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Comfort is king.
This simple statement remains true whether you’re picking a vacation location, an outfit or the best natural materials for your bedding products.
Making the right choice for bed sheets is never easy, and there’s always a seemingly better material to consider. If it isn’t bamboo vs. cotton sheets, it’ll be linen vs. cotton or silk vs. cotton sheets.
This article will look at one of the oldest rivalries between bedding fabrics: bamboo vs. silk sheets.
Before we enter this tug of war, let’s take a moment to see why your choice of bedding fabric for sheets is so important.
The Influence of Bedding Fabrics on Quality Sleep
Bed sheets are perhaps the most overlooked bedding product there is today.
After much time and research, you might opt for a good Simba Sleep mattress and a Sutera pillow to achieve a better night of sleep. But when it comes to the choice of bed sheets, people tend to choose the most budget-friendly option available.
While opting for a budget-friendly choice for bed sheets isn’t necessarily bad, it may compromise sleep quality.
Have you ever wondered why sleeping in nice hotels always seems more comfortable than sleeping at home? This is because high-end hotels use sheets with expensive fabric and luxurious textures, which lulls you into a deeper sleep.
Even if you don’t purchase premium fabric, knowing specific qualities like the difference between Egyptian cotton sheets and silk bedding can do you a lot of good.
This is especially true if you have sensitive skin, eczema-prone skin or frizzy hair. If you experience skin or hair complications, you need to choose a pillow and sheets with a finish and firmness that suits your particular needs.
The first step in figuring out which types of sheets are best for you is understanding the difference between bamboo and silk sheets.
Bamboo Sheets:What You Should Know
This is a fabric class made from the bamboo viscose production process. Bamboo sheets are a product of the natural fibers obtained from bamboo pulp, where the bamboo stalks are dissolved and the cellulose extracted.
These manufactured natural fibers’ smooth and luxurious texture is remarkably similar to silk sheets. However, bamboo bed sheets don’t contain any silk.
This is one of the reasons that the average blend of bamboo linen is more affordable than silk pillowcases and bed sheets.
Silk Sheets: What You Should Know
Silk bedding and linen sheets are obtained from silkworms. The silk produced can be classified as cultivated and uncultivated.
Cultivated silk is obtained when domesticated silkworms produce the silk fibers on a diet of mulberry leaves only. The raw silk then undergoes a chemical process before being woven into silk pillowcases and silk bed sheets.
This type of silk has finer threads and is considered to be of the highest quality.
Uncultivated silk is obtained when wild silkworms are fed any leaves available. The threads produced are not as fine as the natural materials from a mulberry leaves-only diet.
Cultivated or not, silk sheets appear to carry a hefty price because the premium fabric isn’t easy to come by. Depending on the size, making a single silk comforter or bedding can take thousands of cocoons.
However, the expensive fabric includes multiple perks that make up for the steep price.
Bamboo vs. Silk Sheets
We’ll compare bamboo and silk sheets based on several parameters to determine which bedding fabric is superior. These include:
Cost of Bedding Fabrics
As previously mentioned, bamboo bedding is typically cheaper than silk bedding.
Even the most expensive deep pocket bamboo cotton sheets don’t come close to the price of premium silk pillowcases and sheets.
This is because the process of making pillowcases and sheets from the bamboo plant is not as cost-intensive as the production process of silk.
Sheets made from mulberry silk, the product obtained from domesticated silkworms placed on a mulberry leaves-only diet, falls on an even higher end of the price spectrum.
Fabric Breathability
Breathability refers to the ability of a material to absorb moisture without becoming damp and uncomfortable. Breathable fabric can accomplish this through a tiny network of holes that release moisture easier.
As a class of fabric, one of the benefits of bamboo material is that it is highly breathable and often referred to as cotton’s counterpart.
Due to the tight weave of most silk pillowcases and sheets, they have poorer breathability properties. In terms of breathability, bamboo sheets are far superior to silk sheets.
Ease of Care and Maintenance
This is another important factor to consider, as you’ll eventually need to wash your bedding fabrics.
Yet another difference between the two sheets is that bamboo is machine washable. No extra care is required when you have linen with bamboo threads. You can simply place it in the washing machine and move it to the dryer afterward.
On the other hand, special care has to be taken with silk sheets, as household machines can destroy them. You have to take proper care to prepare a gentle detergent with cold water and leave the water to foam before gently hand-washing your silk sheets.
Your only other alternative is to take your sheets to the dry cleaner. As such, bamboo pillowcases and sheets are overall easier to maintain.
Level of Durability
Going for the more durable option from the get-go can save you more money further down the road.
Some people believe that the tensile strength of silk is stronger than steel. However, this type of durability doesn’t transfer to silk sheets. The weaved fiber is so delicate that you can rip it with a jagged toenail or rough, dry skin.
The durability of bamboo fibers in this regard is quite astounding. Even though it’s a lightweight fabric, it holds better under pressure and isn’t as likely to rip suddenly.
Are Bamboo and Silk Sheets Entirely Different?
Although bamboo and silk sheets may seem to have a lot of differences, they also include a surprising amount of similarities.
For example, they both possess potent antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties, meaning you won’t have to worry about the growth of dust mites.
Also, you can find both bamboo and silk pillowcases and sheets in a wide range of colors.
Even more important is the level of softness and smooth texture both fabrics afford you. You’ll find minimal friction, effectively ensuring that your bedding doesn’t contribute to hair loss or frizzy hair.
Bottom Line
When choosing between bamboo vs. silk sheets, you’ll need to compare each product’s qualities with your individual needs. Just like with bamboo, you’ll find many advantages and disadvantages of silk pillowcases and sheets.
For people who favor style and have especially sensitive skin, silk pillowcases and sheets may be best for you. If you’d like a more budget-friendly version of silk and prefer to do your laundry yourself, you should consider bamboo bedding.