The complete guide
How to Choose a Mulberry Silk Pillowcase That Is Actually Worth It
The small annoyance that sends people looking for silk
Most people do not go shopping for a pillowcase out of nowhere. Something prompts it. You wake up with hair that looks like it lost a fight. You notice creases pressed into one cheek that take half the morning to settle. Or you simply find yourself flipping the pillow over all night chasing a cool patch.
Cotton is the usual culprit. It is a good fabric for lots of things, but under a microscope the weave is full of tiny ridges and loops. Every time your head shifts, those ridges grab at hair and skin. Over a night of rolling around, that adds up to a surprising amount of friction. Cotton also soaks up moisture readily, which is why a cotton case can feel warm and slightly damp by 3am.
Silk behaves differently. The fibre is a long, continuous filament rather than short staples spun together, so the surface is far smoother. Hair slides instead of catching. Skin moves instead of dragging. That is the honest, non-dramatic reason silk pillowcases caught on, and it is enough of a reason on its own.
What the numbers on a silk pillowcase mean
Silk listings throw a lot of specs at you. Two of them actually matter.
The first is momme. This is the traditional weight measure for silk fabric, written as a number followed by "mm" or just "momme". Think of it as the silk equivalent of GSM. Bedding silk generally runs from about 16 up to 25 momme. Below 16 you get fabric that feels thin, shows wear quickly and can tear at the seams. Above 22 the silk starts to feel heavier and the price climbs steeply. A 19 momme silk pillowcase, which is what this one is, sits right in the useful middle. It has enough weight to feel like a proper piece of fabric and enough give to drape over the pillow without looking boxy.
The second is the grade. Mulberry silk is graded by the length and evenness of the filament, running up to 6A at the top. A Grade 6A silk pillowcase is made from long, consistent fibres, which is what gives the fabric its even sheen and its smoothness. This pillowcase is listed as Grade 6A.
Thread count comes up too, and here it is 600. For silk, thread count is less meaningful than momme, because very fine threads can push the count up without adding any substance. Look at momme first, then treat thread count as supporting information. A 600 thread count silk pillowcase at 19 momme is a sensible combination.
Double sided matters more than you would think
Here is something worth checking on any listing. Plenty of pillowcases sold as silk are only silk on one face. The other side is cotton, polyester or a satin blend, and the maker assumes you will keep the silk side up.
In practice that falls apart quickly. You flip the pillow at midnight. Someone makes the bed and puts it on upside down. You end up sleeping on the cheap side half the time without realising.
This one is double sided silk. Both faces are mulberry silk, so it does not matter which way it goes on the pillow. It is a small design decision with a real effect on how often you actually get the benefit you paid for.
The closure question
Silk pillowcases come with three common closures. Open ended cases are the simplest and the cheapest, but the pillow works its way out. Envelope closures tuck a flap of fabric over the open end, which holds reasonably well on a firm pillow and poorly on a soft one. Zippers hold best.
This pillowcase uses a hidden zipper. It runs along one edge and sits concealed, so there is no hardware near your face and nothing to catch your hair. Once the pillow is in, it stays in. If you share a bed with someone who redistributes the bedding every night, a silk pillowcase with zipper closure saves you from fishing a bare pillow out of the duvet at breakfast.
Getting the size right
This case is cut for a queen bed pillow and measures 75cm by 50cm, which the supplier also lists as 20 inches by 30 inches. That is the most common pillow size on New Zealand beds.
Before ordering, do this. Take the pillowcase off your current pillow, lay the pillow flat and measure it across the longest edge and then the shorter one. Pillow sizing is not perfectly standardised, and a plump pillow needs a little more room than a flat one. If your pillow measures close to 75cm by 50cm, this will fit well. A standard pillow will sit inside with some slack, which looks a bit loose but works fine. A king pillow will not fit.
One note on fill. A very thick, high loft pillow will stretch any case tight, and silk under constant tension will wear at the seams faster. If your pillow is unusually deep, check the measurements carefully.
Colour and how it sits with your bedding
The colour here is a plain grey with a solid, unpatterned finish and a classic cut. Grey is probably the easiest colour to work into an existing bed. It sits comfortably with white, cream, charcoal, navy, dusty pink and most natural linen tones. It also hides the faint marks that any pillowcase picks up better than pure white does.
Silk has a natural sheen, so the grey will look lighter in bright daylight and deeper under a warm bedside lamp. That is the fabric doing what silk does, not an inconsistency.
Looking after it
Care here is hand wash only, and it is worth doing properly because good silk lasts for years when treated well.
Fill a basin with cool water and add a small amount of detergent made for delicates. Swish the pillowcase gently for a couple of minutes. Do not scrub, twist or wring it. Rinse in clean cool water until the water runs clear, then lay the case flat on a dry towel, roll the towel up and press to squeeze out the water. Unroll, then dry flat or hang it in a shaded, airy spot.
Three things damage silk fastest. Hot water, direct sunlight and bleach. Avoid all three and the fabric and the grey dye will both hold up. If you want to iron, use the lowest silk setting on the reverse side while the fabric is slightly damp. Most people skip this because the creases relax once the case is back on the pillow.
Wash it about once a week, or more often if you use heavy night creams or hair oils. Between washes, keep it folded in a drawer rather than tossed on a shelf with rough fabrics or anything with a hook or clasp that could pull a thread.
Who this suits
If you have long hair, curls, or hair you spend time styling, the reduced friction is the clearest benefit and you will notice it within a week. If you sleep hot, the breathable, temperature-controlling nature of silk makes a real difference to how the pillow feels at 2am. If you are buying a gift and do not know the person's taste well, a neutral grey silk case is a safe and genuinely useful choice.
It suits you less if you want something you can throw in the machine with the sheets every Sunday. Hand washing is not hard, but it is a step, and it is honest to say so upfront.
The short version
This is one grey mulberry silk pillowcase in queen size, 75cm by 50cm, made from 19 momme Grade 6A mulberry silk at a 600 thread count. Both sides are silk. It closes with a hidden zipper. The colour is solid grey with no pattern, and care is hand wash in cool water, dried flat away from the sun.
The numbers that matter are the momme weight and the double sided construction. Nineteen momme gives you fabric with real substance that still drapes well, and silk on both faces means you get the benefit regardless of which way it lands on the pillow. Measure your pillow, order a pair if you want the bed to match, and wash it gently.