Are Silk Pillowcases Good For Oily Hair?

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by Erika Cellupica
August 30, 2022
5 min read

Sleeping on a silk pillowcase is actually a great idea for anyone with oily hair. This article explains why silk pillowcases work so well with oily or greasy hair.

Inside this Article:

Why Are Mulberry Silk Pillowcases Beneficial for Oily Hair?
More Reasons Why Mulberry Silk is Good for Oily Hair

Silk is Hypoallergenic
Silk is Non-irritating
Silk is Breathable

How to Choose the Best Silk Pillowcase for Your Hair Type
Mulberry Park Silks: The Best Pillowcase for Oily or Any Type of Hair

At Mulberry Park Silks, we talk a lot about how our pure silk pillowcases help hair and skin retain their natural moisture while minimizing fine lines, wrinkles and hair loss. And our clients with dry hair and dry skin swear by our pillowcases. But what about oily hair? Can sleeping on silk help?

The answer is a resounding yes! While it may seem a bit counterintuitive -- after all, silk helps retain moisture -- sleeping on a pure silk pillowcase from Mulberry Park Silks is a great option for people with normal-to-oily hair. Read on to learn why!

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Why Are Mulberry Silk Pillowcases Beneficial for Oily Hair?

To understand why sleeping on silk is good for oily hair, let’s take a closer look at some of the most common causes of oily hair and scalp. Of course, exercise, hormones, genetics and the use of heavy hair products that cause build-up all play a part, as does living in a hot, humid climate. However, a dried-out scalp that has lost moisture from overwashing can also cause greasy hair. Why? When your scalp is dried out, the sebum-producing glands work overtime to produce oil to restore moisture. In fact, washing your scalp and hair too frequently can lead to dryness; you shampoo your hair, it dries out, your scalp produces more sebum which leads to an oily scalp, you wash your hair again and on and on in an ever-more challenging cycle.

Your cotton pillowcase may also be contributing to the problem! Cotton is a plant that is known for its absorbency (think about how a fluffy, heavy pure cotton towel feels drying off after a shower.) When you sleep on a cotton pillowcase, the moisture from your hair and scalp are absorbed by the cotton fabric. Cotton actually acts like a reverse conditioner for your hair and scalp by stripping away its natural moisture. (Read more about silk vs. cotton pillowcases here). Just like overwashing, sleeping on a cotton pillowcase can dry out your scalp and trigger it to produce extra sebum which contributes to oiliness.

Silk is different! Like your hair itself, silk is protein-based and a natural fiber. In fact, silk protein -- known as sericin -- is often found in high-end salon and spa hair products. During the silk processing, the water-soluble protein sericin is removed. The protein retained in the silk is called fibroin, which is rich in 18 amino acids. These amino acids bestow silk with its inherent resistance to dust mites, mold, and fungus, as well as its hypoallergenic properties.Because of its protein composition, silk does not pull moisture away from your scalp. Instead, it helps your hair and scalp retain natural moisture while protecting them from damage such as tangles, breakage and frizz.

More Reasons Why Mulberry Silk is Good for Oily Hair

Along with breaking the cycle of drying out the scalp/excess sebum production, a pure mulberry silk pillowcase delivers lots of other benefits for anyone with oily hair (or skin):

Silk is Hypoallergenic

A pure silk pillowcase is naturally hypoallergenic, as pure silk fabric is spun from the fiber of the silkworm’s protective cocoon. Silk is naturally resistant to dust mites, mold and fungus, which makes it the ideal environment for your hair.

Silk is Non-irritating

The smooth charmeuse surface of silk is almost friction free, which allows your hair and skin to glide across the surface. Couple this with the hypoallergenic attributes of silk, and silk is truly an ideal fabric for anyone with acne-prone or sensitive skin. In fact, sleeping on silk sheets is often recommended for individuals with delicate skin (even babies!) or anyone prone to irritation from psoriasis, eczema, or other conditions.

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Silk is Breathable

Pure, natural silk is a breathable fiber that naturally helps regulate body temperature. Silk sheets wick away moisture and serve as a natural insulator. This means silk keeps you cool in warm weather and warm in the cooler months. You can enjoy sleeping on silk sheets, pillowcases, and bedding all year long!

How to Choose the Best Silk Pillowcase for Your Hair Type

Choosing the best silk pillowcase comes down to personal preference as well as your hair type. Here are a few pointers from the Mulberry Park Silks design team:

Make sure to purchase ONLY a pure silk pillowcase made from 100 percent mulberry silk. With the growing popularity of silk, many merchants have attempted to represent inferior silk blends or even artificial polyester satin pillowcases as pure silk. Read this article to learn how to spot fake vs. genuine silk; and read this article to learn what to beware of when purchasing a silk pillowcase (including buying only from a reputable manufacturer like Mulberry Park Silks.)
Choose a silk pillowcase made of high-grade silk. All Mulberry Park Silks pillowcases are made from pure silk in grade 6A, the highest in the marketplace. This means the individual strands are longer, stronger, and more durable.
Once you have done your homework and identified that you are looking at pure, high-quality mulberry silk pillowcases, you will want to address the weight of the silk. Silk weight is measured in momme, which is similar to thread count in cotton or bamboo sheets (learn more about momme weight in silk here). The higher the momme weight, the more silk is in the pillowcase (and the higher the cost). Again, this is a personal and budgetary decision, but in general, thick, curly hair, or frizzy hair will do a bit better on a mid-weight (22 momme) to heavy-weight (30 momme) pillowcase. Lighter weight silk (19 momme) is also perfectly fine. Read how to choose the best momme weight silk pillowcase for you here.
Pay attention to design details. Some pillowcases may be made with high-quality silk, but have an uncomfortable zipper closure that might poke and prod you during sleep. All Mulberry Park Silks pillowcases are made with a generous 8-inch envelope closure that holds your pillow securely in place.

Mulberry Park Silks: The Best Pillowcase for Oily or Any Type of Hair

Mulberry Park Silks offers a variety of silk pillowcase options in 19, 22, and 30 momme weights in a range of sizes and color choices (many of which coordinate with our sheet sets and duvet covers). We are proud of the quality of the silk bedding we produce, and use the helpful acronym CHARMS to describe why our silk is the finest in the market:

Ch - Charmeuse weave (soft, smooth, and luxurious)

A - Grade 6A silk is the highest quality

R - Real 100 percent pure mulberry silk

M - Momme weight of 19, 22, and 30

S - Safe for people and the environment as certified by Oeko-Tex® (read more here).

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Mulberry Park: Accessible and Affordable Luxury Silk

We founded Mulberry Park with one simple mission: to design the highest quality silk items in the market and offer them at an affordable price. And we've done just that, with a full range of silk products made from 100% pure mulberry long strand silk fabric. The silk fabric used for our silk sheets and silk pillowcases has also been OEKO-TEX® Certified (Standard 100) to be free of chemicals.

Visit us online or call us at (800) 860-1924 to learn more about our silk sheets, silk pillowcases, duvet covers and shams, and real silk accessories including sleep masks, travel pillows, and silk hair scrunchies.

Are Silk Pillowcases Good for Oily Hair?