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This Is Silk’s mulberry silk pillowcase review: Can the £50 bedding banish our bedhead?

Designed to smooth hair and tackle fine lines while you slumber, we put the beauty sleep saviour to the test

Helen Wilson-Beevers
Tuesday 14 September 2021 14:05 BST
Silk is cooling during hot weather – in fact, this was the coolest case our tester has ever tried
Silk is cooling during hot weather – in fact, this was the coolest case our tester has ever tried (iStock/The Independent)

This Is Silk is an independent brand created in response to the founder’s own skin and hair concerns. Due to an existing skin condition, Sonal Keay had used silk previously to sleep on for relief, but after experiencing postpartum hair loss, she decided to go one step further and develop her own naturally gentle silk products.

The brand’s extensive range now includes silk cloths, hair turbans, towels, robes, and eye masks, as well as silk pillowcases – and there are even plans being made for a silk skincare and haircare collection.

Cotton and synthetic pillowcases can create friction as you sleep, resulting in hair frizz and facial creases. Silk, on the other hand is famed for being smoothing, and for eliminating bedhead and softening skin. Plus, silk pillowcases don’t absorb moisture, meaning night creams soak in more efficiently and hair is hydrated.

We wanted to explore whether lying on This Is Silk’s silk pillowcase would reap these hair and skin benefits, while also checking out the hypoallergenic, temperature-controlling elements of silk. Would this really help us sleep better, and how would our bedhead fare?

We used the brand’s pure mulberry silk pillowcase (£47.99, Thisisilk.com) to test the potential beauty benefits for ourselves.

Read more:

How we tested

We used this silk pillowcase for six months, during different seasons and night-time temperatures. We considered material durability with regular washing, as well as whether its smoothing silkiness remainedot forgetting momme level (the silk weave thickness), and if we could notice a difference to our hair and skin. Finally, we weighed up value for money and the pillowcase’s aesthetic too.

This Is Silk natural white silk pillowcase

This Is Silk natural white silk pillowcase  indybest.jpeg

Buy now £47.99, Thisissilk.com

  • Momme: 22
  • Rating: 9/10

There are several silk pillowcase patterns and sizes to choose from when you buy from This Is Silk, as well as a clever half tie version if you’re shopping on a tighter budget. The full pillowcase is priced just shy of £50, while its half-tied style costs significantly less (£25.99, Thisissilk.com).

Colours available include blue, grey, pearl, pink navy and black, while you can shop marble, star, and leopard print patterns. This Is Silk stocks king and queen sizes, envelope and zipper closures, and either minimalist stitching or ribbon finished borders.

Arriving in a sturdy box with a magnetic closing strip, the internal lid usefully details washing instructions, and while the box itself doesn’t look recyclable, it is reusable for pillowcase storage or travel.

We chose the queen-sized natural white silk envelope pillowcase, and at 50cm x 75cm, it fits our standard pillow easily. The streamlined silk lays flat without any pulling or slipping off the encased pillow. This creamy white shade is how it looks in its natural undyed state, which we think looks classically luxurious and adaptable to any bedroom décor.

Read more: 8 best wavy hair products that tame and hydrate tresses

At 22 momme, the silk thread density is high, which we noticed means this pillowcase isn’t at all flimsy. For delicate silk, the material feels robust enough for regular use and to enjoy without worrying about it clicking or disintegrating easily.

Silk is naturally temperature controlling and seen as cooling during hot weather, while being cosy in the winter. It must be said that this is the coolest silk pillowcase we have ever tried. We found the case supremely comforting to rest our face on when overheating during the night. Plus, skin refreshment was clear the next morning, as our fine lines looked as though they’d had some help with hydration. This is probably also because of our overnight skincare soaking in more efficiently than on cotton, which is notorious for pulling moisture out of the skin.

The finish of this pillowcase is smooth and glossy without being overly shiny – our hair and face don’t slide about while laying on it, and there isn’t any static or friction either. We could detect this softness throughout the night, and in the morning there was a definite reduction in our usual bedhead fluffiness.

Read more: 8 best pillow protectors to keep your bedding fresh

Our styled hair retained some of its wave and looked smoothed with no evidence of the tossing and turning that we regularly do as an often-restless sleeper. Over the time we have been using this silk pillowcase, our hair has looked less tangled as well, feeling much easier to brush.

As instructed, we machine washed the pillowcase at 30 degrees, before air drying, although we have tried ironing it on a low heat too, using a tea towel for adding silk protection. Most notably, even after several washes, and six months’ use, the silk’s cooling abilities haven’t faded. Neither has its gorgeous glossiness, or supremely smooth touch.

The verdict: This Is Silk natural white pillowcase

At around £50, a This is Silk pillowcase is undoubtedly a big spend, but if you’re not feeling flush, we like the fact this brand also offers a cheaper alternative. We are seriously impressed by how well the pillowcase retains its comforting texture and temperature controlling coolness, even after several washes, as well as the skin benefits we saw, not to mention its ability to noticeably smooth our locks.

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