant.
5. When sleeping on this pillowcase, your night cream is fully absorbed by the skin and won’t rub off like it usually does, therefore allowing the cream to work to maximum effect.
I’m curious if Silkskin has any actual data to back up this claim. I suppose it’s possible that silk is less absorbent than cotton, which means it could absorb less oils and moisture from the surface of your skin. But even if silk is less absorbent, just the friction of your skin against the fabric as you move around in your sleep is still enough to wipe some of the lotion off your face. Without some kind of test data to show Silkskin has a beneficial effect, I’m skeptical on this claim.
6. Silk stops you getting the dreaded ‘bedhead’ as your hair will simply glide over the pillowcase.
Bed head isn’t just caused by rubbing your hair across the fabric of the pillow. It’s also caused by the warmth and moisture of your perspiring scalp saturating your hair and reforming the hydrogen bonds (also known as salt bonds) in your hair, which results in the bizarre hair configuration you wake up with. Since silk doesn’t stop you from perspiring, it probably has little effect on bed head. But once again, if there’s test data to the contrary I’ll gladly reconsider my position.
7. Dust mites cannot live on silk so the pillowcase is excellent for allergy sufferers.
This is the most intriguing of all Silkskin’s claims. While I found references to very tightly woven pillowcases being used to prevent dust mites from penetrating into pillows, I could not find any legitimate scientific source that answered this question one way or the other.
The Beauty Brains bottom line:
There may be some legitimate benefits to sleeping on silk, but Silkskin makes a number of definitive claims without providing much information to back them up. Maybe it’s true that dust mites can’t live on silk, but I’d rather not take the word of the company trying to sell me the product as proof. A little independent confirmation would go a long way toward making me feel better about buying this product.
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I’ve been using satin pillowcases for the last few years and love them. I guess that’s different than silk pillowcases! Anyway, I wake up without any creases in my face, which is why I like them so much.
I have heard this about satin pillowcases, but not silk ones. It does seem fairly reasonable to assume the more slippery fabrics would reduce facial abrasion. However, absorbency might be a plus in a pillowcase as well. This posting definitely puts a new wrinkle on things. . . . Hmm . . .
This I am not surprised by. I do like silh headwraps instead of cotton ones and have noticed a huge change in my hair since the swtich, but all the other claims are just silly. Next thing you know, they will be telling consumers that the pillowcases cure Cancer.
hairsmystory.com
I also sleep on silk pillow cases. I decided to give it a try when I read that Nicole Kidman uses them to minimize her naturally curly tresses from uncoiling into frizz by morning. And she’s right! It does keep my curls from unraveling far better than cotton. I’ve also read it causes less pull on fragile hair because of the slip factor.
Jeni’s right, too. When I slept on cotton pillow cases, I used to wake up with creases on my face that sometimes took hours to go away. That all stopped the day I switched to silk.
MY MIL gave me some silk pillowcases. One of my cats loves them. I like them because they are cooler in temperature than cotton ones, or so it seems. As for health benefits, I never even considered they had a benefit. I mean, it’s just a fabric.
‘Bedhead’ still occurs though and I can see why facial creases would be lessened with silk: cotton cases can fold and crease, silk stays smooth.
I sleep on silk pillowcases and find them great. The ones to buy though are silk charmeuse. They are not slippery but they have a lustre which stops you waking up with lines on your face
Sorry but “parachute silk”, organic or not will not allow free movement of air and moisture through it. Wouldn’t be much good as a parachute if it did. Also, you can develop an allergy to the shiny coating on silk called sericin. DermaSilk has been developed as underclothing & bedclothes to help reduce the itch associated with eczema in adults and children. a different approach but worth a visit to the site.
Hi Chris
Very interesting site worth a visit. I definely agree with you about silk properties. Are silkskin pillowcases made from parachute silk? as you mentioned
Hi Gill,
From what i can see on their website – i think so.
CAn’t say much more on the subject.
Hey I bought a silkskin pillowcase from harvey nichols and it is actually made out of habotai silk.
I know this because I go to silk painting classes and its the same silk. I even took it to class and everyone agreed.
Can’t say I agree with the left brain. I have bought a Silkskin pillowcase and it has improved my skin and hair!! the silk is excellent quality. Is the left brain is a specialist on silk?
Silkskin have got a fantastic product and All my family and friends use Silkskin.
Well, I am shocked that you doubt Silkskin pillowcases. I have used one for a couple of years now and it has helped my hair, which was falling out very bad! I also noticed that I don’t get those nasty deep lines as bad when I wake up. There are maany dermatoligists who advocate sleeping on silk like Dr Sobel form America ( won awards last five years) he is just one to name a few. I don’t get why you have picked on Silkskin, there are other companies too! anyway, I love mine and so does my wife…
Hannah and Lakey Man:
We’re not saying that Silkskin doesn’t make a good pillow case. And we’re certainly not picking on them! All we’re saying is, that if they are making skin care claims (like reducing wrinkles) then they should explain to people how their products work. If they have tested their pillowcases and have proof that they do what they say they do, then they should share that good news so more people will buy their product.
Also, just to be clear, we don’t doubt that silk can be better for reducing creasing in the skin caused by sleeping on folded fabric. But we do doubt that sleeping on silk will actually prevent real, long lasting wrinkles from forming in your skin.
Of course, since we’re scientists, we’ll gladly consider any legitimate data that the company can present in favor of their claims. Thanks for your comments!
I agree with Chris and Lynda, I have one. silkskin pillowcases are made out of parachute silk (habotai silk). I use this silk as lining fabric (I make wedding dresses). It is organic(natural) but then all silk is.
How funny, Why on earth would you buy a product which is made from parachute silk and then say you use it for wedding dresses! why didnt you just make one yourself? I am a loyal customer of Silkskin and have purchased lots of them. I heard Nigella Lawson bought one and then 9 more and she’s no mug! I would say that there is a lot of jealousy towards Silkskin and it wouldnt surprise me if some of the above are competitors with lack of sales…. Bit like the lady who says she bought it and then took it to her painting class ( laugh ) Han
I find this whole discussion baffling. The question was
“Is it true that it is better for your skin to sleep on silk pillow cases?”
I didn’t really know the answer but I did a little research and found Silkskin pillows. I was amazed by their claims about how their silk pillows will “delay the aging process”. This sounded suspicious to me.
So, I looked at their claims and they provide NO scientific support. Everything is just the opinion of people who sleep on the product.
Well, for me, that’s not enough. Anecdotal evidence doesn’t prove anything. Proof would be scientific evidence. A clinical study perhaps?
And how about not being so sloppy with the facts? Silk has 20 amino acids, not 18.
As Right Brain so diplomatically put it, the silkskin pillows are probably fine pillows and a joy to sleep on. But the notion that they are going to “delay the aging process” is unproven bunk. We’d be happy to be proven wrong by scientific evidence. Please spare us more anecdotes from presumably satisfied customers (who despite having the same ISP address are not likely the same person posting). We believe you. People like the pillows.
The company has just not proven their claims about delaying the aging process.
I remain skeptical.
Hi, I am sending this reply because you have been rude. You started a discussion but don’t seem to like any good feedback about the company. What’s going on? Are you sure you are scientist? there is no evidence to suggest this on your site. It clearly does help the skin and hair because people say it does ( placebo or not, who cares) it’s a fantastic product and you are just using them to get hits on your site for your own benefits…. I have contacted the company to let them know. PS I did a bit of research myself, there are 18 amino acids in silk!
Hannah,
Thanks so much for your spirited comments. I apologize if you think I’ve been rude. That’s not my intent at all. I focus on the science of things and all I was asking for was proof for the things the company was saying. As both me and Right Brain said, Silkskin likely produces a fine pillow.
But things are stated on their website about the benefits of their pillows which are not supported by any available scientific data. We are skeptical of claims like “delays the aging process” when no scientific proof is given. The fact that people say it helps skin and hair is not proof of anything.
And as far as asking who cares if it’s a placebo effect or not…we do. Our blog is all about evaluating the science behind questions sent in to us from readers. Anecdotal evidence is evidence of nothing.
If someone says the products don’t do anything is that proof that they don’t? Of course not. How about some scientific evidence one way or the other?
You seem to know something about the company so maybe you can direct us to the proof of their claims.
As to the 18 amino acids in silk, could you please direct me to some published research that supports your statement? The research supporting my statement about there being 20 amino acids in silk protein is from The Handbook of Fiber Chemistry published by Marcel Dekker 1998 – page 426. The distribution of amino acids is listed but in the chart they combine the amino acids Glutamine with Glutamic Acid and Asparagine with Aspartic acid. That makes 20 amino acids. What research source to you cite for silk containing 18 amino acids?
Thanks again for your comments. It would be nice if you could cut out the personal attacks and stick to the questions at hand.
Dr Stegman wrote a Hallmark paper in the 80′s on the effect of sleep creases and the underlying SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) proving that sleep creases are accentuated by pillow contact.
I am familiar with Dr Stegman’s paper proving that sleep creases in your face are worsened by your pillow. That’s why it is important to use the softest fabric available for pillow cases. That fabric being a good weight silk charmeuse
I bought a silkskin pillowcase and I was very unimpressed with the quality of it. It is very thin and not soft on my face at all. Has anyone used any other type of silk pillowcase as I still like the idea of luxury silk pillowcases but I think the makers of silkskin have got it wrong not luxury at all
Dr. Dennis Gross, board certifed dermatologist, recommends changing to a satin pillowcase to reduce friction of the face whilst sleeping. I have tried a SatinSkin pillowcase and it is luxurious. Why do Silkskin think only they have the right to have a beauty pillowcase. People should have a choice.
Silkskin pillowcase’s are beautiful, that’s why they are stocked everywhere! I don’t think the competitors emailing in are stocked anywhere?
SOME BLOGS ARE ABUSED BY COMPANIES NOT SELLING THIER PRODUCTS SO THEY HAVE A DIG!! IF SATINSKIN HAD THIER OWN IDEA, THEY WOULDN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT SILKSKIN ARE UP TO. SILKSKIN STARTED IN 2004 SATINSKIN 2007 A SO CALLED COPY. MOST PEOPLE WHO KNOW ABOUT BLOGS REALISE THAT THIS TYPE OF THING GOES ON, THAT’S WHY SOME THREADS ARE TAKEN DOWN!
Satisfied customer
I am going to report this blog once and for all, This blog was set up to discuss silk pillowcases and all that is being achieved is a direct attack on Silkskin by so called competitors. There are many companies selling silk pillowcase’s claiming the same things, so why has Silkskin been targeted? I will tell you why, it’s because they are stocked everywhere.Simple, it’s a qulity Brand and product. Email address’s are so easy to make up with personal comments, but they can be traced!
You comment trolls are funny. Feel free to report this blog to whoever you want.
Our email address is not made up.
After reading everyones comments I am bemused however I have just purchased a beautiful silk pillowcase very well made and lovely silk from a company called http://www.silkgifts.co.uk
I’m not sure if this helps or adds more fuel to the fire….but for the lady who was looking for an alternative to silkskin’s pillowcase – which she found too thin and unluxurious – have a look at satinskin. I use it and it is a very soft 100% charmeause material.
Hi,
I am a typical bloke and cynical about everything to do with beauty!
I visited Harvey Nichols in London, who reccomended the Silkskin product. I must admit that I had not heard of it. However as it was there, I decided to try it. There were two main observations: 1) None of those horrible face creases when I woke up. Secondly, I do not lose as much hair at night. Which is a very good thing!! Finally, I can tell you that the product washes up really well at 30 degrees and I just let it dry naturally. It is a good product?!
You cannot beat silk charmeuse fabric for pillowcases – it’s the best silk made
This is the first time I’ve visited a ‘blog’, only happening on it because I’m a woman of a certain age and hence very interested in wrinkle-reducing pillow-cases and this popped up as part of my research. Can I say that the BeautyBrains sound calm and balanced, and some of the other people sound down-right scary – are all blogs like this? (Almost afraid at the response I might get from this but I can assure you I am a genuine person and not a competitor!)
Hi
I agree with Mel above and i am also not in the business so please don’t attack me either – I would like to try a pillowcase made of good quality silk – i have done my own research into silk and know that there are different qualities in silk and different weaves and weights – which i believe is called momms or mommies (something like that). Does anyone know what silkskins pillow cases are actually made of as i have emailed them but to no avail – i would just like to know what i am actually buying – what silk and what weight are they made of????? does anyone know – it is most probably on their website but i can’t find it any where???
Hi Clarissa
The silkskin pillowcases are made from a silk called habotai also called china silk
There are different weights of habotai
but they are about 5 mommie to 10 mommie
I have looked on the website you mentioned but they do not say what silk or weight they are made of
hope this helps
Julia
silk association uk
No you are very wrong about the silk they use. Actually I’m a bit concerned that you say you work for the silk association, you should check your spelling of the word momme. Also you are wrong regarding the weight Habotai silk you mentioned comes in? You need to do your research!
I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.ConfuciusConfucius, 551 BC-479
Whats that all about confucius!
Thanks julia at last I have an answer – I am extremely grateful as other blogs that I have been and asked simple questions only seem to attract really negative comments – infact really crazy comments – they accuse you of this and that and that you are in the beauty trade etc (i would not be using blogs if I knew the answers)in fact it is a shame as it puts you off using them it also makes me really angry – however on a more positive note many thanks for your answer as I said I couldn’t find it on their web site – by the way my grandmother is chinese and you have correctly spelt the word mommie as that is the correct word, mommie is just a shortened version (obviously you already know that being in the silk industry) – I would take notice of you joe if you could give me an answer but just telling someone they are wrong doesn’t help unless you can back it up and also you got the mommie bit wrong. So I will stick with julias answer
Hi me again – Sorry ihave just read my above email and i was meant to say Momme is just a shortened word for Mommie – mommie is the correct word to use, but most people say Momme.
I started sleeping on satin pillowcases a little over a yaer ago and WHAT A DIFFERENCE. The cotton pilllowcase I had been using pulled all the moisture from my skin and hair. I went to http://www.atouchofsatin.com and found exactly what I was looking for. So many porgeous patterns and prints along with beautiful solids. My skin hasn’t looked this good in years and an added bonus is my hair looks and feels like it did fifteen years ago. I highly recommend atouchofsatin.com to anyone looking to make a difference fighting wrinkles. As a bonus, they sell satin aromatherapy eye pillows that you keep in the freezer and it helps a lot with tired puffy eyes. Very relaxing as well. Check them out. Good luck!
I’m writing to see if I can clarify a little:
I haven’t seen any scientific studies of the benefits of sleeping on silk, and I’m not about to get fancy with talk of amino acids, etc., but I do know the following:
Cancer treatment centers ARE recommending that radiation + chemo patients sleep on them to help prevent hair loss.
I fall asleep easier on them, and feel more rested (I think because it’s easier to roll over) I definitely LOOK more rested, which requires less work in the morning on my face and my hair.
The heavier the silk, the better to smooth out the bumps from down/feather pillows (or any other bumpy fill).
I believe Linda (SilkSkin’s founder) and I have the only companies that started AFTER doing some research. A couple have copied us (most of their website copy is some variation of one of ours).
I’m not sure what weight silk SilkSkin is using. I will say that ours is a super-heavyweight (the heaviest I’ve seen) 30 momme silk charmeuse, we finish them with french seams (for more durability), and our label is organic cotton. I don’t use silk with any dyes in it, because (a) they can cause allergies to some; and (b) dyes stiffen fabric. In short, what with all the potions we use on our skin and hair, I built something that can be machine washed and dried and abused for years.
I started making them to raise funds for children’s shelters, and now give a 25% discount to cancer patients.
For more information about which dermatolgists and what articles I based my findings on, please visit our website – on the “sleep” page click “what the experts say”. our product is the babyface pillowcase and the company is mysoultokeep.net.
I’ve just created a 20% off coupon for you, type in “brains” at checkout and it’ll update instantly.
Hope this clears up some controversy, and cheers!
Hi there Cristina
I would just like to set some facts straight – You state that yours and another company silkskin were the only companies that reseached silk and it’s properties and that other companies have come along and copied – you should have done some RESEARCH on the INTERNET ARCHIVE SITE – http://web.archive.org before making this statement and you would learn that my company
SILKGIFTS.CO.UK were selling silk pillowcases for beauty well over a year before silkskin appeared online
We silkgifts were registered in 2004 the same year as you – and we spent a long long time reaseaching silk and its benefits –
Just wanted to set the record straight
Sue,
Please accept my apologies — I hadn’t seen your website. I was referring to a couple others that have cropped up in the past couple of years. I did actually do some research lately – so I must have missed you somehow.
Frankly, I think it only helps to have more of us around while this fantastic idea catches on, and I simply like the notion that more people rest their heads on something so brilliant.
I’m curious, what got you started?
Cheers
Hi there Cristina
I would just like to set some facts straight – You state that yours and another company silkskin were the only companies that researched silk and it’s properties and that other companies have come along and copied – you should have done some RESEARCH on the INTERNET ARCHIVE SITE – http://web.archive.org before making this statement and you would learn that my company
SILKGIFTS.CO.UK were selling silk pillowcases for hair and beauty well over a year before silkskin appeared online
We silkgifts were registered in 2004 the same year as you – and we spent a long long time researching silk and its benefits –
Just wanted to set the record straight
Silk is definitely much less absorbent than cotton. My husband spilled red wine on my yellow silk pillowcase. It wiped right off. Anyone that says sleeping on silk doesn’t make your hair and skin look better when you wake up has not had the good fortune of sleeping on charmeuse silk. You spend a third of your life sleeping, you deserve the luxury of sleeping on silk. “Fall Asleep on SIlk, Wake up in Heaven!”
If you want to see beautiful charmeuse silk in luxurious colors, check out http://silkpillowcases.org
I ordered a pillowcase direct from the Silkskin website at the end of November, it still isn’t here so I used the number on the official website to call their customer services, no one answered, it said the lines were busy so I left a message asking how long my purchase would take to arrive. I haven’t had a call back yet and I’ve tried to call a further five times. I still don’t know where my order is. There is no shipping info on their website, hence you have no idea how long your order will take to arrive. It seems they are more interested in getting their product in Vogue but unless they actually deliver how can I make my own opinions about the product when my experience has been scathed by a complete lack of customer service.
Hello, We are well renowned for our high levels of customer service which is why we have got over 100k customers. We know all about this blog and the competitors who follow us around and make email addresses up, which we have got plenty of proof about. It’s basically because they are not selling their products, which by the way are nothing like ours!!
The next blog will be someone else with a lot of time on their hands, because they are not selling anything.
Thank you to all of our customers who have repeatedley purchased from us for the last 4 years.
Silkskin
Hi I wasn’t very impressed by my silkskin pillowcase that I ordered it wasn’t a nice silk that you would expect it to be
I followed sunnydays13 suggestion and went to A Touch Of Satin. I read what they had to say and I purchased a queen size set. The pillowcases were even more beautiful than the pictures on their website. I couldn’t be more pleased. My hair and face feel and look much better. I would recommend them to anyone.
I have never tried silkskin but I’m sure they are fine. I don’t understand why there is all this “drama” with this discussion. It seems to me that the discussion is just about pillowcases.
I am from Silkskin. Silkskin have got a great unique product and it’s stocked by the best, including skin clinics.
I know why there is so much drama, competition from competitors who simply can’t accept the fact that Silkskin are in their own league. This blog will go on and on and the people who run it will allow it. This is so they can get natural listings to developed their own concept. Bit underhanded and cruel I would say, especially as there is no evidence to suggest that they are scientists, or whatever. We have explained about the email address which have been made up from other small companies ( so easy to do! ) we have proved it and asked for this blog to be removed, it but they haven’t. Most of the other professional blogs have removed the whole string because they understood. Customers are free to shop with whoever they wish http://www.silkskin.co.uk
@Jo – So sorry you do not agree with our post. I’m not exactly sure what you disagree with however. Is there something about the claims analysis that you do not agree with? If you have some scientific data that shows we are wrong, we’d be happy to reconsider what we wrote. We love learning new facts.
I don’t understand why you have to be so mean. We are not in the business of censoring people’s free speech so we leave up comments. Even the rude, ad hominem attacks made on us.
We have no interest in making or selling pillows. I’m certain you have created some fine pillows and if someone wants a silk pillow, I’m sure yours are as good (or better) than any others.
We here at the Beauty Brains wish you well.
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