Satin is a beautifully sleek fabric that causes a pleasant sensuous sensation whenever it touches on your skin. It’s also the material of choice when it comes to making high-end sleepwear, bedding and luxury garments mainly because of the lux glamour it lends to them. But sleeping on a satin pillowcase doesn’t just make you feel majestic, it also has a lot of health benefits that affect the quality of your hair, skin and even your lashes.
What Is Satin Made Of?
Back in the days, satin was actually made out of silk. However, now it’s manufactured using a combination of materials such as wool, cotton, silk and polyester. A textile weaving process that uses less interlacing threads is what creates the signature smooth texture and look of satin. This blend of organic and synthetic fibers is also what makes satin more affordable than silk. Although it will still look and feel the same, satin that’s made using only silk is still expensive than satin that’s made using a mixture of materials.
Satin is also not to be confused with sateen, a similar material, but created from weaved cotton. By definition, the arrangement of a satin weave is characteristically different from that of other materials. It’s also different from silk in that it’s the result of a particular type of weave structure, whereas silk is a type of organic substance produced by silkworms. Although silk has been used to make satin, you’d still have to weave it following a particular structure to get what is known as satin.
Also, there are many types of satin that are used for various applications such as making upholstery, decorative fabric, cushions, bridal accessories, evening wear and even wedding dresses. Each has differentiating characteristics depending on the type of materials that have been blended to create it.
Its unique and complex weaving structure makes satin quite a difficult material to work with, often requiring the expertise of experienced hands to convert it into products like upholstery, lingerie, apparel and bedding.
What Does Satin Feel Like?
Often compared to silk, satin has a very distinct aesthetic feel on the skin which is quite different from its more luxuriant counterpart. Satin is more slippery and light in texture, whereas silk is softer and has more of a voluptuous feel to it. It can also be described as lustrous and very fine-textured.
7 Benefits of Satin
Believe it or not, sleeping on or wearing satin has some real health benefits to the hair, skin and even your eyelashes. To name but a few…
- Luscious Lashes: Sleeping on a satin pillowcase actually has considerable health benefits for your eyelashes! Unlike cotton, which often bends the eyelashes by causing friction, satin is a softer material that offers no resistance to your lashes, thus keeping them straight and healthy. This also keeps lashes looking fuller as they won’t be falling out.
- Prevent Hair Loss: Hair loss is a common issue among people with chronic diseases or can occur as a result of ageing or even an allergic reaction. Sleeping on a cotton or polyester pillowcase can also contribute to hair loss, as you’ll be rubbing against the coarse fabric when you toss and turn. On the contrary, satin pillowcases prevent hair loss and breakage because they’re softer and more nourishing to the hair.
- Beautiful Skin: You ever notice how the skin on your face has creases when you wake up in the morning? They are the result of sleeping on a cotton pillowcase and eventually they’ll develop into permanent wrinkles that’ll prematurely age your face. When you sleep on a satin pillowcase, your skin slides smoothly along the fabric and it doesn’t offer any wrinkle causing friction. So sleeping on a satin pillow is one way for you to keep your skin soft and wrinkle-free for longer.
- Keeps Skin Moisturized: Cotton also drains moisture from your skin as you sleep, which dehydrates it, leading to wrinkle damage, whereas satin doesn’t take any moisture away from your skin at all.
- Lustrous Locks: As mentioned, satin doesn’t absorb the moisture from your skin, and the same principle applies when it comes to your hair. It keeps your hair feeling and looking smooth, glossy and luxurious. Satin also prevents your hair from going dull and fraying, which are common long term side effects of sleeping on a cotton pillowcase.
- Save Your Hair From Breaking: The coarseness of a cotton pillowcase can lead to hair breakage due to the friction that occurs during sleep. You can prevent this hair breakage by sleeping with a satin pillowcase, which is much softer and doesn’t rub against your hair.
- To Maintain Your Blow-out: If your hair has been styled in a particular way and you want that style to remain for a few days longer, sleeping on a satin pillowcase will help you do just that. This is because satin is slippery and so doesn’t cause any of the friction that would cause hair to get tumbled into a ball like it does with other fibers like cotton.
Conclusion
Satin is not just a soft fabric with a luxurious feel, but it’s a beauty secret that has been used by women for centuries to keep their hair and skin looking and feeling young. Not only does sleeping on satin keep your skin moisturized and wrinkle-free, but it also maintains hair moisture and keeps your lashes looking fuller. So if you want youthful looking skin and smooth hair, then you might want to invest in a satin pillowcase soon.