Are silk pillowcases really good for your skin and hair?(1)

A good night's sleep. When you can barely sleep most nights, it sounds more like a fairy tale than an attainable reality. Overnight beauty products claim to do double duty while you sleep, helping you fake those eight hours, and silk pillowcases are touted for serious beauty benefits like reducing wrinkles, split ends and frizz. But can silk bedding really make your skin smoother and your hair more beautiful?

In short, yes - silk pillowcases do make a difference. After we tested the best silk pillowcases at the Good Housekeeping Institute Textile Lab, many of our editors began sleeping on the luxurious beds and now swear by silk pillowcases, with one saying, "I realized that my cheap pillowcases were the real reason for my bad hair."

That said, silk pillowcases are not a panacea for all your beauty problems.

Top questions about silk pillowcases

1. Do silk pillowcases prevent wrinkles?

Believe it or not, they can! Schultz says that the "smooth surface and minimal friction" means less pulling on the skin compared to traditional cotton pillowcases." We get 'compression wrinkles' when we sleep on our sides/faces, so we may have fewer of those wrinkles when we sleep on silk." Studies have shown that the friction of tossing and turning can cause wrinkles in the skin, but in the long run, a silky smooth surface can reduce this effect.

2. Do silk pillowcases prevent hair from curling?

Yes! Because of the super smooth texture of silk, there is no friction when your hair glides over it, which means you are less likely to wake up with frizzy hair, tangles or bedheads that cotton would trap overnight and turn into a nest of tangles. Sleeping on silk is a secret that women with textured and curly hair have been using for years to keep styles like braids and blowouts preserved for longer without adding frizz.

3. Do silk pillowcases keep skin hydrated?

Due to this super smooth texture, this is actually true. The smoothness of silk "means it's less likely to absorb moisture from the skin," says Schultz, and it keeps the skin well hydrated without depriving it of precious moisture. This makes silk pillowcases ideal for people with dry skin (or for use in dry winter months).