Why Silk?
SKIN AND HAIR CARE
The smooth surface of silk means there is little friction between your skin and your bedding linen, which is said to be the biggest cause for sleep wrinkles. Sleeping on silk bedding lines enables you to say goodbye to your messy morning hair.
HYPOALLERGENIC
Silk is hypoallergenic and repels common household allergens including bacteria, mold, fungi, and dust mites alike to ensure a healthy and restful sleep throughout the night.
TEMPERATURE-REGULATING
The great insulation properties of silk help keep the temperature around your skin at an optimal level during sleep, allowing you to feel cool in summer and warm in winter.
What is silk made of?
Silk is mostly made up of two proteins, called sericin and fibroin. Fibroins are what makes up the “silk” as we know it, as they form the long strings of silk fiber that act as the structure of the cocoons. Sericin, on the other hand, is the “glue” with which the silkworms hold the fibers together in the shape of the cocoon. Large amounts of sericin is irritant to our skin, so after pupa have been removed, the cocoons must undergo a process in which they are placed in water and lose most of the sericin coating. The filaments made of fibroins are then drawn from the cocoon and weaved, eventually made into silk fabrics as we know it.
Mulberry vs Tussar/Wild silk:
Mulberry silk is produced by the silk worms of Bombyx mori moths, which eat Mulberry leaves. The process of Mulberry silk production is an ancient craft that had been in existence for over 2000 years in China. Generally speaking, Mulberry silk has better color, smoothness, luster, fiber length, fiber uniformness and elasticity that wild tussar silk, in all its coarseness and dimness, can only dream of having.
Satin & Silk Satin:
Satin is not even a type of fabric, it is just a particular way to weave any fabric so that the surface is glossy and shiny and the back is dull. Satin weave can be done with most textiles such as silk, polyester, cotton, nylon, etc., and with any quality of silk as well. So when you read “satin silk” in a product name, know it could very well be made with very low quality silk and break apart easily.
What is Momme in silk fabric?
Mommes (mm), is a unit traditionally used to measure the quality of silk fabrics. One momme = 4.340 grams per square meter. The usual range of momme weight for different weaves of silk are:
Gauze—3 to 5 mm
Organza—4 to 6 mm
Habotai—12 to 16 mm
Charmeuse—12 to 30 mm
Normally, the higher the momme weight, the more durable the weave, the more luxurious the fabric is, the more suitable it is for heavy-duty use, and the longer the shelf-life.
For bedding, the higher the weight in momme, the better the silk bedding is. Sheets between 19-25 momme are considered ideal. silk with momme weight lower than 19 are not suitable for the production of quality silk bedding linen. For sleepwear, 22mm are the most suitable fabric.
How to Identify Silk
The most effective and simple way to identify real silk is burning. You can tell the difference from 2 aspects.
1 Flames
Burning genuine silk produces a smell very similar to that of burning human hair. The flame is close to invisible when burning the edge of the real silk fabric. Very soon after the flame source is taken away from the fabric, the silk will self-extinguish. When burned, fake silk material tend to combust rapidly in intense flames, and give a smell of burning plastic.
2. Ashes
The ash from burning of real silk is black, crispy and turns to powder easily when grinded. The ash of fake silk tend to be sticky, twisted, and difficult to break apart.