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Bamboo or silk pillowcases: The big guide and recommendation for pillowcases

by Lotte Lindgren on Sep 03, 2022

Excellent Based on 3249 reviews
Dorthe Kristensen

Read through by Dorthe Kristensen

Hairdresser and former co-owner of the award-winning hairdressing chain Zoom by Zoom
With many years of experience in the hairdressing industry, Dorthe has advised many customers about hair and hair care. Dorthe has read through this blog entry to ensure high quality and professionalism. This blog post is professionally updated on September 18, 2024.

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Protect your hair when you sleep: Choose the right pillowcase and protect your hair

You may not know it, but your choice of pillow cover is actually very important. It does not matter whether your pillow cover is made of cotton, bamboo, satin or silk. The materials are all different, and therefore they also affect your skin and hair very differently. So there are clear advantages to choosing a cushion cover in bamboo, satin or silk.
So yes, it is wise to replace your cotton cover. But what should you choose? If you are in doubt, read along here and learn more about the advantages of the different materials. Finally, we also give you our personal recommendations and explain why it is our favorite.

Why is a cotton pillowcase not good?

The reason cotton covers are not good for you is that they have a rough surface. This is because these pillow covers, as the name indicates, are made of cotton – and often in a mixture with polyester. When the materials are rough, it helps to create friction between you and your pillow. In other words, this could be the whole reason why you wake up with frizzy hair - precisely because it gets worn when you turn and turn on the pillow.

In addition, cotton also has an ability to absorb moisture. And it's not good - neither for your skin nor your hair. Because when you sleep, your pillowcase can absorb the natural moisture from your hair and skin. This can help your cotton cover to dry out. How boring isn't it?

You can avoid all of this if you e.g. switch to either a bamboo, satin or silk pillowcase.

What do bamboo, satin and silk do for the hair?

Are there any real benefits to replacing your regular cotton pillowcase? Yes it is there! And we're almost certain you'll never go back once you've experienced the benefits of either a bamboo, satin or silk cover.

The reason these materials are gentler on your hair and skin is that they have a much smoother surface. This therefore means that skin and hair can move much more effortlessly when you turn and turn on the pillow. At night, you won't create nearly as much friction. By switching from a cotton pillowcase, you wear out your hair less at night. In this way, you avoid that you have large and frizzy hair. And it actually means that your hair stays in style for longer – smart, right?

Bamboo and silk pillowcases also have the effect of not absorbing the skin and hair fruit. This is especially relevant for people with either curls/texture or damaged hair. Because these hair types in particular often lack fruit and tend to look dry. A bamboo or silk pillowcase can therefore help the hair retain its natural amount of moisture. One must not forget that moisture is the way to strong and healthy hair.

Det er vigtigt at håret har det godt når du sover

Does everyone experience a positive effect from changing pillowcases?

Yes, everyone will be able to experience the positive effect of replacing the cotton cover - without a doubt! However, there are also some who will clearly experience more benefits.

Problems with allergies

As an allergy sufferer, you will find that you have a much lower risk of allergy attacks when you use either a bamboo or silk pillowcase. This is because both materials are hypoallergenic. House dust mites are prevented from settling in the cushions. If you suffer from allergies, a bamboo or silk pillowcase is therefore a good idea.

Problems with dry skin

If you experience dry skin, then the bamboo or silk cover will be just the thing for you. Both materials help to maintain both the skin and the skin of the hair. This means that your skin and hair will not dry out at night.

Problems with sensitive skin

If your skin is sensitive, it might also be an idea to try either a bamboo, satin or silk pillowcase. All three materials have a nice, smooth surface, which means that less friction is created when you turn on the pillow. And it helps that yours doesn't get irritated and red.

Do you have hair with structure – curls or waves?

You probably know all about frizzy hair and how annoying it is. But you can avoid this recurring battle by using either a bamboo, satin or silk pillowcase. The pillowcase is not only important for how your hair looks in the morning – it actually also helps to improve the general state of health of the hair.
Within the Curly Girl method, sleeping with bamboo or silk pillowcases is recommended. You can read more about Curly Girl here

Bamboo, satin or silk: Which fabric is best?

By now you have surely understood that there are a lot of benefits to be had if you switch to either a bamboo, satin or silk pillowcase. We will now go one step further and tell you the advantages and disadvantages of each of the three materials.

Bambus, sating eller bomulds pudebetræk, hvad er bedst?

Bamboo pillow cover

Bamboo is a sustainable material, as you harvest the fast-growing plant. The special thing about the bamboo plant is that it is said to grow up to 91 centimeters in one day – wild!

Using the bamboo pillow cover has the following advantages:

  • The material itself is soft as butter and incredibly delicious, which is why the material is actually sometimes compared to e.g. cashmere. And because of the material's surface, the hair does not frizz or tangle when you sleep.
  • Bamboo does not steal moisture from your skin and hair and reduces the spread of house dust mites. Bamboo is a hypoallergenic material.
  • A bamboo cushion cover always gives a nice and cooling effect. The material makes it possible to breathe.
  • You can easily and easily wash your pillow cover many times. Bamboo is a very hard-wearing material, and it therefore withstands machine waxing. Even after several washes, your bamboo cushion cover still looks new and delicious.
  • Bamboo is a material that is both antibacterial and antifungal. This also means that the pillow will not start to smell over time either.

Bamboo is thus a very good alternative to e.g. silk as it has somewhat the same luxurious feel. The difference is that the bamboo cushion cover does not have an equally smooth surface. But that is not necessarily a bad thing – quite the contrary. In fact, for some it may be an advantage that the pillow cover is not so smooth. In this way, you avoid sliding around on the pillow.

Silk pillowcases

It is a complicated process to make silk, as it comes from the cocoons that the silkworms produce. In fact, it takes around 2,500 silkworms to create just half a kilo of silk.

Using the bamboo pillow cover has the following advantages:

  • As mentioned, the silk has an incredibly smooth surface. Friction is therefore not created when you turn on the pillow, and therefore you do not wake up with frizzy hair.
  • It is no surprise that silk is a particularly delicious material. Silk has for many years been a highly sought-after material.
  • House dust mites don't like silk, so you can have your bed all to yourself. Therefore, silk is an allergy-friendly material.
  • Like bamboo, silk is also an antibacterial material, which, among other things, is a huge advantage for those who, e.g. suffering with an appeal.

However, there are also some disadvantages to silk pillowcases:

  • As mentioned, it is a complicated process to make silk, and for that reason it is relatively expensive to produce silk pillowcases – unlike e.g. bamboo pillowcase.
  • A silk pillowcase should not be put in the washing machine. It is recommended that silk should be cleaned if it is to be able to stay nice. It can all become an expensive and difficult deal, when it is also recommended that you should change the bed covers once a week.
  • Silk is a material with a dense weave, and this means that there is not a very good air flow through the pillow. This can result in the pillow feeling warm.
  • When you harvest silk, you kill silkworms at the same time. For that reason, this pillow cover will not be suitable for e.g. vegans or people with an interest in animal welfare.

Satin pillowcase

Satin is actually a material that both resembles and reminds of silk. The main difference is that satin, as opposed to silk, is a material created by us humans. It is therefore a synthetic material made from polyester and rayon.

Using the bamboo pillow cover has the following advantages:

  • Since, as mentioned, satin is a synthetic material, it is not nearly as expensive to produce as e.g. silk.
  • Satin, like bamboo and silk, also has a smooth and luxurious surface, which means that no friction is created when you turn on the pillow.

However, there are also some disadvantages to silk pillowcases:

  • Although satin may resemble bamboo and silk, satin is neither antibacterial nor antifungal.
  • Satin is also not hypoallergenic.

Which pillow cover is best?

If you ask us, the benefits of either a bamboo or silk pillowcase are far greater than a satin pillowcase. While bamboo is a newer player in the market, silk has been the most popular and preferred for a long time. But a huge difference between the two materials is that the production of bamboo cushion covers is far more sustainable than the production of silk. And precisely this is also one of the reasons why the bamboo material has become so popular today. Today you can buy a wide range of products made from bamboo – you will find everything from underwear and stockings to clothes and bed covers.

Woman sleeps on bamboo pillowcase

Our verdict: That's why you should choose bamboo, not silk

There is no doubt that both bamboo and silk pillowcases work wonders for both skin and hair. But if we absolutely have to choose a favourite, it is the bamboo cushion cover.

Here are 3 reasons why we recommend bamboo over silk:

  1. The price. Bamboo and silk pillowcases have many of the same benefits, but the price is not the same. A bamboo cushion cover is often cheaper, and this is because bamboo is a fast-growing material. It is therefore easier and cheaper to produce. With a bamboo cushion cover, you get the feeling of silk just for less money.
  2. Maintenance. A bamboo pillowcase, unlike a silk pillowcase, can be put in the washing machine when it needs to be changed. When you choose bamboo over silk, you avoid having to send the pillowcase to be cleaned. In addition, you can also easily stain treat bamboo. And in general, bamboo is just more durable than silk.
  3. Breathable. Bamboo does not have as dense a weave as silk, and therefore bamboo is a more breathable material. Your bamboo pillow cover will thus have a cooling effect.

You will find our bamboo cushion covers right here.

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