Ciao -
Hello from another episode of Daily Rituals, and another self care hack I swear by - silk pillowcases! Don’t worry, I’m not talking Persian silk straight from the worm that will cost an arm and a leg. Actually, good ole Amazon has an abundance of (close enough) ‘silk’ pillowcases for all likings. I’m pretty boujee myself, and an Amazon silk pillowcase works great for me.
I am a firm believer in that the bedroom should be a place of comfort, safety, deep sleep for healing, and your own little sanctuary. Your favorite color scheme, your favorite kind of lighting, decorations that speak to you, a bed so comfy and cosy you look forward to it - a little escape from the craziness of the day. The beauty of Amazon is there are hundreds and colors of patterns of these faux silk pillowcases for really decent prices, so you can buy one that perfectly fits your style!
Besides adding to the ascetics and boujee-ness of the room, there are many benefits that come from this easy pillowcase swap, especially for my curly or textured hair friends. Silk, or close enough to silk in our case, is a very smooth, soft, and gentle fabric. Hair of all lengths, textures, and styles benefit from using a silk pillowcase because of the way that it does not pull and rub against the hair shafts, causing breakage and frizz. In the same way a cotton towel after washing your hair is a big no no because of hair pulling and abrasiveness, a cotton pillowcase has the same vibe. My curly haired friends - if you know, you know. The frizz is real.
Even when traveling for college volleyball and sleeping on cotton pillowcases in the hotels a few nights a week, I noticed a huge increase in frizz and dryer hair faster rather than when sleeping on my silk pillowcase every night. It really made a big difference in hair health when I began to travel with the silk pillowcase as well.
While a silk pillowcase is a must for curly hair and a benefit for all hair types, it is also a big plus for the delicate skin on our faces. Cotton, especially when worn out, can be very abrasive and rough on the skin, causing issues like dryness or increasing issues like acne and inflammation. If you’re like me, tossing and turning all night, the silk is much gentler and smoother and in the long run is a much skin friendlier option. Cotton is also very absorptive, which over the course of the night can absorb your skin products that are meant to stay on your face. Faux silk, being a thin and delicate fabric, is more hygienic than cotton as being much quicker to dry it naturally holds less moisture and bacteria from a night of sleeping.
If you sleep an average of 7 hours a night, over a year time period, that’s 2,555 hours of sleep! Wouldn't it be better to have a gentle pillowcase for both your skin and your hair? The goal for this Daily Rituals section is to share ideas so you can find ones that work for you to incorporate, daily, into your routines to increase quality of life and wellness. Maybe a faux silk pillowcase from Amazon can be your new thing.
Food for thought,
Lai