Wondering why your skin still seems to look dull, tired, congested, and creased in the mornings, despite the fact that you put your very best efforts into your evening skincare routine?
While you may find yourself blaming your skincare products, the answer could be far more unexpected…
Your pillowcase could be having a much greater impact on your skin than you realize, and this could be what’s responsible for the skin problems you face each morning. Keep reading as Venofye explains exactly what your pillowcase could be doing to your skin, along with how to pick the best skincare pillowcase to snooze on each night.
What’s Your Pillowcase Made From?
Take a look at the label tucked inside your pillowcase to see what it’s made from. There’s a good chance that it primarily consists of cotton. While cotton may be a classic material choice for pillowcases, this is also where the problem lies…
Absorbency
Cotton, along with other materials that have a similar ‘feel’, is known for being highly absorbent. People assume that this is good because it means that cotton will wick away sweat and moisture from your skin. However, while excess sweat isn’t ideal, moisture is something that your skin needs plenty of. If your pillowcase is pulling moisture from your skin for several hours while you sleep each night, it’s hardly surprising that your skin feels dehydrated in the mornings.
It’s not just moisture that a cotton pillowcase absorbs each night, either. From your antioxidant serum to your hydrating night cream, any skincare products that you’ve applied to your skin before hitting the sack will also soak into a cotton pillowcase. This means that there’ll be less product available to your skin cells, preventing your evening skincare routine from working as efficiently as it could.
Clogged Pores and Acne
What happens to the oil that your pillowcase soaks up each night? Some of it absorbs right through and ends up on the pillow within, but some of it will find its way back onto your skin. Move your head even slightly, and you’ll be smearing oil from your face to your pillowcase, and back again. Transferring oil from one part of your face to another can quickly lead to clogged pores in areas that aren’t usually overly oily, resulting in breakouts.
If you’re already dealing with acne, it’s not just the oil on your pillowcase that you need to worry about. Cotton is also known for trapping bacteria. It will absorb and retain these bacteria, some of which will end up on your face again. This spreads acne-causing bacteria around the skin, significantly exacerbating breakouts.
Sleep Wrinkles
Have you ever woken up to find that your pillowcase has caused creases to appear on your face? This is primarily down to the friction that’s created when cotton rubs against the skin. While cotton may feel soft to the touch, it’s actually quite a rough material. When your skin moves around on it, it tugs at the skin, causing wrinkles.
When you’re young, those wrinkles will quickly disappear upon waking. However, as you age, your skin loses its elasticity and firmness. Those sleep wrinkles caused by your pillowcase will take longer and longer to fade, until they eventually become permanent creases.
Puffy Eyes
Puffy eyes can be attributed to a number of causes, with one being using the wrong skincare pillowcase, especially if you suffer from allergies. Allergies can quickly trigger puffy eyes because the skin around the eyes is so delicate. It’s easily affected by allergens, which leads to swelling.
How does this relate to your pillowcase? Cotton is known for trapping dust and debris. With a cotton pillowcase, you’ll end up spending all night with your face pressed against a variety of allergens, making it no surprise that puffy eyes will be greeting you in the mirror the next morning!
Swapping to Silk
So, if cotton and other similar materials are a no-go for the skin, what’s the best material for a skincare pillowcase to be made from?
Silk. Without a doubt. It counters all of the problems that we mentioned above:
- Silk is a non-absorbent fabric. This means that not only will it leave your nighttime skincare products intact, but it won’t pull moisture away from your skin either.
- Silk has an extremely smooth texture thanks to its rounded filaments. Research confirms that when the skin rubs against it, friction is minimal. This means that you’ll no longer wake up with a face lined with creases and indentations.
- Silk is naturally hypoallergenic. It also contains a protein that has antibacterial properties. This makes it a great skincare pillowcase material to use if you suffer from acne or allergies.
- As an added bonus, silk feels very cooling on the skin. It helps with temperature regulation, which can lower the feeling of inflammation in the skin.
It’s not just your skin that will benefit from a silk pillowcase, either. Your hair will also thank you for making the change. Sleep on silk and you’ll find that your hair starts to look smoother, less frizzy, and much better hydrated.
What About Satin?
Like silk, satin also has a smooth and silky texture. However, it’s much cheaper, meaning that many people opt for a skincare pillowcase made from satin instead of silk.
What’s wrong with this? While satin is better than cotton, it doesn’t quite hold up to the various properties offered by silk. For starters, it’s a synthetic material that’s absorbent. It won’t dry out your skin to the same extent that cotton will, but it will still absorb more moisture/skincare than silk. Satin traps allergens too, meaning that it won’t help with puffy-looking eyes either.
It’s also worth noting that satin isn’t as durable as silk. Over time, it will pill, which will affect your skin.
If you’re on a strict budget, then go with satin. However, if you can afford to splurge, silk is definitely the way to go if you want to treat your skin to the best skincare pillowcase. Silk, on the other hand, when cared for properly, can last a lifetime, if not more!
How to Pick a Skincare Pillowcase
Ready to treat yourself to a silk skincare pillowcase? There are a few key elements to consider if you want to ensure that you make the very best choice:
- Momme weight – this is how the quality of silk is measured. The higher the momme weight, the higher the quality and durability. Aim for a minimum momme weight of 16. 22 is considered to be the gold standard!
- Material – aim for a skincare pillowcase that’s 100% silk.
- Weave – tighter weaves are better than looser weaves – they provide a much smoother surface.
- Size – pick a skincare pillowcase that perfectly fits your pillow. Going with a pillowcase that’s too big will cause it to crease and bunch up, reducing how effective it is.
Keeping Your Pillowcase Clean
Even with the finest silk skincare pillowcase in the world, your skincare efforts will still be hindered if you don’t keep your pillowcase clean. While the general recommendation is to wash your bedding once a week, you may want to wash your skincare pillowcase more often than this, especially if you have oily skin. Washing it every other day will help prevent oil from building up on its surface.
Applying your skincare products a little earlier in the evening can also help to keep your pillowcase clean. Make sure that you’re layering your products correctly when you apply them, as this will encourage absorption into your skin rather than into your pillowcase! Follow the light-to-heavy rule, where you start with a cleanser and then work your way up from the thinnest products into your routine to the thickest. This usually means going with a toner after cleansing, following up with a serum or two, and then finishing with a moisturizer.
Many believe that patting products into the skin, as opposed to rubbing, can also help with absorption. While there isn’t any science to back this up, it’s worth a try to keep your pillowcase as clean as possible and to ensure that your skin is receiving all of the goodness from the products you’ve applied.
Adjusting Your Sleeping Position
Do you usually sleep on your side? If so, this won’t be helping your evening skincare efforts. It means that one side of your face will always be pressed against your pillow. Even with a silk skincare pillowcase, you’ll still end up losing more of the products that you’ve applied compared to if you were to sleep on your back. As an added bonus, sleeping on your back will also help to prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Rather than your skin being rumpled up by your bedding, gravity will keep it taut and smooth while you snooze.
Struggling to stay on your back all night? One way to encourage your body to remain in this position, rather than rolling over once you’ve fallen asleep, is to strategically place pillows around you to create a little nest. Having this physical barrier holding you in will discourage you from turning to your side in the middle of the night.
Summary
When it comes to skincare, people don’t usually pay much attention to their pillowcase, yet this is something that can have a huge impact on the skin. Simply switching from cotton to silk could bring about some big changes in your complexion, especially if you dedicate yourself to keeping your new silk skincare pillowcase as clean as possible. After just a few nights of sleeping on silk, you should find that your skin begins to look smoother, clearer, brighter, and so much healthier!
0 comments on “Why Your Pillowcase Might Be Sabotaging Your Skincare”