Why Silk is Great For Hair Care and Skin Care?
Beautiful silk material is one of the world's oldest luxury goods, the soft, smooth touch and fancy shimmer may evoke images of romance novels and princesses. In history, silk material was hard to afford and restricted to only the royal and noble class. Now silk material is still not cheap, but it’s loved by people who live with a natural, healthy lifestyle. Silk material is used to make nice bedding, lingerie and sleepwear that have soft touching also treat skin and hair beautifully. Silk stuffs like silk pillowcase, silk turban, and silk sleep mask are essential for a luxury beauty sleep. Active ingredients from silk fabric are also widely used in high end skin and hair products like hair serum, face moisturizer, exfoliators,. Although with modern technology, various fabrics (for example, polyester satin) could be produced that has similar touch and shimmer with much lower cost, real silk is not replaceable because of its special character and benefits.
In recent times silk pillowcases are considered cult products in beauty blogs, spruiked as a must-have for smoother skin, glossier hair and better sleep. So many people ask do the claims stack up?
Before that we need to know what is silk and why silk material is different from other materials. The silk itself is called a natural protein fiber which is composed almost three amino acids: glycine, alanine, and serine. The primary structure of silk contains the amino acids of glycine, alanine, serine, in specific repeating pattern. These three amino acids make up 90% of the protein in silk. The last 10% is comprised of the amino acids glutamic acid, valine, and aspartic acid. These amino acids are used as side chains and affect things such as elasticity and strength. Some species of silk worm produce varying amounts of bulky side chains, but these silks are not as prized as the mulberry silkworm (which has no bulky proteins), that’s explain why mulberry silk is stronger than other silk and has better quality. Compare with other fabric, some other natural fabric like cotton, linen and bamboo fabric are from plants that are mainly made up of cellulose. Many other synthetic fabrics (like nylon, polyester etc.) are produced by joining chemical monomers into polymers using a chemical reaction called polymerisation. The chemicals used are usually sodium hydroxide and carbon disulphide (derivatives of coal, oil, or natural gas).
Silk is less irritating on our skin than some other fabrics, in part because the fiber is actually a natural protein. Your skin and hair are protein too, the components of silk fabric is more close to your skin and hair compare to other material. Because of that silk fabric doesn’t have anything that irritates or excites the immune response. It’s comfortable and skin-friendly especially great for people with sensitive skin, rashes or eczema. Any skin issues may cause long term damage to skin and accelerates skin aging. Use silk for skin can reduce skin irritations that caused by nasty contact with wrong fabric and keep your skin condition more healthy and stable. Just image while your skin and hair are wrapped by silk they’re actually covered by gentle soft hands.
Silk hydrated and treat skin & hair as it is composed by various amino acids which are widely used in cosmetics, beauty, natural makeup & healthy supplements. Glycine is the main amino acid in collagen, an important component of the skin. That is why glycine is sometimes added to skin creams and oral beauty supplements. Glycine can improve skin health and reduce the formation of wrinkles. Alanine is used in a wide variety of cosmetics and personal care and can combine with the epidermal cells to fill up creases, and thus provide the surface of your skin with a smoother appearance. Alanine is said to balance moisture levels on the skin. Serine is also valuable in skin care because of its ability to help skin retain moisture, giving it a healthier look and feel. It also supports structures in skin that result in a more youthful appearance. These ingredients from silk are widely used in luxury skin care products, hair treatment, salon hair care, skin care clinic. While you’re using silk pillowcase or other silk tuffs, your skin and hair are enjoying beauty treatment with these natural ingredients just like applying skin care or beauty supplements like salon!
Silk material is delicate and breathable which can comfort your skin and settle your hair. The silk fabric is super fine as it has very thin fiber that’s why silk material is so soft and smooth. Compare to other natural material like cotton material, usually the thickness of cotton fiber is 11-22 microns while silk fiber is 10-13 microns. The delicate silk material is gentler to skin and hair, your skin slides over the silk rather than getting pulled by the fabric, therefore preventing creases on skin and knotted/messy hair which is also beneficial for treatment for hair loss. Silk fiber also has a hollow center which helps in the regulation of temperature during cool and warm conditions. Your skin and hair will be happy with the crispy and soft touch all year around.
Silk is popular for thousands years and still not be replaced, that must has its own reason! It’s not just a fad and really worth having forever. You may already invested the best skin products: the best face moisturizer, the most expensive serum, but do consider add silk to your skin care routine. you’re your skin care routine, Besides silk pillowcases, there’re so many other silk products you should have: silk gloves protect your hands and bring more moisture to your hands, silk underwear is super cool and comfy, silk turban prevent messy hair and let hair more smooth, silk towel cares your face nicely….Be spoiled with beautiful silk and live like a queen!