Silk Care & FAQs

Written by Anya, Founder of The Silk Collection · Updated August 2026

Everything we get asked most, in one place. Our silk is 22 momme, Grade 6A mulberry silk, certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX. Standard pillowcases are 50cm x 75cm and king are 50cm x 90cm. UK delivery is free over £60, returns are 30 days, and you can reach a real person at info@thesilkcollection.co.uk.

Here at The Silk Collection, we have been crafting pure mulberry silk pillowcases and accessories for years, with thousands of you making the switch to silk. These are the questions our customers ask us most, answered as plainly as we can, with the numbers taken from our live product pages and published policies rather than from memory.

About our silk

Our focus is on creating better basics, made from the highest quality silk, to elevate the steps in your routine you are already doing. No extra steps or complications. Just better quality materials. Everything on this page is cut from the same cloth: 22 momme, Grade 6A, 100 per cent mulberry silk.

What is momme, and why is your silk 22 momme?

Momme is the standard measure of silk weight, used in much the same way thread count is used for cotton, and ours is 22 momme. For bedding, 19 momme is generally treated as the sensible minimum, and 22 momme carries around 15 per cent more silk by weight than a 19 momme equivalent, which is why it feels denser in the hand and holds up better to years of nightly washing.

If you want the longer version, we have written a plain-English guide to what momme count means and the best momme for a silk pillowcase.

What does Grade 6A mulberry silk mean?

Grade 6A is the top grade in the grading system used for mulberry silk, and it describes long, even, uniform filaments rather than short or broken ones. Longer filaments make a smoother, stronger fabric that pills less and frays less at the seams, which is most of what you are paying for when silk is sold by grade. All of our silk is Grade 6A, long fibre, 100 per cent mulberry silk.

Is your silk OEKO-TEX certified?

Yes. Our silk is certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX, which means the fabric has been tested against that standard's limits for harmful substances. It is a certification about the textile itself, not a claim about what silk does for your hair or your skin, and we think it is worth keeping those two things separate.

Is silk better than satin?

Silk is a fibre and satin is a weave, so they are not the same kind of thing, and most pillowcases sold as satin are woven from polyester. Polyester satin is smooth and it is inexpensive, and it genuinely does create less friction than cotton. What it does not do is breathe or move heat away the way a natural protein filament does, so it tends to feel warmer against the skin through the night.

We have set the two side by side in our silk vs satin pillowcase comparison, and done the same for bonnets in silk bonnet vs satin bonnet.

Is silk better than cotton for hair and skin?

Cotton is more absorbent than silk and has a rougher surface, so it draws moisture out of hair and skin and creates more drag every time you move in the night. Silk's long, smooth filaments give a lower-friction surface, so hair glides rather than catches, and less of your night cream ends up in the pillowcase.

Cotton is still a perfectly good fabric to sleep on. It simply asks more of your hair. The full comparison is in our silk pillowcase vs cotton pillowcase guide, and there is a broader summary on our benefits of silk page.

Does a silk pillowcase really help your hair and skin?

It helps with friction and with moisture, and that is the honest limit of it. Less friction means less mechanical breakage, fewer tangles and less morning frizz, and a less absorbent surface means the products you put on your face stay on your face rather than soaking into the cotton.

It will not treat acne, reverse hair loss, remove wrinkles or stand in for anything a dermatologist or trichologist would recommend, and we would not claim it does. If you want the detail, we have written honestly about whether a silk pillowcase helps frizzy hair and about the benefits of a silk pillowcase for skin.

How long does a silk pillowcase last?

From our own experience with 22 momme silk, washed as advised, several years of nightly use is normal. Lower momme silk goes thin and splits along the seams far sooner, which is the main reason cheap silk usually turns out to be a false economy. Heat is what shortens a pillowcase's life, so hot washes and the tumble dryer are the two things to avoid.

If you are still weighing up the spend, we have answered whether silk pillowcases are worth it as honestly as we can.

How can I tell whether silk is real?

Real mulberry silk has an uneven, shifting sheen rather than a flat mirror shine, it warms quickly against your hand, and it is sold with both a momme count and a grade. Fabric marketed only as silky or satin will not carry either number, which is usually the fastest tell.

Our guide on how to identify real silk vs fake silk goes through the checks you can do at home.

Sizing

Pillowcase sizing in the UK is more confusing than it needs to be, largely because of the word queen. Here is the short version.

What size is a standard silk pillowcase?

50cm x 75cm, which is 20 by 30 inches. That is the standard UK pillowcase size and it fits the pillows sold with most single, double and king beds. Our Pure Silk Pillowcase is 50cm x 75cm and costs £55.

Are queen and standard pillowcases the same size in the UK?

Yes. In the UK, standard and queen describe the same 50cm x 75cm pillowcase, so if you see either word on a UK label you are looking at the same case. The distinction matters in the US, where a standard case is shorter at 50cm x 66cm and a queen is the one that matches our 50cm x 75cm.

Do you make king size silk pillowcases?

Yes. Our King Size Silk Pillowcase is 50cm x 90cm, which is 20 by 36 inches, and it costs £59. Choose it if your pillows are around 90cm long, which usually means a super king or emperor bed.

Which size should I choose if I am not sure?

Choose the standard 50cm x 75cm. It fits the vast majority of UK pillows, and it is the size we send out most.

A tip we learned the hard way: measure the pillow, not your old pillowcase. Cases stretch and relax with washing, so a well-loved case can measure several centimetres longer than it did new, and ordering from that number leaves the new one feeling tight. Our pillowcase size guide has every measurement in one table.

Do your pillowcases have a zip?

No. Every size uses an envelope closure. The silk folds back over itself to hold the pillow in place, so there is no metal or plastic anywhere near your face and the case lies flat on the bed.

Can I buy a pair of pillowcases?

Yes. The Pure Silk Pillowcase Set of Two is £99 for two standard 50cm x 75cm cases, and the King Size Silk Pillowcase Pair is £109 for two king cases. Two cases in rotation is the easiest way to keep to a weekly wash.

What sizes do your silk scrunchies come in?

Two. The Classic Silk Scrunchie at £10 is the everyday size, and the Statement Silk Scrunchie at £15 is the larger one with more fabric, which suits thicker or longer hair. Our scrunchie size guide explains which suits which hair type.

Caring for silk

Silk is more robust than its reputation suggests, as long as you keep it away from heat. Nearly every care question we are asked comes back to that one point.

How do I wash a silk pillowcase?

Wash it at 30 degrees or below, on a cool or delicates cycle, with a small amount of pH neutral liquid silk detergent. Turn the case inside out and put it in a mesh laundry bag first, and skip fabric conditioner and anything containing bleach or enzymes.

Our step-by-step guide to washing a silk pillowcase covers the whole routine, including what to do if you have used the wrong detergent.

Can a silk pillowcase go in the washing machine?

Yes, ours can, on a cool or delicates setting at 30 degrees or below and inside a laundry bag. For the smaller pieces, silk scrunchies, eye masks, headbands and bonnets, we recommend hand washing instead, because a machine drum is much harder on ties, elastics and edges than it is on a flat pillowcase.

How do I hand wash silk scrunchies, eye masks and bonnets?

Wash them by hand in cool water below 30 degrees with a few drops of pH neutral detergent, press the water out rather than wringing, and lay them flat to dry. Our guide on how to wash silk scrunchies walks through it in order.

How do I dry silk?

Lay it flat on a dry towel, out of direct sunlight and away from radiators, and never tumble dry it. Heat is what damages silk fibres and dulls the surface, so air drying is not a nicety, it is the single thing that decides how long the piece lasts.

Will my silk crease or wrinkle after washing?

It may, because it is a natural fibre and natural fibres crease. You can iron a silk pillowcase on the silk setting, ideally through a damp cotton cloth, and for scrunchies, eye masks and headbands we would steam rather than iron.

Do silk pillowcases shrink in the wash?

Washed as we recommend, at 30 degrees on a gentle cycle, ours hold their size and shape. Hot washes and tumble drying are what cause shrinkage and dulling, in silk much as in wool.

How often should I wash my silk pillowcase?

About once a week, and more often if you use rich night creams or hair oils. Keeping two cases in rotation is the simplest way to actually manage that, which is why we sell a set of two.

Delivery and returns

Everything below is taken from our published shipping policy and refund policy, which are the versions that apply to your order.

How much does UK delivery cost?

UK delivery is free on orders over £60, sent on Royal Mail 48 hour tracked. On orders of £60 or under, that same tracked service is £3.99. Next day delivery is an optional add-on at checkout on any order: Royal Mail Tracked 24 is £6.50, and DPD Express next working day is £7.99.

How long does UK delivery take?

Royal Mail 48 hour tracked is quoted at 2 to 5 business days. Royal Mail Tracked 24 is quoted at 1 to 2 business days, and DPD Express at the next working day.

Orders placed before 1pm Monday to Friday are dispatched the same day, and anything after that goes out the next working day. We do not dispatch at weekends, so a Friday afternoon order ships on Monday morning.

Do you offer next day delivery?

Yes, as an optional upgrade at checkout. Royal Mail Tracked 24 is £6.50 and DPD Express next working day is £7.99. Both need the order placed before 1pm Monday to Friday to leave us the same day.

Do you ship internationally?

Yes, we ship worldwide from the UK, with Royal Mail International for standard and DHL Express for express. To the US, standard is £15 and quoted at 7 to 10 working days, and express is £20 and quoted at 2 to 3 working days. To the rest of the world outside the EU, standard is £20 and express is £30. Any duties or customs charges are the recipient's responsibility.

Do you ship to Europe?

We do not currently ship anywhere in the EU. We do ship to European countries outside the EU, including Switzerland and Norway, at our rest of world rates.

How do I track my order?

You will get a shipping confirmation email with a tracking link as soon as your order leaves us. Tracking links update the day after the parcel is shipped, so a link that shows nothing on the first day is normal rather than a problem.

Can I change or cancel my order after placing it?

Email us at info@thesilkcollection.co.uk with your order number as soon as you can and we will do our best. Once an order has been picked and packed we cannot guarantee a change, and orders placed before 1pm on a working day are usually already with the courier.

What is your returns policy?

You have 30 days from receiving your order to request a return. The item needs to come back unworn and unused, with its tags, in its original packaging. Return postage is not covered, and returns come back to our UK returns address.

How do I return an item?

Email info@thesilkcollection.co.uk with your order number and we will send you the returns address and take it from there. Keep your proof of postage and pack the parcel securely, because until it reaches us it is still travelling at your risk.

How long does a refund take?

We inspect returns when they arrive and process approved refunds within 48 hours, back to your original payment method. Your bank then usually posts it within 3 to 5 business days, and occasionally up to 10.

Is there anything you cannot accept as a return?

For hygiene reasons we cannot take back silk face masks, or any used item unless it is faulty, and we cannot accept returns on sale items or gift cards. If something arrives damaged or is not what you ordered, tell us straight away and we will put it right.

What packaging do you use?

Orders go out in a cardboard postal box, or an envelope for the smaller pieces. Where a box needs padding we use EcoFlo loose fill, a starch-based, plastic-free packing peanut that can be reused, composted or dissolved in water in the sink.

Gifting

A large share of what we send out is a gift for someone else, so the gift box, the handwritten card and the missing receipt are all deliberate.

Do your products come in a gift box?

Yes. Every individual piece except the scrunchies arrives wrapped in tissue paper inside our signature gift box, at no extra cost. Silk scrunchies are hand-tied with ribbon and a swing tag and wrapped in tissue, and you can add a gift box for £5 if a scrunchie is going out as a present.

Can I add a handwritten gift message?

Yes. Add it in the gift message field in your cart and we will write it out by hand on a card, free of charge. It is a small thing, but it is the part people tell us about afterwards.

Can I send a gift straight to the recipient?

Yes, just enter their address as the shipping address at checkout and add a gift message so they know who it is from. We never put invoices, receipts or pricing in the parcel, on any order.

Can I send gifts to more than one address in the same order?

No. An order can only carry one shipping address, so please place a separate order for each recipient.

Can I have several gifts wrapped separately in one order?

Individual pieces already arrive in their own gift box, so they are ready to give as they are. Multiple scrunchies in one order are wrapped together in tissue, so if you need those wrapped separately, either order them separately or email us before you place the order and we will sort it.

Can I build my own gift box?

Yes. Add the pieces you want to your basket, add a gift box for £5, and leave a note at checkout saying which items should go inside. Pillowcases, eye masks, robes, headbands and heatless curler sets already come in the signature box, so there is no need to add one for those.

Do you sell gift cards?

Yes. Our digital gift card runs from £25 to £200 and is delivered by email, which is the honest answer when you are short of time or unsure of a colour.

Do you do gift bundles?

Yes. Our silk gift bundles pair pieces together for less than buying them separately, for example the Pure Silk Sleep Set at £79. Every bundle arrives gift boxed. There is more in our gift sets collection and in our edit of the best luxury sleep gifts.

What do you recommend as a gift for a bride?

The Bride to Be Gift Box at £95 and the Pure Silk Robe at £160 are the two we point people towards most often, and the rest of the Bridal Collection sits alongside them.

Trade, wholesale and contact

Do you do wholesale or trade orders?

Yes. We supply retailers, hotels and corporate partners in the UK and internationally, and there are options for customised products and packaging. Our wholesale and bulk orders page has the detail, or email info@thesilkcollection.co.uk and we will send our trade terms.

Do you do corporate gifting?

Yes. We put together client gifts, team gifts and event gifts, with customised packaging where you need it and volume pricing. Our corporate gifting page covers what is possible and the lead times involved.

How do I contact you?

Email info@thesilkcollection.co.uk and a real person will reply. You can also reach us through our contact page, or by message on Instagram if that is easier.

Where are you based?

We are a UK business. Orders are packed by hand by our team in London and ship from the UK, and returns come back to a UK address.

Still not sure?

If your question is not here, send us a note at info@thesilkcollection.co.uk and we will answer it properly. If you are choosing between two sizes or two colours, tell us about your pillow or your room and we will tell you what we would pick. We would much rather help you buy the right one once.