The Best Silk Pillowcases for Your Hair and Skin

Apr 06, 2023

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$82

$63

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$89

$40

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$78

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By Jamie Kim Ueda

Silk pillowcases are popular for their luxurious, smooth feel, as well as promises of less hair frizz and reduced skin irritation, all while you are sound asleep.

We researched dozens of silk pillowcases, from the most popular brands to lower-priced options. We put our textiles knowledge to work to find ones that are soft, durable and, due to the fabric's delicate nature, wash easily. Our interviews included design pros, hair stylists and a dermatology nurse practitioner to narrow down the wide variety available on the market and test the eight most promising cases.

Our list includes only high-quality pillowcases, mostly ones made of Mulberry silk with a high momme, a unit of measurement used to determine the density of silk fabric. In our experience, cheaper versions haven't felt as smooth nor had the same durability as ones on this list.

Leo Chau, a New York City based hair stylist, recommends silk pillowcases to clients of all hair types, but especially for clients with naturally frizzy hair, to keep locks from tangling as they move around while sleeping and because the smooth surface helps slow the formation of split ends. For reference, my hair is thick, coarse and naturally wavy, so when I sleep on a cotton pillowcase, I’m prone to waking up with bedhead where my hair is frizzy and sticking up in some places.

When it comes to skin, there are many promises out there that silk pillowcases can improve your skin's appearance in part by keeping it hydrated; we didn't notice that our skin looked any different than usual. However, if you wake up with creases on your skin, Kelsey Salvatico, FNP-BC, a cosmetic dermatology nurse practitioner, says silk pillowcases can help decrease the occurrence of sleep creases.

Our top pick was the Fishers Finery 30 Momme 100% Pure Mulberry Silk Pillowcase, but we also loved a few other options for different purposes.

If you’d like to read how we vetted and tested these pillow cases and insights from the experts we consulted, scroll down for more detail.

$63 at Fishers Finery

$82 Save $19

This sleek pillowcase, made of thick, high quality silk, scored well in nearly every category and looks great after multiple washes.

This 30 momme Mulberry silk pillowcase from Fishers Finery felt the most luxurious and thick out of the ones tested, and it was one of our favorite silk pillowcases to sleep on. That wasn't a big surprise, as our experts recommend looking for a high momme, and it is the highest we tested at 30 momme. Unlike some other pillowcases made of thinner material, we couldn't feel the pillow fabric underneath.

It's everything you would want in a silk pillowcase, soft and smooth to sleep on and it kept our thick, coarse and naturally wavy hair frizz-free (full disclosure, all the ones we tested kept our hair frizz- and bedhead-free). This pillowcase was also easy to care for since it's machine washable and can be tumbled dry on low heat, especially compared to others that need to be air dried. It looked the same after three washes with no snags or loose threads and still felt just as soft as when we first used it.

We were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't the most expensive pillowcase we tested, at $78 for a standard-size pillowcase, despite the high-quality Mulberry silk fabric. It was also one of the pillowcase brands favored by New York City-based hair stylist Leo Chau; he suggests it to clients with frizzier hair for its quality and reasonable price. It comes in 4 colors and standard, queen and king sizes.

$40 at Quince

$89 Save $49

This silk pillowcase, made of high-quality 22 momme Mulberry silk, costs about half as much as others.

We’ve tested Quince products in the past, and they generally perform well. This 100% Mulberry silk pillowcase was no exception. It's made of 22 momme Mulberry silk, yet it's half the price of other pillowcases with the same fabric. Despite its lower price, it still looked good after washing; it can be machine washed but must be air dried.

It felt soft and comfortable to sleep on and prevented bed head the following morning when we slept on it. The pillowcase comes in a standard/queen size, so it may be slightly big on a standard size pillow, but the zipper enclosure will keep the pillow from slipping out no matter how much you toss and turn. It also is available in a king size and seven color options.

$89+ at Nordstrom

$89 at Sephora

This slick-feeling silk pillowcase was the best of the bunch at preventing tangles and keeping hair fresh between washes.

The very popular Slip pillowcase immediately stood out to us because it looks shinier than the others and feels more slippery to the touch. We appreciated the slick fabric since it ensured that our hair could smoothly glide on the pillowcase, and we woke up without messy hair after sleeping on it. We also liked how our face felt against the material; it felt noticeably cooler compared to our cotton pillowcases, though we didn't notice a difference in our skin after using it.

Shoppers can choose a zipper or envelope-style closure. We tested the zipper version that guarantees the pillow won't slip out in the middle of the night, benefiting those who toss and turn. The zipper is also helpful because the pillowcase only comes in queen and king sizes, so the zipper will keep even a standard-size pillow in place.

It's machine washable, but can not be tumble dried. We love that it offers a variety of color choices with seven color options for the envelope style and 17 options for the zipper style.

$78 at Lunya

This silk pillowcase, a favorite of one of our experts, has a soft, slick, peach-fuzz-like texture that keeps skin free of pillow creases.

We liked the Lunya pillowcase's soft feel for keeping our hair and skin looking just as good in the morning as the night before. Salvatico, a cosmetic dermatology nurse practitioner, says she loves this silk pillowcase and recommends it to her clients and friends to help decrease the occurrence of sleep lines for side sleepers and to reduce hair frizz. She's tried several silk pillowcases and names this one as her favorite.

We love that this pillowcase is one of the few that can be tumble dried, so there's no sorting through your laundry to pull it out so it can air dry. It's a particularly durable option; it held up well after both washing and drying. It is noticeably thinner than others and slightly sheer when we put it on our pillow. However, we loved the ever-so-slight soft peach fuzz texture, which we found enjoyable to sleep on. Unfortunately, there's only one color (white) and one size (queen) option.

$75 at Blissy

$100 Save $25

With over 40 colors and patterns to choose from, you’ll be sure to find a silk pillowcase that matches your style with this option.

If you’re looking for a specific color or pattern of silk pillowcase, you’ll likely find something from Blissy, since the popular brand's silk pillowcases come in 44 patterns and colors, the most out of any of the options we looked at.

The case, made with 22 momme Mulberry silk with a zipper closure, felt soft and smooth against our skin and we didn't notice any additional hair frizz in the morning when we woke up. Like most styles we tested, it's machine washable on delicate or hand wash and can't be tumble dried.

The pillowcase has "Blissy" embroidered in one corner, and after washing we noticed the fabric was slightly puckered around the wording; not a deal-breaker, but something to note. The pillowcases are available in standard, queen and king sizes and we appreciate that they’re available in youth and toddler sizes, too, so you can buy pillowcases for the whole family.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Parachute Silk Pillowcase, and at 25 momme, it's one of the highest among the silk pillowcases we tested and the difference was noticeable. The fabric felt thick, soft and smooth like you would expect of a 25 momme silk fabric.

It has an envelope closure and is machine washable. It left our hair and skin looking and feeling great in the morning. It comes in standard and king sizes. The one thing holding it back was the $89 price tag. It's one of the most expensive options we tested, and for $78 you can get the Fishers Finery 30 momme pillowcase. However, if you’re already placing an order with Parachute and would rather do one-stop-shopping than place a separate order, this pillowcase is worth buying.

At $59 for a standard size pillowcase, the Brooklinen Mulberry Silk Pillowcase was moderately priced relative to other cases. Brooklinen doesn't specify the momme on this Mulberry silk pillowcase, but we found it on par in terms of quality with most of the other pillowcases we tested. Overall we had no complaints and would use this pillowcase, it was just edged out by the Quince pillowcase, which is lower in price for the same quality. Also, it comes in standard and king sizes, so if you have a queen-size pillow you’ll either have to try to stuff it in a standard pillowcase or deal with the extra fabric on a king pillowcase, which may not stay on as securely. Overall, the Brooklinen case kept our hair frizz-free, the fabric didn't feel thin and it looked good after washing.

It's hard to beat getting a silk pillowcase, like this one from SLPBABY, for around $25. However, we felt the Quince silk pillowcase was a better value: For $15 more, the Quince version offers a better fabric at 22 momme and the fabric is thicker, making it feel more luxurious. The SLPBABY silk pillowcase is 19 momme and we could tell the difference immediately, since it felt much thinner than the others. If you want to spend the least amount possible on a silk pillowcase and don't mind the thin fabric, this is a good choice. It feels smooth, looks good after washing and comes in 25 patterns and colors.

Over the years I’ve tested hundreds of bedding products, such as sheets and blankets, and other fabric-based products including apparel and towels. I have written extensively about products for publications including Good Housekeeping magazine, USA Today's Reviewed, CNN Underscored and Penske Media.

Earlier in my career, I worked at a home textiles company developing home products like bath mats and towels, as well as leading the quality assurance efforts for home textile products. I’ve also worked at Nike developing materials and making sure they met high quality standards. I have a degree in apparel and textile design and mechanical engineering, and it's accurate to say I’m obsessed with fabric.

We also consulted Leo Chau, a New York City-based hair stylist, Kelsey Salvatico, FNP-BC

cosmetic dermatology nurse practitioner and co-founder of Minimale Skin and Kathryn Reiley, Ph.D., adjunct professor, College of Design at the University of Minnesota whose expertise includes textiles, to get their advice on what to look for in a silk pillowcase and their favorite picks.

In order to choose what to test, we searched the internet for the most popular silk pillowcases among consumers. We also considered our favorite brands and silk pillowcases that made other top lists. We spoke with three experts, described above, on what to look for, their favorite brands and the cases that they use themselves or recommend.

We narrowed down the list based on our textile knowledge and the experts’ advice. We ruled out silk pillowcases with poor user reviews, pillowcases that seemed like they would be duplicative to ones on our list to test and ones that were on clearance and likely to be discontinued.

We also ruled out any that weren't 100% silk based on our experts’ advice. We considered price, making sure we had a range of price points to suit different budgets. In the end, we came up with a list of eight silk pillowcases to test that had the most promise and rated them with the following criteria: