The complete guide
How to Choose a Silk Pillowcase for a Contour Memory Foam Pillow
The problem with putting a flat case on a curved pillow
Anyone who has bought a contour memory foam pillow has run into the same thing. The pillow arrives with a thin cover, usually cotton or polyester, and that cover fits because it was made for that exact pillow. Then you want to wash it, or you want something nicer against your face, and you discover that almost no pillowcase on the shelf is the right shape.
A standard pillowcase is a flat rectangle. A contour pillow is not flat. It has a ridge at one end, usually taller, a ridge at the other end, usually shorter, and a scooped valley in the middle. Put a rectangle over that and the fabric has nowhere to go. It gathers at the high ridge, puffs up in the valley, and the excess pools at the sides. Every one of those gathers is a fold of fabric sitting somewhere near your cheek.
It also moves. Without a fitted shape or a proper closure, the pillow shifts inside the case during the night and by morning the foam is halfway out one end. You end up straightening the cover before bed every single night, which is a small irritation that adds up.
A shaped silk pillowcase solves the geometry problem. It is cut to follow the pillow instead of draping over it, and a zip holds everything in place.
What this particular cover is
This is a single pillowcase made from 19 momme pure mulberry silk. It measures 50 x 30 cm, with a high end of 10 cm and a low end of 7 cm, which matches the standard contour profile. The colour is solid white, the pattern is plain, and the closure is a hidden zipper. One pillowcase comes in the pack. The model number is 04059506.
The listed item dimensions are 50.8 x 30.5 cm, which is the same measurement rounded through imperial and back. Either way, you are looking at a pillow roughly 50 cm long and 30 cm wide.
Understanding momme
Momme is the unit used to describe silk weight, a bit like thread count for cotton but more honest about what it actually measures. One momme is the weight in pounds of a piece of silk 45 inches wide and 100 yards long. The higher the number, the denser the fabric.
Silk pillowcases generally run from about 16 momme at the light end to 25 momme at the heavy end. At 19 momme, this one sits in the middle, which is the range most people settle on. It has enough weight to feel like real silk in the hand, enough density to survive regular laundering, and it is still light and breathable rather than heavy.
Below 16 momme the fabric starts to feel thin and shows wear quickly. Above 22 momme you are paying considerably more for a difference most sleepers struggle to notice. A 19 momme mulberry silk is the sensible middle.
Why mulberry silk specifically
Mulberry silk comes from silkworms raised on a diet of mulberry leaves. That controlled diet produces long, uniform filaments, and long filaments are what make the finished cloth smooth and even. Wild silks have shorter, more irregular fibres, which gives a more textured surface.
For a pillowcase, smoothness is the whole point. The surface has less friction than a cotton weave, so hair and skin glide across it rather than catching. If you turn frequently during the night, which most people do, that lower drag is what you notice.
Silk also feels cool to the touch when you first lie down. The fabric is described as breathable, which is part of why it has a reputation as a warm-weather choice.
Who a contour pillow silk cover suits
The obvious group is anyone already sleeping on a contour, cervical or orthopaedic pillow. If you bought the pillow for neck support, you probably put some thought into it, and the cover that came in the box is rarely the nicest part of the purchase.
Side sleepers are the biggest contour pillow users, because the higher ridge fills the gap between shoulder and head. If that is you, your cheek spends most of the night pressed into one spot of fabric. The quality of that fabric matters more for you than for someone who sleeps flat on their back.
People with long hair often make the switch too. The less drag between hair and pillow, the less your hair gets pulled around as you move.
And then there is simple pillow protection. Memory foam cannot be washed, so the only thing standing between the foam and years of body oils, hair products and dust is a removable cover. A washable memory foam pillow cover extends the life of the pillow underneath.
How to check the fit before you buy
Take a tape measure to your pillow. You need three numbers.
Measure the length end to end, which should be close to 50 cm. Measure the width front to back, which should be close to 30 cm. Then measure the height at the taller ridge, aiming for around 10 cm, and the shorter ridge, aiming for around 7 cm.
If your pillow is within a centimetre or so of those figures, the cover will fit. If it is noticeably larger, the case will be tight over the ridges. If it is much smaller, the fabric will be loose and you lose the benefit of the shaped cut.
Contour pillows are reasonably standardised, so most will match. It is still worth two minutes with a tape measure before you order.
Living with a silk cover
Silk sounds fragile. In practice, a 19 momme pillowcase is tougher than people expect, as long as you keep the heat out of it.
Wash cold, either by hand or on a gentle machine cycle, using a detergent made for silk or delicates. Standard detergents contain enzymes and optical brighteners that work against protein fibres. Skip the bleach, and skip fabric softener too, since silk does not need it and the residue dulls the surface.
For drying, hang it up and keep it out of direct sunlight. Sun fades and weakens the fibre. A cool tumble setting is allowed if you need it, but air drying is kinder.
If it needs ironing, use the silk setting and iron while the fabric is still slightly damp. That is what the care instructions specify, and damp silk presses far more easily than dry silk.
Wash it about once a week. More often if you use leave-in hair products or heavy night creams. Owning two covers makes the rotation painless, because one is always ready while the other dries.
Buying with a bit of care
Plain white is the practical colour. It matches every sheet set you own, it shows you when it needs washing, and it does not transfer dye.
Think about buying in pairs. A single cover means a night with the bare foam, or the old cotton case, every time you launder. Two is the usual answer.
If you are buying as a gift, a shaped silk cover is a thoughtful pick for someone who already uses a contour pillow. They will have noticed the fit problem themselves and probably assumed nothing existed to solve it.
Delivery and returns in New Zealand
Orders go out by tracked courier from Australian warehouses, and most reach New Zealand addresses within 5 to 10 working days. Rural deliveries can run slightly longer. Delivery is free NZ-wide on orders over NZ$175.
Returns are open for 14 days from delivery, as long as the item is unused and unwashed in its original packaging. If you are not certain about sizing, ask us before you order rather than after.
The short version
If you sleep on a contour memory foam pillow, a rectangular pillowcase will never fit it properly. This one is cut to the pillow's actual shape, 50 x 30 cm with 10 cm and 7 cm ridges, in 19 momme pure mulberry silk with a hidden zip.
Silk gives you a smooth, cool surface with less friction than cotton. The zip keeps the foam enclosed and stops it sliding out. The cover comes off for washing, which protects the pillow that cannot be washed itself.
Measure your pillow, wash it cold, dry it out of the sun, and buy two if you can. That is the whole thing.