Is a silk pillowcase worth the money? Let's do the math
Why good silk costs what it does, and why the cost-per-night number might change your mind.
Okay, let's address it. A really good silk pillowcase can cost more than an entire set of cotton sheets. The reasonable questions are why, and whether it's worth it.
Why silk costs more
Mulberry silkworms eat exactly one thing (mulberry leaves) and spin one cocoon, and that cocoon gets unwound into a single long thread. It takes a lot of cocoons to make one pillowcase. Then there's reeling, twisting, weaving, dyeing and finishing. There's no shortcut version of this that ends up with the same fabric.
Not all silk is equal
Two numbers do most of the work. Grade tells you how long and even the fibers are, and 6A is the top. Momme tells you how much silk is in the fabric, and 22 is the sweet spot for pillowcases. Higher on both costs more to make, feels richer and lasts longer.
Now, the math
A pillowcase gets used every single night. Spread the price over a couple of years and you're looking at pennies a night. Now compare that to one blowout, or to the jar of night cream you keep wiping onto your pillow.
Cost per night is the most honest way to judge anything you use while you sleep.
When it's not worth it
If you refuse to wash anything on anything but hot and tumble dry, silk will frustrate you. And if you find a "silk" pillowcase for the price of a sandwich, it's probably very low grade, very thin, or polyester in a silk costume.
Our honest take
If you care about your hair, your skin or simply how your bed feels, it's one of the easier upgrades to justify. You'll use it tonight, and every night after that.
The short version
Silk costs more because of how it's made. Spread over years of nights, good silk usually costs less per night than people expect.
