What’s the Best Silk Pillowcase? We Put 8 To the Test (Including a $26 Must-See)
You’ve heard that silk pillowcases are the secret to a good hair day. And that the slippery fabric prevents you from waking up with pillowcase creases on your face. And that, because they’re lightweight and breathable, many dermatologists say they’re ideal for people with sensitive skin. It’s like they’re…“the greatest invention of all time,” to quote devotee Sophie Turner. But could they really live up to all that hype, especially when you consider that many cost $50 or more…for a single pillowcase? And if so, what’s the best one for your needs?
We put the top brands to the test, soon uncovering that the top brands tend to have a couple things in common. First, they’re made of 100 percent silk—often Mulberry silk, which tends to be softer. Second, they’re at least a 19 on the momme scale, which measures the weight and density of the silk (basically, it’s the silk equivalent of thread count). The higher the number, the denser and more luxurious the silk felt. These eight silk pillowcases exceeded our expectations, making converts out of all of our testers.
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The Best Silk Pillowcases at a Glance:
Best for Fine Hair: Blissy
Best for Curly Hair: Slip
Best Value: Mellanni
Most Luxe: Brooklinen
Best for Hot Sleepers: Silken Pure
Best Variety: Celestial Silk
Best for Damaged Hair: More Sundays
Best for Light Sleepers: Lunya
1. Blissy
Best for Fine Hair
Value: 16/20
Functionality: 18/20
Ease of Use: 20/20
Aesthetics: 20/20
Frizz-Free, Morning-After Hair: 20/20
TOTAL: 94/100
For fine, straight hair, frizz isn’t as much of an issue—it’s hair that’s so delicate it snags and breaks when you toss and turn at night, leaving you with a few too many baby hairs. I went through four different silk pillowcases, and they were all fine...but Blissy proved to be a gamechanger for me. When I woke up in the morning, my hair was smooth, tangle-free and—believe it or not—had actual volume at the roots. Like visible lift and volume, without any product, which I’ve genuinely never experienced before. It’s made out of Mulberry silk and it’s 22 momme, so it’s more durable (which is a plus, because it’s the only pillowcase that the down feathers in my pillow won’t poke through). My one con was the price—on sale, it’s competitive with most of the brands out there, but still, $70 for a pillowcase feels like an investment.
2. Slip
Best for Curly Hair
Value: 15/20
Functionality: 19/20
Ease of Use: 19/20
Aesthetics: 18/20
Frizz-Free, Morning-After Hair: 18/20
TOTAL: 89/100
Recommended for normal or coarse hair, Slip’s pure silk pillowcase received a rave review from one of our testers for how frizz-free it made her curls each morning. (On the flip side, a tester with straight hair noted that the pillowcase was so incredibly sleek that it kept slipping off her bed each night.) But after trying several silk and satin pillowcases, our resident curl queen, Chelsea Candelario, deemed Slip her favorite, but not just because of how her hair looked the next day. “I love how smooth the pillowcase felt on my hair and skin,” she told us. “It's really good quality, plus the gold color really makes me feel luxurious.” Due to the steep price point ($89), she’s committed to handwashing hers, just to ensure it lasts longer.
3. Mellanni
Best Value
Value: 20/20
Functionality: 17/20
Ease of Use: 20/20
Aesthetics: 17/20
Frizz-Free, Morning-After Hair: 16/20
TOTAL: 90/100
For the same price of almost any pillowcases on this list, you could secure two or three from Mellanni on Amazon. The company’s gained a devoted following online for its bedsheets, which boast more than 55,000 five-star reviews, but its 100 percent Mulberry silk pillowcases are worth a closer look, too. They’re available in nine colors and five sizes, and they left our faces crease-free and hair frizz-free every morning we slept on them. They certainly don’t have the same luxe feeling as the higher end options and admittedly, my fine hair didn’t get quite the volume boost, but they’re a very budget-friendly way to try out the trend.
4. Brooklinen
Most Luxe
Value: 19/20
Functionality: 17/20
Ease of Use: 20/20
Aesthetics: 18/20
Frizz-Free, Morning-After Hair: 17/20
TOTAL: 91/100
Like many of our top picks, this pillowcase is made from 100 percent Mulberry silk, which is considered “silk’s equivalent of Egyptian cotton.” (FYI, it also means Broolinen’s silkworms were fed exclusively mulberry leaves.) This made for a friction-free pillow that resulted in tangle-free mornings for our tester. But what really elevated this pillow to luxury status was its muted colorways and sophisticated sheen. Often, a silk pillowcase is hidden away once you’ve made your bed—this was one we wanted to show off (especially the dove grey).
5. Silken Pure
Best for Hot Sleepers
Value: 16/20
Functionality: 16/20
Ease of Use: 20/20
Aesthetics: 19/20
Frizz-Free, Morning-After Hair: 16/20
TOTAL: 87/100
Made of 22-momme Mulberry Silk, Silken Pure’s pillowcase checks off the two main boxes we look for in bedding: durability and softness. The quality was obvious, as the fabric felt slick to the touch and didn’t wrinkle easily. And while we didn’t notice too much of a difference in our hair overall, the pillowcase was breathable, so we never woke up with night sweats (even on late summer nights). Particularly when combined with a silk eye mask, this pillowcase felt transporting—an easy upgrade to make your bed feel more like a stay at a five-star hotel.
6. Celestial Silk
Best Variety
Value: 18/20
Functionality: 20/20
Ease of Use: 20/20
Aesthetics: 18/20
Frizz-Free, Morning-After Hair: 17/20
TOTAL: 93/100
When it comes to silk pillowcases, Celestial Silk is an overachiever. At $36, the price point is lower than the competition, yet the weight of the silk clocks in at 25 momme (well above the recommended 19 momme), making it extra durable. But what really impressed us were the range of options available: The pillowcase is offered in three sizes and 20 different colors. Oh, and two closure choices—a zippered finish, so the pillow doesn’t slip out, and a traditional envelope-style. Will you jump on a couch à la Tom Cruise circa 2005, over how your hair and skin feels the next morning? Probably not—our tester didn’t notice a major change on either front, but she did enjoy sleeping on it.
7. More Sunday
Best for Damage-Prone Hair
Value: 15/20
Functionality: 17/20
Ease of Use: 20/20
Aesthetics: 15/20
Frizz-Free, Morning-After Hair: 18/20
TOTAL: 85/100
If your hair is prone to breakage, a silk pillowcase can be a gamechanger. Our tester’s hairstylist has been trying to get her to use one for years, but it wasn’t until she tried More Sunday’s model that she saw the value in it. “I never thought it’d make a big enough difference to justify the cost,” Melodene B. told us. Her mind was changed after trying out the 19-momme, 100 percent Mulberry silk pillowcase for two months, noting that her hair seemed smoother and held a curl better after just a few days’ use. The only downside, she noted, was that the pillowcase wrinkled easily.
8. Lunya
Best for Light Sleepers
Value: 16/20
Functionality: 18/20
Ease of Use: 20/20
Aesthetics: 17/20
Frizz-Free, Morning-After Hair: 18/20
TOTAL: 89/100
One of the biggest complaints we heard about silk pillowcases was how easy it was to slip off them as you slept, particularly if you tend to toss and turn. That can cause you to wake up throughout the night and no matter how frizz-free your hair is the next day, losing zzz’s is never worth it. Lunya’s washable silk pillowcase is 100 percent silk on one side, 100 percent woven cotton on the other, so the pillow doesn’t move around as easily. Plus, when you make your bed in the morning, you can flip over the cotton side and have it seamlessly blend in with the rest of your bedding.
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