The complete guide
How to Choose a Silk Pillowcase, and Why Momme Matters
The problem with waking up creased
Most of us never think about the pillowcase. It is the thing the pillow goes in, and that is that. Then one morning you look in the mirror and there is a line pressed into your cheek that takes an hour to fade, or your hair has turned into something that needs ten minutes of attention before you leave the house.
A lot of that comes down to friction. Cotton is a lovely fabric, but under a microscope the surface is rough and the fibres are short. When you turn over at night, your face and hair catch slightly on that surface. Multiply that by eight hours and a few hundred turns, and you get creases and tangles.
Silk behaves differently. The filaments are long and smooth, and the woven surface is far more even. Your head slides instead of gripping. That is the whole mechanism, and it is a material fact rather than a promise about what your skin will look like.
What momme actually tells you
If you shop for silk bedding for more than five minutes you will run into the word momme. It is the traditional unit for silk weight, and it does roughly the same job that GSM does for a towel or a bath sheet.
Lighter silk, around 16 momme, feels thin and almost papery. It can be lovely for a scarf. On a pillow that you lie on every night and wash every week, it does not last as well. Around 19 momme is the usual entry point for bedding. At 22 momme you are in the heavier end of what most people buy. The fabric has body. It drapes over the pillow instead of clinging to it, and the seams and zip have more fabric to hold on to.
These pillowcases are 22 momme, woven to a 600 thread count. Thread count on silk works a little differently to cotton, because silk filaments are so fine, but the combination of a dense weave and real weight is what gives the case its hand.
Both sides matter
Here is a detail that is easy to miss when you are comparing options online. Some silk pillowcases use silk on the top face and a cheaper backing fabric underneath, usually cotton or polyester. It saves money for the maker and the photographs still look fine.
The trouble shows up the first time you flip the pillow over at two in the morning because the top side has gone warm. Suddenly you are on polyester. These cases are silk on both faces, so there is no wrong side.
The closure is an invisible zip rather than an envelope flap. That is partly about looks, since the case keeps a clean rectangular shape on the bed, and partly practical. A flap can creep open if you are a restless sleeper, and then the corner of your pillow is hanging out by morning.
Getting the size right
This is where most silk pillowcase returns come from, so it is worth two minutes of your time.
These cases measure 66 x 50.8 cm, which is 26" x 20". That is the American standard cut, and a great many silk pillowcases on the market are made to American sizing because that is where the volume is. American sizing runs standard at roughly 51 x 66 cm, queen at 51 x 76 cm, and king at 51 x 91 cm.
A South African standard pillow is usually around 45 x 70 cm. So the shapes do not line up perfectly. Depending on your pillows, this case may sit a touch roomy, or it may be a close fit.
The fix is simple. Take the pillow off the bed, lay it flat, and measure the length and the width in centimetres without pressing down on it. Then compare. If your pillow is a little smaller than the case, you will get a soft drape, which looks relaxed and sleeps perfectly well. If your pillow is larger than the case in either direction, choose something else. Forcing a plump pillow into a case that is too small puts strain on the seams and the zip, and silk seams do not love being stretched.
If you are genuinely between sizes, going slightly larger is the safer call.
Who this suits
A white 22 momme silk pillowcase in a two pack is a fairly broad pick. It works if you share a bed and want both sides to match. It works if you keep a neutral bedroom and do not want to commit to a colour. It works if you are buying a gift and do not know the person's palette, since white goes with everything.
It also suits people who have tried a cheap silk-feel pillowcase, found it slippery and thin, and want to know what the real thing is like. There is a clear difference between satin-weave polyester and 22 momme mulberry silk, and it is mostly in the weight and the way the fabric settles.
If you are hard on your bedding, wash everything hot, and have no interest in a gentler routine, silk may frustrate you. It is not fragile, but it does ask for cool water and a mild detergent.
Looking after it
The care routine is short. Hand wash in water no warmer than 30°C, which is cool to lukewarm on your hand. Soak the case fully in clean water first. Dissolve a small amount of mild detergent completely before the silk goes in, so you never get a concentrated patch sitting on the fabric.
Wash white separately, or only with similar colours. Do not use bleach, and avoid detergents with optical brighteners, which can dull silk over time. Deal with marks on the day they happen rather than leaving them for the weekly wash.
When it comes out, press the water out gently with your hands or roll it in a towel. Do not wring it. Dry flat or on a line out of direct sun, and keep it away from radiators and heaters. If you want it crisper, a low iron setting while it is slightly damp does the job, ideally with a cloth in between.
Two small habits make life easier. Buy a second pair so one set is always on the bed, and keep a small bottle of mild detergent near the basin so washing does not feel like a project.
Styling it
White silk takes light well, which is why it photographs so nicely in hotel rooms. On a real bed it is forgiving. Layer it over grey or charcoal linen for contrast, keep everything white for a calm look, or use it as the quiet element under a patterned duvet.
Because both cases match, a pair looks deliberate rather than accidental. If you like a fuller bed, add a pair of larger cotton shams behind them and let the silk sit in front.
The short version
This is a pair of white pillowcases in 100% mulberry silk at 22 momme, woven to 600 thread count, silk on both faces, with an invisible zip. Each measures 66 x 50.8 cm (26" x 20"), which is an American standard cut, so measure your own pillow before you commit. Care is hand washing in cool water with mild detergent, no bleach, dried away from heat and sun.
Weight, country of origin and packaged dimensions are not stated by the maker. What is stated is the part that matters most on a pillowcase, which is the silk content, the momme weight and the size.
Delivery is tracked to every province and takes 10 to 20 working days, free over R1800 and R250 below that. Payment is by card. If the fit is wrong, you have 14 days from delivery to send them back unused and unwashed.