Silk is 100% natural and hypoallergenic - and the Chinese have known for Centuries the health benefits of sleeping on Silk as Silk is the nearest thing to human skin known to man - it contains a natural protein and 18 essential amino acids - Studies show amino acids can counter the effects of aging especially in the facial skin and can help calm the nervous system.
Top Skin Specialists recommend Silk Pillowcases.
Silk also contains natural cellular albumen, which helps speed up metabolism of skin cells - thus helping to reduce signs of aging.
Silk is a natural heat regulator An all-climate fabric, silk is warm and cozy in winter and comfortably cool when temperatures rise. It's natural temperature-regulating properties give silk this paradoxical ability to cool and warm simultaneously. Silk garments thus outperform other fabrics in both summer and winter.
Silk is naturally hypoallergenic making it a must for allergy sufferers especially eczema - helping sensitive, dry or itchy skin - that's why babies and children would benefit from Silk by avoiding exposure to allergens - and aiding restful sleep. Silk is also inhospitable to dust mites - and naturally fire retardant.
Silk will not absorb natural moisture from your face and hair, or facial beauty creams while you sleep, unlike cotton, which is an absorbent fiber and draws moisture.
Sleeping on Silk can help prevent thinning of the hair. Cotton causes more friction disrupting hair follicles as we move in our sleep leading to hair breakage and split ends. Because of its weave Mulberry Silk Pillowcases will prevent hair from tangling as we move in our sleep, they will also help keep our hairstyle.
Why is thread count not used when talking about silk? Silk is an incredibly fine thread to begin with, and thread counts would be extremely high, regardless of the quality of the silk. So for example, a low-quality silk may have a similarly high thread count to a high-quality silk. For this reason, silk uses an alternative system to measure quality, called momme weight.
What is Mulberry Silk?
Mulberry silk is the highest quality silk you can purchase. It is also the most expensive type of silk.
The unique thing about Mulberry silk is how it is produced. It has its history in China, where local farmers grow mulberry leaves for silkworms to feed on.
Silk is made from the Bombyx Mori moth, which is blind and flightless.
Newly hatched silkworm multiplies its weight by 10,000 within a month and sheds about 4 times.
30,000 silkworms will eat a ton of mulberry leaves to produce approximately 12 pounds of raw silk.
5,500 silkworms are required to produce 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of raw silk.
200 pounds of mulberry leaves are needed to produce 1 pound of raw silk.
It takes a silkworm 3 - 4 days to spin a cocoon around itself.
Each silk filament is 600-900 meters (1,970 - 2,950 ft) long.
2,500 - 3,000 cocoon are used in making just one yard of woven silk fabric.
It takes about 110 cocoon to make a tie, about 630 cocoon to make a blouse, and about 12,000 R&S to make a silk-filled comforter to make a blouse, and about 12,000 cocoon to make a silk-filled comforter.
What is momme weight? In simplest terms, momme weight describes the weight of 100 yards of silk, 45 inches wide, in pounds. So, if a fabric is listed with a momme weight of 8mm, it means that 100 yards of the fabric weighs 8 pounds. Many silk dresses and other silk clothing items will be around 8mm in weight. Higher quality silks tend to be 14, 15 or 16mm or higher.
What is the range of momme weight available? Silk generally falls into a range of 6 momme on the lower side to a maximum weight of 30 momme. For bedding, silk with a 19 momme weight is generally considered to provide the best balance of strength, aesthetics and affordability.
Does momme weight affect the opacity of silk? While a higher momme weight silk will be more opaque than a lower momme weight silk, silk in general is a semi-transparent fabric. When deciding on color, remember that dyed silk will be more opaque as the dye will stop light from passing through the fabric, while white silk will be less opaque. However, many people enjoy white silk for its classic look and ability to match with many different types of bedding.