The complete guide
The Honest Buyer's Guide To Mulberry Silk Pillowcases
The problem with the pillowcase you already own
Most people never think about their pillowcase. It came in a set with the sheets, it is cotton or a cotton blend, and it does the job of covering a pillow. Fine.
Then you notice a few things. You wake up and one side of your face has a crease pressed into it that takes twenty minutes to settle. Your hair looks like it lost an argument. In summer the pillow feels warm within minutes of lying down, so you flip it, and ten minutes later you flip it again.
None of this is dramatic. It is just friction and heat, and a woven cotton surface produces plenty of both. Cotton grips. Run your hand across a cotton pillowcase and then across silk and the difference is obvious before you have thought about it. Cotton is also absorbent, which is great in a towel and less great under your head when the room is warm.
A silk pillowcase changes the surface your face and hair spend seven or eight hours on. That is the whole proposition, and it is a smaller change than people expect while being more noticeable than they expect.
What mulberry silk actually is
Silk comes from silkworms, and mulberry silk comes from the ones raised on a controlled diet of mulberry leaves. Keeping the diet and the conditions consistent produces a long, even, uniform filament, which in turn produces a smoother and more consistent cloth. Wild silk is shorter, coarser and more irregular. It has its own charm in a scarf or a jacket. For something you press your face into every night, mulberry is the one you want.
Within mulberry silk there is a grading system, usually written as a letter and a number. Grade 6A is the top of that scale and refers to the longest, most even filaments. This pillowcase is Grade 6A on both faces, which matters because some silk cases are silk on the sleeping side and a cheaper fabric underneath. Double-sided means you can flip it and get the same feel.
Momme, and why it matters more than thread count
Here is the number to learn. Momme, written as mm, is the traditional weight measure for silk. It tells you how dense the fabric is. Lower momme is thinner and lighter. Higher momme is heavier and more substantial.
For bedding, the useful range runs from about 16 to 25 momme. Below 16 the fabric starts to feel insubstantial and it tends not to survive repeated washing as well. Above 22 you are paying meaningfully more for a difference most sleepers struggle to feel. Nineteen momme, which is what this pillowcase is, lands in the middle of that range. It has real body to it, it drapes properly over a pillow instead of clinging, and it holds up to regular hand washing.
Thread count is the number people recognise from cotton sheets, and it gets printed on silk packaging because shoppers look for it. On silk it is a secondary measure. A 600 thread count alongside 19 momme describes a tightly and evenly woven cloth, but if you only have room in your head for one number, make it the momme.
Who this suits
People who run hot at night tend to notice silk first. Because it breathes and does not hold warmth the way a brushed or synthetic surface does, it reads as cool when you lie down and does not build up a hot patch as quickly.
People with long hair are the second group. Friction overnight is what turns tidy hair into a tangle by morning, and a smoother surface means less of it. If you have ever searched for the best silk pillowcase for long hair, that reduced drag is the reason those searches exist.
Then there are people who just like nice things in their bed and do not need a functional reason. That is legitimate. A deep peacock blue silk pillowcase against white sheets looks considered in a way that a matching set never quite does.
Who it suits less well: anyone who wants to throw everything in a hot machine wash and forget about it. Silk asks for hand washing. It takes a few minutes and it is not hard, but it is a small ongoing commitment.
How to choose one
Start with size. This is a queen case at 75 x 50 cm, which is 20 by 30 inches. Pillow naming is inconsistent between brands and countries, so do not trust the label on your current pillow. Get a tape measure out, measure the pillow flat across its width and length, and compare. A pillowcase that is too small compresses the pillow and strains the seams. One that is too large bunches up under your head.
Next, check that it is silk on both sides. A lot of budget options are not, and the listing will usually say so in small print or not at all. This one specifies double-sided mulberry silk.
Then look at the closure. There are three common types. Envelope flaps are simple and cheap, but a pillow can work its way out overnight. Open-ended cases need the pillow tucked in, and they look untidy. A zipper holds everything in place, and a hidden zipper does it without a visible row of teeth across the bed. This pillowcase uses a hidden zipper set into the seam.
Finally, think about colour honestly. Strong colours look wonderful and they also show wear and water marks more plainly than a neutral does. Peacock blue is a saturated blue with a green undertone, and it is dyed colourfast, but like any deep shade it will keep its depth longest if you dry it out of direct sun.
Living with silk
The care routine is short. Fill a basin with cool water, add a small amount of detergent made for wool or delicates, and move the pillowcase through the water gently for a couple of minutes. Rinse in clean cool water. Do not wring it, do not scrub it and do not leave it soaking.
To dry it, lay it on a clean towel, roll the towel up and press. That pulls out most of the water without stressing the fibres. Then dry it flat or hang it somewhere shaded with good airflow. Direct sun fades colour and weakens silk. Tumble dryers do both faster.
Skip bleach entirely. Skip anything with enzymes or optical brighteners too, since those are designed to break down protein stains and silk is a protein fibre. If the pillowcase needs pressing after drying, a cool iron on the reverse side will do it, though most of the time it settles by itself once it is back on the pillow.
Wash it every one or two weeks, the same as the rest of your bedding. If you use rich night creams or leave-in hair products, go weekly.
The short version
This is a single queen pillowcase in 100% mulberry silk, Grade 6A, 19 momme on both sides, with a 600 thread count, a hidden zipper and a peacock blue finish. It measures 75 x 50 cm and it is hand wash only.
Nineteen momme is the weight that most people find hits the balance between feeling properly luxurious and costing a sensible amount. Double-sided silk means both faces feel the same. The zipper means the pillow stays inside.
If you want the best mulberry silk pillowcase for everyday use rather than a showpiece, this is the specification to look for. Measure your pillow first, order two if you share the bed, and set aside five minutes every couple of weeks to wash it properly. Do that and it will still look good years from now.