Look for a silk pillowcase made from 100% mulberry silk. Mulberry Silk is a natural fibre created by silkworms (Bombyx mori) who feed only on mulberry tree leaves. The silk they spin their cocoons into is then used to produce silk products. Mulberry Silk is regarded as the best silk you can buy for bedding and clothing. Find out about the difference between silk and satin.
Silk is generally graded on an A, B, and C scale, with A referencing the highest quality. Grade A silk has long strands, contains almost no impurities and has an ivory white colour with a healthy sheen to it. Silk grades are also further differentiated by number eg 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A. Grade 3A are commonly used as filling in comforters and pillows. The finest quality Silk is the 6A grade which is the most expensive to produce and buy.
Monday Silks use the highest grade 6A for their silk pillowcases and sheets. If a silk pillowcase product doesn't mention the silk quality grade, it's highly likely it is made with a lower grade silk.
Momme (mm) is used to measure density of silk fabrics and provide understanding of the quality in a silk fabric. Silk is an incredibly fine thread and therefore using thread counts would give an extremely high measure, compared to other materials such as cotton. Momme weight describes the weight of 100 yards of silk and 45 inches wide in pounds. So, if a fabric is listed as 22mm in momme weight, then that 100 yards of fabric weighs 22 pounds
For silk bedding, you’ll want to get something with at least 19mm so it can withstand daily use and regular washing. Make sure you alway check the momme before buying a silk pillowcase.
Monday Silk only stock Silk Pillowcase that's are created from 6A long strand, 22 momme Mulberry Silk
]]>1) Machine or hand wash your silk pillowcase?
We understand life is busy, so we've used the highest quality silk to ensure you can machine wash your Monday Silks pillowcase and baby sheets. Silk is still delicate and we recommend to hand wash when possible to extend the longevity of your pillowcase.
2) Use the correct detergent!
Only use a pH neutral liquid detergent which is recommended for silk. A general detergent will likely have heavy chemicals in it (alkaline or bleach) which will cause the silk to harden.
New Zealand recommendations:
Lux Soap Flakes - supermarket
Eco Store's Wool and Delicates. - supermarket
3) Wash it.
Turn the silk pillowcase inside out, place inside a laundry bag, and wash separately in water below 30 degree celsius. Don't oversoak.
4) How to dry your silk pillowcase.
If you're hand washing, lay the silk pillowcase or sheet on a towel and roll it up to extract the excess water. Avoid twisting to remove excess water as it will cause the silk to crease and may damage the fibres. Do not tumble dry. Dry out of direct sunlight
5) Ironing silk.
Iron inside out to avoid any damage to the sheen side. To protect the silk even further you could place a thin sheet between the silk and iron as a barrier. Set the iron to low or use the silk setting if it has one. Always ensure your iron is clean to avoid staining the silk. Iron gently.
This can happen with most light coloured items which are in constant contact with natural oils from your skin and hair.
Try adding it to a bucket of 50/50 water and white vinegar and hand washing for a few minutes. Rinse with fresh water and leave to dry in a shaded area.
Wash your silk pillowcase as often as you would with other pillowcases. Just remember to handle with care and follow our guide to washing silk pillowcases.
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By sleeping your baby on silk their head glides across the smooth silk surface, reducing friction and pulling at the hair. This means less hair loss, bald spots and knotty hair. Silk bedding is also magical at helping repair bald spots by not tugging at the new hair growth. Just remember, hair growth rates will vary.
Silk is hypoallergenic and a natural resistance to dust mites, fungus and mould, in addition to many other allergens. Dust mites eat skin cells shed by people, and they thrive in warm environments such as pillowcases and bedding. Silk has a rare protein that naturally repels dust mites. The use of silk is recommended for babies with eczema and asthma due to its numerous antibacterial qualities.
Mulberry silk is breathable and naturally regulates your baby's temperature to help keep them cool during summer and warm during winter.
Silk doesn’t absorb moisture and natural oils like materials such as cotton and therefore keeps their skin and hair hydrated.
Which is the better performer? Although both products have a smooth surface which causes less frictions on your skin and hair, silk benefits provide much more!
Mulberry Silk is a natural animal fibre which has many health and beauty performance advantages.
Silk is the most hypoallergenic of all fabrics, which is great for anyone with dust mite and asthma allergies.
It performs like an 8 hour beauty treatment every night!
The tightly-woven, thin fibres of silk help keep moisture close to the skin, leaving it much better hydrated. Packed with natural proteins and essential amino acids, silk speeds up the metabolism of skin cells and helps to counter the effects of ageing.
Mulberry silk allows your skin to breath and regulates your temperature, ideal for anyone who sweats in their sleep.
Silk is much more expensive to buy due to the natural and labour intensive process of production.
The satin weave can be made using multiple fabrics such as nylon, polyester, and even silk. Polyester is most commonly used, which is a man-made synthetic fibre produced by a chemical reaction.
Satin is its less expensive to produce and looks similar to silk with a smooth surface.
The disadvantages are it doesn't come with silks other performance benefits. Polyester satin makes you sweat, is highly flammable and contains toxic substances.
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At Monday Silks we only use 100% Mulberry Silk which is OEKO-TEX Certified free of harmful substances.
Still not sure what to look for? Read our top tips on what to look for when buying a silk pillowcase?
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Did you know, a newborn's hormone levels drop right after birth, which can cause them to lose the hair they were born with. There's no need to worry, newborn hair loss is perfectly normal, its called telogen effluvium.
If you notice that your baby is developing bald patches, check for hair loss on their cot mattress. Babies spent a lot of time on their backs and are constantly moving their heads from side to side, causing friction and tugging at their delicate hair on the back of their head.
There are also other medical reasons which can cause babies to lose their hair. If you are concerned we recommend seeking medical advice.
To help prevent bald spots from forming we recommend:
- sleeping them on silk bedding.
- avoid headbands and hair ties
- adjust babies head position slightly when sleeping
- encourage supervised tummy time
- utilise front pack
Silk is hypoallergenic, which is one of the reasons we call it the magical fibre for allergy sufferers.
Don't worry, there's a bit of science behind it. The protective cocoon of the Mulberry Silkworm is created using a very thin continuous strand of fibre and held together by a protein called sericin. The magical part is that these benefits are transferred to silk bedding when the silk is being processed.
The thin and tightly woven silk fibres create a structure which is a natural resistance to dust mites and other allergens. They simply can’t get in!
Dust mites are tiny bugs that simply live in the same spaces as us humans e.g. on mattresses, pillows, carpets and furniture.
These tiny critters feed on the flakes of skin that people and pets shed daily. Mmm lets just say they certainly don’t have the most appealing appetite!
Believe it or not, the main issue we have with dust mites is their waste. Many people with asthma, eczema and hay fever are allergic to a protein found in the waste of dust mites.
If you have an allergy to dust mites, you will generally have hay fever-like symptoms all year round, such as runny nose, sneezing, sinus congestion, asthma symptoms and your eczema may get worse.
These symptoms can have a severe effect on the sleep quality of you and your family. Silk is definitely more than just an investment in your skin!
Note: Monday Silks only use OEKO-TEX Certified silk which is free of harmful chemicals!
]]>Since ancient times, silk has been known as a luxurious product. Mulberry silk is considered the highest quality silk available for purchase.
]]>Since ancient times, silk has been known as a luxurious product. Mulberry silk is considered the highest quality silk available for purchase.
Made from the silkworm of the Bombyx mori moth, Mulberry Silk is domestically farmed and only feed leaves from purposely grown mulberry trees. To produce 1 kg of silk, 104kg of mulberry leaves must be eaten by 300 silkworms.
Mulberry silk is breathable, temperature regulating, biodegradable, hypoallergenic along with many other health and beauty benefits. See more on the benefits of silk.
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Satin is often referred to as a fibre, but it is actually a type of weave. The satin weave can be used on a variety of different fibres. Most commonly used is polyester.
Polyester is a man made fibre, derived from a chemical reaction involving petroleum, air, and water. It has a lower production cost as it is less labour intensive to produce compared to silk.
The polyester fibre is not breathable, not considered sustainable, nor is it biodegradable.
Although satin and silk look similar, polyester satin is a synthetic fabric which lacks many of the health benefits of silk.
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