Usually, when I visit with friends and stay overnight, I can’t help but pay special attention to their choice of bedding. Sure, there are the usual favorites, like cotton, linen, and polyester bedding. But sleeping in silk bedding was amazing, and I slept like a baby.
Best of all, I woke up feeling like a million bucks and looked more beautiful. Was silk bedding a gift from the gods?
Curious, I called my friend, who is a product buyer for Kovi Fabrics. She had the full lowdown on why silk bedding is the best.
What Is Silk?
Silkworks create silk from the fibers of the fibroin proteins they use to make their cocoons. Silk manufacturers wash and process these proteins to develop long-stranded fiber. They use these fibers to spin different types of yarn that they can weave to create the unique textile we know (and love) as silk.
The best silk comes from the cocoons of the bombyx mori larvae, which feed on mulberry leaves. This silk has a 6A rating, which is the top standard in the silk manufacturing industry. The six indicates the top of the range, while the A signifies quality.
Silk is a multi-purpose textile so that you can opt for an all-silk bedroom. Manufacturers may also stain silk into different colors. Why not add silk curtains, upholstery, and cushions? Kovi Fabrics sells some great silk textile fabrics for purposes like this great curtain fabric with a 100% silk base and rayon embroidery (S8502 BROWN MARS).
Silk Bedding Benefits
There are excellent benefits to using silk textiles to make bedding material. Silk textiles are incredibly versatile, ranging from silk pillowcases to silk sheets and threaded blankets.
Some of the benefits of sleeping on 100% genuine silk include:
- Silk doesn’t accumulate static electricity: Because there is no static, your silk pillowcase will ensure your hair always looks great (no frizz) with minimal hair breakage. Since there is no static electricity, your skin will be less irritated than with a cotton or polycotton sheet.
- Silk doesn’t absorb moisture: Silk is less absorbent than cotton fibers. Many hair conditioning treatments and skincare products use silk proteins because they help hydrate skin and hair. So, sleeping on a silk pillow casing will reduce moisture loss that could dry out skin and hair.
- Silk’s smooth texture smooths skin: Silk is silky in texture, so it also smooths skin. It won’t rough up skin cells or fold, leaving you with a “pillow face” in the morning.
- Silk is thermoregulation: The proteins naturally respond to your body temperature when you sleep under silk sheets. This helps regulate temperature, ensuring you enjoy a cool night’s sleep. Silk fabric is a great choice for warmer climates as it has amazing thermoregulating properties.
- Silk is excellent for those with allergies: If you struggle with allergies, try sleeping on silk sheets. Silk textiles naturally contain proteins like sericin, which coat the fibers in a protective layer. This protein layer is totally impermeable to toxins, bacteria, microspores, or microscopic organisms. Additionally, silk sheets are so soft and smooth that they don’t irritate delicate skin.
- Silk doesn’t need special equipment to clean: Silk washes remarkably well despite being a natural fiber textile. Don’t dry clean silk, but you can toss your sheets in the regular washing machine or top loader on a light cycle with cold water. Drying your laundered silk bedding can be challenging, but more on how to dry silk sheets next.
The Cons of Silk Bedding
As you can imagine, silk is not the cheapest of textiles. Purchasing a 100% pure silk bedding set can cost over $400, and depending on the quality of the silk, it can cost even more. Therefore, the cost of silk sheets is perhaps the most significant negative factor when buying silk sheets.
- Silk has different qualities: Some silk merchants will sell silk blends as 100% silk, offering inferior quality. Before buying silk sheets, you must ensure that you buy 100% silk sheets, preferably from silkworms fed on mulberry leaves. Buying silk blends will result in poor quality and a shortened service span, as the blended fibers will start to disintegrate when laundered or crease when ironed.
- Silk sheet maintenance can be expensive: the additional expense of buying silk-approved detergent and the extra time spent laundering your sheets as a silk-only load when you wash them. Throwing your silk sheets in the wash with your other sheets isn’t a simple matter. Separate silk sheets from other bedding before laundering. This also means you will require more time to do laundry. The best practice is to place each silk item in a mesh laundry bag (again, this will take some time).
- Drying silk sheets can be a challenge: Drying your silk sheets can be a real challenge, especially if you live in a small apartment. Don’t place silk sheets in the dryer or leave them in the sun to dry. To dry silk bedding, hang the sheets over a large clothes horse or peg them to a clothesline with non-stained wooden pegs out of direct sunlight. You can also blot silk dry by placing large cotton towels on the bed, then laying the silk sheets over this and blotting.
- Ironing silk bedding: You can iron silk, but pay special attention. Try using the coolest temperature on your iron. Steam frequently to help the iron not stick to the silk fibers. Alternatively, you can also wrap your iron with a smooth handkerchief to protect the silk fibers when ironing.
How to Choose Silk Bedding
Convinced you need to buy silk bedding? Great! But how do you know you are buying quality? It’s not like you can travel to the mulberry farms and watch the silkworms go about their cocooning activities to ensure it’s 100% silk you are getting.
To choose the best silk, follow these tips:
- Buy from reputable dealers: If you get a bargain on silk, it’s probably cheap silk. In this case, manufacturers mix the silk with other fibers. Inferior manufacturing processes often use chemicals to make silk. The quality will suffer, and the silk won’t be hypoallergenic or thermoregulating.
- Ask for the OEKO-TEX rating: Silk is an all-natural textile that shouldn’t contain any chemicals. Manufacturers should never use harmful chemicals in any stage of the production process, from the feeding stages to the silk production and cocooning stages of the manufacturing process and the washing and weaving steps. An OEKO-TEX rating will help assure you of the genuine organic nature of the silk fibers and textiles.
- Check the grading: Every silk fabric has different grading, which is the quality standard for silk. 6A grading is top quality, which assures you of the overall quality and authenticity of the silk textile.
- Mulberry-fed silkworms: Manufacturers don’t always use silkworm cocoons to make silk, and these silkworms don’t always feed on mulberry leaves. Sourcing mulberry leaves in large quantities can be challenging, and silkworms will eat most other leaves, too. However, there is a substantial quality difference between silkworms fed on mulberry leaves and those fed on different leaves. Always choose mulberry-fed silkworm silk.
- Momme weight or thread count: When it comes to silk, the denser the weave, the better. Silk’s textile creation process is slightly different than that of cotton or other fabrics, which is why we talk about momme weight, which should be 19, 22, or 30 at the denser end of the spectrum. These momme weights are the densest on the market, offering the best quality and durability.
Alternatives to Silk Bedding
Silk doesn’t really have any direct competitors, and even rayon or bamboo fiber sheeting doesn’t quite match its quality and benefits. However, silk shares some specific benefits with other natural fibers.
Rayon/Bamboo
This natural fiber is a quality alternative to silk, though you shouldn’t expect the silk feel or superior softness that silk offers. Bamboo fibers are also hypoallergenic, thermoregulating, and great for the environment.
100% Cotton
Cotton is a staple in bedding, but it doesn’t share the softness profile of silk bedding. Cotton is hypoallergenic, moisture-absorbing, and environmentally friendly. For hot sleepers, cotton sheets are a great alternative, as they absorb sweat, leaving you cooler.
Polyester Blends
While not a natural fiber, polyester has unique properties that may make it appealing to you as a silk bedding alternative. Manufacturers can treat and weave polyester in different ways to simulate the feel of silk.
So, if you want softness, polyester can be an alternative bedding. However, polyester is not hypoallergenic and is often quite warm to sleep under. It can be challenging to iron polyester (depending on the blend), and polyester sheets won’t last as long as natural fiber sheets.
Final Thoughts on Silk Bedding
Silk bedding is expensive. There’s no way to ignore that fact; however, it is a worthwhile investment in your health and superior sleep quality. With excellent benefits, silk bedding can make your bedroom a safe and luxurious cocoon to escape to when you need to rest and recharge after a long day at work.
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