The complete guide
Silk Pillowcase Buyer's Guide, Momme, Fit and Care
The small problem a silk pillowcase actually solves
Most people do not come to silk because they read an article about fibre science. They come to it because they are tired of waking up with hair that looks like it lost a fight, or because they turn the pillow over four times a night chasing a cool patch. Cotton is a good fabric, but it is a thirsty one. It grips hair, it holds heat, and the weave texture presses itself into your cheek over seven or eight hours.
Silk behaves differently. The fibre is smooth and long, so there is less for hair to catch on. It is breathable, so warmth moves away from your face instead of pooling under it. That is the whole pitch. No miracle, just a fabric that does less to you while you sleep.
This page covers one specific product, a queen size pillowcase in 19 momme mulberry silk, finished in a soft pink with a hidden zip. The rest of this guide explains how to judge a silk pillowcase properly, so you can tell whether this one or any other is worth your money.
Momme is the number that matters
Thread count gets all the attention because cotton marketing trained us to look at it. With silk, the figure to check first is momme, written as a number followed by mm or the word itself. It measures the weight of the fabric.
Here is the rough map. Anything under 16 momme is light, better suited to scarves, linings and clothing than to something you rub your face against nightly. The 19 to 22 range is where bedding silk lives. Above 25 momme you are into heavy, expensive territory that most people will not notice as an improvement.
This pillowcase is 19 momme. That puts it at the entry point of real bedding silk, with enough body to drape over a pillow and stay put. The listed thread count of 600 describes how tightly the threads are packed, which is a separate thing from weight. A high thread count on a low momme fabric is still a thin fabric, which is why the momme number should always be your first check when you are comparing options.
Double-sided silk versus silk on one face
This is the sneakiest corner cut in the category, and it is worth knowing about. Some pillowcases are silk on the sleeping side and something cheaper on the underside, usually a polyester or a cotton blend. The listing will say "silk pillowcase" and technically it is not lying.
Two problems come with that. The first is obvious, you cannot flip it over. You wake at three in the morning, the top side is warm, and turning the pillow gets you a different fabric entirely. The second is slower to show up. Two different fibres wear at different rates and shrink at different rates, so the case warps a little with each wash.
The product on this page is described as double-sided mulberry silk, both faces the same. That is what you want. When you are comparing the best double sided silk pillowcase options against cheaper listings, this is usually where the price difference comes from.
Getting the size right
The listed dimensions here are 75 cm long by 50 cm wide, described as Queen 20" x 30". In New Zealand, standard and queen pillows usually measure somewhere around 48 by 73 cm, so they fit this case comfortably with a little room to move.
Measure your pillow before you order. Lay it flat, do not squash it, and run the tape along the length and across the width. If your pillow is noticeably bigger than 75 by 50 cm, the silk will be pulled tight across the surface, and tension is the enemy of any delicate fabric. If your pillow is much smaller, the case will wrinkle and bunch, which is only a cosmetic issue but an annoying one.
King pillows are a different animal entirely, usually around 48 by 90 cm, and they will not fit this case. Check the label on your pillow or the packaging if you still have it.
The closure, and why zips beat envelopes
Pillowcases close in one of three ways. An open end is the cheapest, an envelope flap tucks the pillow in behind a folded panel, and a zip seals it shut.
For silk, a zip wins. The fabric is smooth, and a smooth pillow inside a smooth case will migrate overnight if nothing holds it. By morning you are left with a half-empty case and a pillow bunched at one end. The zip here is hidden, which means the teeth sit tucked inside a fold rather than sitting exposed along the edge. That looks neater when the bed is made and it keeps the hardware away from your face.
One habit to build. Close the zip before you wash it. An open slider is a hook, and a hook in a basin of delicate fabric finds something to catch on every time.
Washing it without ruining it
The care instruction on this pillowcase is hand wash only, and that is genuinely the easiest way to look after silk. Fill a basin with cool water, add a small amount of detergent made for delicates, and swirl the case through it for a minute or two. Do not scrub it, do not soak it for an hour, and do not twist it to get water out.
To dry, lay the case flat inside a clean towel and press down to pull the moisture out. Then hang it in the shade or lay it flat somewhere with air moving. Sun is the thing to avoid. Direct light is what fades coloured bedding, and on a pink it will show faster than it would on a white.
Skip the dryer. Skip bleach. If you want to iron, use the coolest setting on the reverse side while there is still some dampness in the fabric. Honestly, most people never bother, because silk relaxes out of its own creases once it is stretched over a pillow.
Wash it weekly, the same as the rest of your sheets. If you use oils, serums or heavy night creams, every few days will keep it looking better for longer. People hunting for the best cooling silk pillowcase often find the cool feel improves after washing, because residues from hair products are what dull the surface over time.
Who this suits, and who it does not
It suits anyone with long hair who is sick of morning tangles, anyone who sleeps warm, and anyone who likes the look of real silk on a made bed. It also makes a sensible gift, since one pink case in a plain solid works with almost any bedroom without you needing to know the recipient's colour scheme.
It will not suit you if you want a low-maintenance, chuck-it-in-the-machine routine. Hand washing is five minutes of work, but it is five minutes you have to actually do. It will not suit a king pillow. And if you want a matched pair across a queen bed, remember this is sold as one case, so you will need two.
The short version
Check the momme first, and 19 is a sound bedding weight. Make sure both sides are silk rather than one face over a cheaper backing. Measure your pillow against the 75 by 50 cm dimensions before you order. Prefer a zip over an open end, and close it before washing.
After that, the rest is just care. Cool water, gentle detergent, dry in the shade, and keep it out of the sun. Do those things and a silk pillowcase stays smooth and pink for years rather than months.