Throughout the history of humanity, many have tried to find the fountain of youth that would provide them with the elixir of life to cure all sorts of ills and provide eternal youth. Various alchemists from various cultures have tried to no avail to get the perfect formula, failing to see we already have the next best thing: sleep.
Go a day without sleep, and you’d realise how detrimental lacking the z’s can be to one’s health, well-being, and beauty. Given that it’s this state that’s responsible for repairing the damages from the day on a cellular level, boosting the memory, and providing the needed rest from stress, it’s safe to say a night of poor sleep is bad for both body and mind.
And then, there’s the fact sleep is essential for your beauty too. It’s pretty simple: deprive your skin of sleep frequently, and you can get to see the effects of the ageing process much faster than expected. This is true both beneath and on the surface. Want to look and feel your best? Easy – ensure you get the needed beauty sleep every night!
One ingredient that sweet dreams are made of is quality bedding, and if you truly want to treat yourself properly then grade A silk bedding is the way to go. The beautiful natural and healthy sheen, the high quality, and the incredible strength and durability are all reasons enough to invest in such bed essentials.
Is Silk a Good Material for Bedding?
You may have heard that silk is a rather pricey material and are in doubt as to whether or not it’s that big of a deal and worth the hype. Well, let me tell you there’s so much more to it than meets the eye, and you’d be surprised to see the prices are becoming more affordable than ever, especially if you opt for one of the sets that come with basics like fitted sheets and pillowcases.
Money and offers aside, the material is more than welcome in the bedroom because it’s natural and still produced practically the same way it was produced for centuries – with thousands of silkworms responsible for making the luxurious silk fibres with their signature softness. Some of the strengths of silk bedding are thermoregulating (so long night sweats and hot sleep), hypoallergenic (bye-bye allergies), breathable, and long-lasting properties.
Of course, we can’t overlook the role of beauty sleep either, specifically in boosting the health of the hair and skin. Because of the tight weaving of the fibres, the fabric can preserve the moisture of your precious locks and your skin, keeping them well hydrated, plumper, and rid of tangles and wrinkles. It’s no surprise beauty experts and influencers alike swear by their silk pillowcases and sheets when putting bad hair days, skin creases and wrinkles to a halt.
If you suffer from skin conditions like rosacea, eczema, or skin sensitivities, and are prone to flare-ups from anything and everything, keep in mind the silk contains natural amino acids that can assist with skin repair, besides reducing friction and irritation. Moreover, if your bedtime beauty care routine consists of applying hair oils, masks, or face creams, rest assured they won’t end up on the bedding but would work their wonder as they should.
With this thought in mind, this little bit of luxury goes a long way as what you invest in sets of silk bed sheets would more than pay off in terms of your rest and youthful appearance. Yes, you can save up by entirely giving up on beauty procedures, like adding fillers or undergoing painful invasive treatments (e.g. microdermabrasion, microneedling) or at least postponing them indefinitely.
How to Choose Silk Bed Sheets?
With so many varieties of sets of silk bedding containing all sorts of essential pieces, from flat and fitted sheets and pillowcases to duvet covers, ranging in price as much as weights, it can be confusing to carry on with shopping. As your budget, sleep and beauty are at stake, you want to make it right by considering more than the aesthetics like size, colour and shine. Remember to look into:
Weight
Much like cotton with the thread counts, silk can be found in different weights known as momme (abbr. mm) which is pronounced mummy, with the higher the number, the heavier, the thicker, and the better the quality. It all comes at a cost, however, so remember this on your next shopping spree to avoid overspending. Options lighter than 20 mm are considered lightweight, those up to 28 as mid-weight, and those above this as heavyweight. Usually, bedding ranges between 12 and 30 mm.
Grade
This too is an indicator of quality, with the optimal being a luxurious grade A silk bedding set made from the highest quality long-strand cocoon silk. The other grades are B and C, and while still silk, they may not come with the purity and beautiful natural pearl-like shine of fine grade A. In terms of A itself, there are also distinctions, from 1 to 6 respectively, with 6 being the best option. This too comes at a price, but can you put a price on a good night’s sleep is the question to ask here.
Labels
If you want to avoid being scammed when shopping online, or even in-store, stay away from anything that isn’t labelled as 100% silk. When there’s no such indication, it means the product could be made from man-made synthetics like satin and polyester. Just because the fabric itself is of quality and beneficial for your health and well-being doesn’t mean nasty ingredients can’t crawl into your bed in the form of harmful chemicals and toxins. To be certain you’re not buying anything of the sort, look for silk sets with the OEKO-TEX certification too.
Cultivation and Manufacture
Once you find the real deal of sheets, pillowcases, covers, or silk comforter top-notch options, there’s another distinction to be aware of – that of how they’re cultivated and manufactured. Mulberry silk is the most luxurious you can find because it’s made from silkworms that feed on the Mulberry plant exclusively. Charmeuse silk is another common choice, shiny, smooth, and lustrous on one side, and harder and matte on the other.
For those questioning the ethics behind the age-old production of silk, which consists of killing the silkworms in the process, there’s now a third option too, known for the humane manufacture that doesn’t consist of the killing bit. This results in somewhat shorter strands of the fabric, but they can be woven together to make longer strands like those of mulberry.
Care
The fabric may be durable, however, to ensure you truly make the most of the durable property, it’s a no-brainer there’s some level of care required. While that’s a guarantee, you probably don’t want to spend a great deal of time on chores when you can on catching the precious z’s, so you need to check for easy-care silk sets that are machine-washable. If you do happen to get those you wash by hand, at least make sure they don’t require much ironing – even on low heat.
