Let’s explore the key differences of bamboo vs silk pillowcases – two great fabrics you may be considering as a pillowcase upgrade for improved beauty sleep. Learn about the benefits of both materials and discover why bamboo fiber is the superior choice for its temperature regulation, ethical and environmentally friendly properties, and gentleness for hair and skin. Explore and shop BedVoyage Bamboo Pillowcases and make the switch to bamboo today!
What are Bamboo Pillowcases?
Let’s start by describing what bamboo fabric is in case you’re not familiar or haven’t had the pleasure of feeling it. BedVoyage uses the Moso species of bamboo in the production of our bamboo textiles. The bamboo is farm-raised, which means no natural bamboo forests are harvested in the production of our fabrics, and it’s not the favorite bamboo for pandas to eat! Moso bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants (it’s actually classified as a grass) on the planet. You can actually watch it grow up to 3’ per day!
Bamboo needs no pesticides or fertilizers while growing because it has its own natural anti-pest properties. When harvested, it’s simply cut above the roots and allowed to regrow. Additionally, the extensive root system acts as a soil-conservation tool because rain will soak into the ground vs wash away the topsoil. For all these reasons, bamboo is a very eco-friendly and sustainable plant in which BedVoyage feels proud to offer as an alternative to cotton!
BedVoyage weaves our linens at 300 thread count with a tight twill weave. This thread count is considered the ‘sweet spot’ for breathability and feel. The twill weave is what keeps our linens free from pilling, so your pillowcases stay smooth for years. Sateen weaves may feel super slippery smooth for a few months, but once you wash them a handful of times, they start to degrade and pill which does not feel good against your skin.
What are Silk Pillowcases?
The main difference between bamboo vs silk pillowcases is that silk pillowcases are made from an animal-product and bamboo pillowcases are made from a plant product. Silk is mainly produced by the Bombyx mori silk moth’s larva. Silk can also be obtained by bees, beetles, ants and flies, but most textiles are made from the silk moth. The process starts with cultivating silkworms on mulberry leaves. The female lays the eggs, which become larva and then they enclose themselves in a cocoon of raw silk. If they don’t kill the larva its enzymes may destroy the silk, so they boil the cocoons to extract the silk, and in the process the larva dies. Each cocoon produces about 3,000 feet of silk threads.
This silk is then prepared by first immersing in water to find the end of the filament. The unwound filaments from multiple cocoons are combined to make the threads. The silk threads are then dyed and woven to create the textiles. Note: silk does feel great against the skin, but there are organizations whom protest that this process is unethical as they boil the larva alive to extract the silk from their cocoon.
Hypoallergenic Properties:
The word hypoallergenic is often misunderstood, many people mistakenly think it means no-chemicals are used in the making of the product. But it actually means ‘non-abrasive to skin’ or ‘gentle to skin’. BedVoyage bamboo pillowcases are indeed hypoallergenic, as the spun fibers are very round and smooth, so they don’t create any friction when the fabric glides across your skin or face.
Temperature Regulating:
We like to call our bamboo pillowcases a Smart Fabric because the micro-gaps and holes in the fibers actually allow heat to release when you get hot, and warmth to stay in when you’re cold. A more technical name is thermal-regulating or temperature-regulating pillowcases.
Gentle for Hair:
If you’ve ever slept on scratchy cotton pillowcases and woke with your hair a mess, that’s because the cotton pillowcase caused friction to your hair. We assume most people want to prevent hair breakage, not cause it. If you looked under a microscope at cotton threads they’d look like a hemp rope, all frayed and scratchy. But again, bamboo fibers are smooth and round, so you wake with your hair much smoother. If you want to sleep your way to better hair and skin, because you have delicate, brittle or thinning hair; you’ll find that a bamboo pillowcase is much gentler and kinder to your hair!
Soothing for Skin:
You know those creases you get on your face when you’ve slept hard, and they can take an hour or more to smooth out? That doesn’t happen with bamboo pillowcases! Additionally, if you have acne prone skin or suffer from eczema or psoriasis, bamboo is much more soothing to your skin. Some dermatologists recommend bamboo pillowcases over cotton so that you aren’t unnecessarily aggravating your already sensitive skin.
Durable and Long Lasting:
We call the tight twill weave of BedVoyage bamboo pillowcases EnduraWeave, as it’s our signature weave that very few other bamboo companies use. It’s more costly and time-consuming to make our natural fibers special weave, but we truly want only the best for our customers. You can expect to get 4-7 years’ use from our pillowcases because we went the extra mile to ensure they won’t pill, they won’t fray, they will stay smooth and gentle for years. You are buying true quality when you buy BedVoyage!
Vegan Fabrics and Environmentally Friendly:
As we noted before, no animal products are used in the making of our linens, nor is there any animal testing. We don’t get our bamboo from forests, it’s all farm-raised specifically for textiles. Pandas are not harmed in any way, they don’t like Moso bamboo, and we are not disrupting their natural habitat.
Benefits and Drawbacks to Silk Pillowcases:
Silk pillowcases have some of the same benefits, so when you look at bamboo vs silk pillowcases you may see many commonalities and benefits. Both are gentle to skin and hair, breathable and cooling. But there are some silk pillowcase drawbacks. Silk is created by silk moths which can involve ethical and environmental concerns
- Silk pillowcases can be very expensive
- Silk bedding is harder to care for, they are recommended to be hand-washed with gentle detergents
- Silk is very delicate, it can tear easily
- Silk pillowcases are colder to the touch than bamboo
- Silk fades when exposed to sunlight
Why Choose Bamboo Pillowcases?
If you are looking to upgrade your pillowcase and get better beauty sleep, and prevent friction, you’ll wake with less bedhead and creases on your face! Maybe you’re going to upgrade all your bedding and if so; you’ll be so pleasantly surprised by how bamboo fabrics improve your sleep by keeping you cooler, feeling great against your skin, and keeping your face and skin smoother. Also, you can feel good that you’re sleeping on fabrics made from one of the most renewable and sustainable resources on the planet!
Shop Bamboo Pillowcases at BedVoyage, as well as our Bamboo Bed Sheets, Bamboo Coverlets, Bamboo Duvet Covers and Bamboo Towels. Make the switch today to fabrics that make you feel good, and help you sleep better!
FAQ
Are bamboo or silk pillowcases better for curly, wavy or textured hair?
They will both work well for all hair types, but bamboo fiber pillowcases have a smooth texture that may cause less hair breakage and are easier to care for, they can be tossed right in the washing machine and the dryer and are less expensive.
What’s the difference between mélange pillowcases and 100% bamboo pillowcases?
BedVoyage carries two lines of bamboo bedding, our ‘Lux’ line which is our highest quality and price, and our Melange bedding line which is a blend of 50% bamboo and 50% cotton. The Lux line is more cooling, silkier, and more breathable. But our mélange line has cotton in it for those that are just simply more comfortable with cotton, mélange pillowcases are a bit cozier and comfier while the Lux line is more soothing to your hair and skin.
Is bamboo or silk better for dust mites?
Both fabrics can claim that they help with dust mites, but really what they do is keep dust mite droppings away from your skin, which is what often causes allergic or asthmatic reactions. Bamboo fiber has an inherent quality called Bamboo ZhuKun which means ‘naturally pest repellent’, which is why it needs no pesticides in the growing of it.
Are bamboo or silk pillowcases easier to wash or care for?
Definitely bamboo pillowcases are more easy-care than silk. Again, silk is recommended to be washed in a sink or laundry tub, with gentle detergent, due to its more delicate nature. It can be washed in the machine, but requires a mesh bag and very gentle detergents. Bamboo is easier to care for as it needs no special care. We do recommend a gentle liquid detergent as any detergent that says ‘gets grass stains out of your jeans’ is going to be much too harsh for bamboo, you want them to remain soft and smooth so they last longer.
What are you waiting for? Jump in and try out BedVoyage Bamboo Pillowcases today!
